Not now in polite use. Forms: 1, 3–6 tord, (3 tort), 4–6 toord, 6 toorde, 5–6 torde, 5–7 turde, 6 tourd, -e, towrde, Sc. tuird, 5– turd. [OE. tord, = MDu., MFl. torde, tort, (whence also early mod.Du. tort-wevel (Kilian), OE. tord-wifel, ON. tord-ýfill, OSw. tord-öfvil, Sw. tordyfvel, Norw. tordivel, -yvel, dung-beetle, sharn-bug), prob.:—IndoEur. *drtó-, pa. pple. of *der- to tear, split. See Falk and Torp, Etymol. Wbch., s.v. Torbist. Cf. also tirdle, trottle, TRATTLE, TREDDLE.]

1

  1.  A lump or piece of excrement; also, excrement, ordure.

2

c. 1000.  Sax. Leechd., II. 62. Swines tord. Ibid., 322. Culfran tord. Ibid., 330. Niwe horses tord.

3

a. 1250, 13[?].  [see b].

4

1382.  Wyclif, Zeph. i. 17. The blood of hem shal be shed out as erthe, and the bodyes of hem as tordis. Ibid. (1388), Isa. v. 25. The deed bodies of hem weren maad as a toord [1382 drit] in the myddis of stretis.

5

c. 1400.  Lanfranc’s Cyrurg., 194. Sprynge þeron poudre maad of tapsia,… & tordis of a culuere.

6

1483.  Cath. Angl., 180/2. An Horse turde, donarium.

7

1553.  Bale, Vocacyon, 45. Yet will a toorde be but a stinkinge toorde, both in smele and syght, pepper him and bawme him … as wele as they can.

8

1651.  C. Cartwright, Cert. Relig., I. 91. No marvel that he [Luther] is so taxed for his stincking repetition of turds and dunghils.

9

1721.  W. Gibson, Farrier’s Dispens., ix. (1734), 232. Turd, and all manner of Filth is much more agreeable to them [Worms] than Milk and Hony.

10

1761.  Smollett, in Brit. Mag., II. 63/1. Thatch your house with t——d, and you’ll have more teachers than reachers.

11

  b.  As a type of worthlessness or vileness.

12

a. 1250.  Owl & Night., 1686. A tord [v.r. tort] ne yeue ic for eu alle.

13

13[?].  Guy Warw. (A), 3704. Þou nart nouȝt worþ a tord.

14

1382.  Wyclif, Phil. iii. 8. Alle thingis … I deme as toordis, that I wynne Crist.

15

c. 1450.  Debate Carpenter’s Tools, 110, in Hazlitt, E. P. P., I. 83. Thou arte not worth a tord.

16

1619–20.  Archdeaconry of Essex Minutes, lf. 265 (MS.). He did demaunde rent of one who holdeth some land which was given … for the poore of the same parishe, who bid a turde for him and a turde for them.

17

  c.  In coarse abuse; also applied to a person as a term of execration or contempt.

18

c. 1450.  Mankind, 126, in Macro Plays, 6.

        I haue etun a dysch full of curdis,
Ande I haue shetun yowur mowth full of turdis.

19

a. 1518.  Skelton, Magnyf., 397. Do away, I say, the deuylles torde!

20

1598.  E. Gilpin, Skial. (1878), 37. The foul-mouthd knave wil call thee goodman Tord.

21

1614.  B. Jonson, Bart. Fair, I. iv. Good Master Hornet, turd i’ your teeth, hold you your tongue.

22

  2.  attrib. and Comb., as turd-monger; also turd-colored, -faced adjs.; turd-bird, local name for species of Skua (Stercorarius).

23

1550.  Bale, Apol., 112. That torde monger, whych dysdaynynge my preciouse preceptes, presenteth me with his vile dirty donge.

24

a. 1585.  Polwart, Flyting w. Montgomerie, 787. Tuirdfacit, ay chaisit, almaist fyld for ane theif!

25

a. 1704.  T. Brown, Walk round Lord, Thames, Wks. 1709, III. III. 59. Out you nasty T—d colour’d dog.

26

18[?].  Atkinson, Provinc. Names Birds (MS.), Turd-bird, a provincial name for Richardson’s Skua.

27