Re: medieval english was knight ranks and titles

Brian M. Scott wrote:

> >> "Mike" <bakerdivert@xxxxxxxx> wrote in message
> >> news:11ks0ju3gubei28@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
>
> >>> Some OED quotes using the word sergeant might help.
>
> >>> "<c1330 Chron Wace (Rolls)> Seuen thousand now we are
> >>> Of knyghtes to bataille zare, Wythoute seriauntz &
> >>> other pytaille[foot soldiers].
>
> Not <zare>, but <3are>, where <3> stands for the letter
> yogh; here it has the sound of <y>, and indeed the spelling
> <yare> goes back to the 13th century. The word means
> 'ready, prepared. This quotation is for the meaning 'a
> common soldier'; the sense is 'We are now seven thousand
> knights ready for battle, not counting common soldiers and
> other infantry'.

Is that the word that survives (barely) in *Philadelphia Story* and
crossword puzzles?
--
Peter T. Daniels grammatim@xxxxxxx
.

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