Dormer

Dormer
This unusual surname is of English medieval origins, although its derivation is French, and much earlier and probably pre 7th century. It derives from the word "dormeur" meaning "sleeper", and was introduced into England after the 1066 Norman-French invasion. It is or was a nickname for a heavy sleeper, or perhaps given the ribald humour of the medieval period, the reverse! We have not been able to identify any Chaucerian comments about "dormers" but no doubt there would have been some. Over 15% of British surnames are definately forms of nickname, indeed there are some researchers who are of the opinion that most surnames were at their creation, nicknames. The famous Victorian etymologist Canon Charles Bardsley also suggested that the name could be locational and derive from a place called Dormire, "mire" being a popular name suffix in the North of England, whilst "Dor" could refer to a river. He quotes that a Willelmus Dormire and an Agnes Dormire were recorded in the 1379 Poll Tax Rolls for Yorkshire, but he was unable to identify any place such as Dormire, and it seems likely that this was a localised spelling of Dormer/Dormour.The earliest known recording of the surname is probably that of Geoffrey Dormour, in the 1324 Subsidy Rolls for the county of Sussex. This was in the reign of King Edward 11nd of England, known as "Edward of Caernafon", 1307 - 1327.

Surnames reference. 2013.

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  • dormer — UK [ˈdɔː(r)mə(r)] / US [ˈdɔrmər] or dormer window UK / US noun [countable] Word forms dormer : singular dormer plural dormers Word forms dormer window : singular dormer window plural dormer windows an upright window in a sloping roof …   English dictionary

  • Dormer — Dor mer, or Dormer window Dor mer win dow, n. [Literally, the window of a sleeping apartment. F. dormir to sleep. See {Dormant}, a. & n.] (Arch.) A window pierced in a roof, and so set as to be vertical while the roof slopes away from it. Also,… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • dormer — (also dormer window) ► NOUN ▪ a window set vertically into a sloping roof. ORIGIN originally denoting the window of a dormitory or bedroom: from Old French dormir to sleep …   English terms dictionary

  • dormer — [dôr′mər] n. [OFr dormeour < L dormitorium: see DORMITORY] 1. a window set upright in a sloping roof: also dormer window 2. the roofed projection in which this window is set …   English World dictionary

  • dormer — 1590s, originally window of a sleeping room, from M.Fr. dormeor sleeping room, from dormir to sleep (see DORMANT (Cf. dormant)) …   Etymology dictionary

  • dormer — n *window, casement, oriel …   New Dictionary of Synonyms

  • Dormer — For people named Dormer, see Dormer (surname). An English street showing gable dormer windows A dormer is a structural element of a building that protrudes from the plane of a sloping roof surface. Dormers are used, either in original… …   Wikipedia

  • Dormer — Natalie Dormer (* 11. Februar 1982 in Reading, England) ist eine britische Schauspielerin. Leben und Leistungen Dormer absolvierte ihr Schauspielausbildung an der renommierten Londoner Webber Douglas Akademie, wo unter anderem Rupert Friend,… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • dormer — dormered, adj. /dawr meuhr/, n. 1. Also called dormer window. a vertical window in a projection built out from a sloping roof. 2. the entire projecting structure. [1585 95; < MF dormoir DORMITORY] * * * Window set vertically in a structure that… …   Universalium

  • dormer — [[t]dɔ͟ː(r)mə(r)[/t]] dormers N COUNT A dormer or dormer window is a window that is built upright in a sloping roof …   English dictionary

  • dormer — Dormant Dor mant, n. [See {Dormant}, a.] (Arch.) A large beam in the roof of a house upon which portions of the other timbers rest or sleep. Arch. Pub. Soc. Called also {dormant tree}, {dorman tree}, {dormond}, and {dormer}. Halliwell …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

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