Medlar

Medlar
Recorded as Medlar, Medler and Midler, this is an English surname. It has two possible origins, both locational. The first is from the place called 'Medlar,' a village in Lancashire, and recorded in the 'Cockersand Chartulary' of 1215 as 'Midelarge'. The place name is of pre 7th century origin, and means 'The middle pasture', from a compound of the Old English pre 7th Century 'mid(del)' meaning middle, and the Norse-Viking 'erg', a hill pasture. The second possible source is the place now called 'Madehurst' in Sussex. This is named from the word 'maced', meaning a meadow, and 'hyrst', wooded hill. However it is first recorded in the Pipe Rolls of Sussex in 1188 as Medliers, because the Norman-French scribe who carried out the recording, the official language having been changed from English to French following the Norman Conquest of 1066, associated the place with the French word 'medlier', meaning a crab apple type fruit. Early examples of recordings include the marriage of Anne Medler to John Hicks at St James Clerkenwell in the city of London in 1640, although the very first recorded spelling of the family name is four centuries earlier. This was shown to be that of Nicholas de Medler, and dated 1273 in the Hundred Rolls of landowners Shropshire, during the reign of King Edward 1st of England but known to history as 'The Hammer of the Scots', 1272-1307. Surnames became necessary when governments introduced personal taxation. In England this was sometimes known as the Poll Tax. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.

Surnames reference. 2013.

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  • Medlar — may refer to: Either of the two tree species in the genus Mespilus, in family Rosaceae Crataegus azarolus, azarole, also called Mediterranean medlar, in family Rosaceae Eriobotrya japonica, the Japanese medlar or loquat, formerly called Mespilus… …   Wikipedia

  • Medlar — Med lar, n. [OE. medler medlar tree, OF. meslier, F. n[ e]flier, L. mespilum, mespilus, Gr. ?, ?. Cf. {Naseberry}.] A tree of the genus {Mespilus} ({Mespilus Germanica}); also, the fruit of the tree. The fruit is something like a small apple, but …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • medlar — small fruit bearing tree, mid 14c. (in reference to the fruit itself), from O.Fr. medler, variant of mesple, from L. mespila fruit of the medlar, from Gk. mespilion, a foreign word of unknown origin. The Old English name was openærs, lit. open… …   Etymology dictionary

  • Medlar — Medlar, s. Stöcke …   Lexikon der gesamten Technik

  • medlar — ► NOUN ▪ a small brown apple like fruit. ORIGIN Old French medler, from Greek mespil …   English terms dictionary

  • medlar — [med′lər] n. [ME medler < OFr medler, meslier < mesle, the fruit < L mespilum < Gr mespilon] 1. a small tree (Mespilus germanica) of the rose family, growing in Europe and Asia 2. its small, brown, applelike fruit, hard and bitter… …   English World dictionary

  • medlar — noun 1》 a small bushy tree of the rose family. [Mespilus germanica.] 2》 the small brown apple like fruit of the medlar, edible once it has begun to decay. Origin ME: from OFr. medler, from medle medlar fruit , from L. mespila, from Gk mespilē,… …   English new terms dictionary

  • medlar — baltažiedė šliandra statusas T sritis vardynas apibrėžtis Erškėtinių šeimos dekoratyvinis, vaisinis augalas (Mespilus germanica), paplitęs pietų Europoje ir centrinėje Azijoje. atitikmenys: lot. Mespilus germanica; Pyrus germanica angl. medlar;… …   Lithuanian dictionary (lietuvių žodynas)

  • medlar — šliandra statusas T sritis vardynas apibrėžtis Erškėtinių (Rosaceae) šeimos augalų gentis (Mespilus). atitikmenys: lot. Mespilus angl. medlar; medlar tree vok. Mispel rus. мушмула lenk. nieszpułka …   Dekoratyvinių augalų vardynas

  • medlar — noun Etymology: Middle English medeler, from Anglo French medler, from medle medlar fruit, from Latin mespilum, from Greek mespilon Date: 14th century a small deciduous Eurasian tree (Mespilus germanica) of the rose family whose fruit resembles a …   New Collegiate Dictionary

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