str. Obs. Forms: Inf. 1 abreʓdan, abrédan, 3 abreiden, 4–5 abreyde, 5 abrayde, abraide, 6 erroneous abray. Pa. t. 1 abræʓd, abræd(de, 2 abred, abræid, 3 abraid, abreid, 4 abreyde, 4–5 abrayde, abraide, 5–6 abraid, abrayed. Pa. pple. 1 abroʓden, abroden, 2 abroiden, abroden, abruden. [f. A- pref. 1 + BRAID, OE. breʓdan to twist, cogn. w. OSax. bregdan, OFries. breida, OIcel. bregða; hence primarily to twist or wrench back, retorquēre. In the primary trans. meaning the vb. became early obs. The intransitive sense, ‘to spring, start,’ was prob. also obs. bef. 1600, when Spenser gave it the false form abray, taken from the past abraid. In the sense of ‘to ejaculate’ abraid remained in the 16th c., and was provided with a weak past abraided.]
1. trans. To wrench or pull out, to snatch, withdraw, draw (a sword).
c. 1000. O. E. Gosp., Matt. xxvi. 51. Witudlice án þæra … abræd hys sweord.
c. 1150. Hatton Gosp., ibid. Witodlice an þara … abred hys sweord.
a. 1200. Cotton Hom., 239. Alles goddes fend simle fram his ȝesecðe abroden bienn.
c. 1200. Trin. Coll. Hom., 209. Ure soule is abroiden of þe hunte grune.
1205. Layamon, 26534. Sone his sweord he ut abræid [later text vp breid].
2. intr. To start, usually out of sleep, a swoon, or fit; to awake; occ. also, to start or burst into motion; to spring or dart.
c. 1230. Ancren Riwle, 214. He schal a domesdei grimliche abreiden mid te dredful dreame of þe englene bemen. Ibid., 238. And te holi mon abreid.
c. 1250. Genesis & Ex., 2111. Ðe king abraid and woc in ðhogt.
c. 1386. Chaucer, Clerkes T., 1005. Til sche out of hir masidnesse abrayde. Ibid., Squyres T., 469. And after that sche gan of swown abreyde.
c. 1430. Lydg., Bochas (1554), IV. i. 101. Marcus in his bed lying Gan tabrayde.
1501. Douglas, Palice of Hon. (1787), III. iii. 55. Be not affrayit scho said … And with that word up the strait rod abraid.
c. 1570. Thynne, Pride & Lowlines (1841), 65. I sodenly out of my sleepe abraid.
1596. Spenser, F. Q., IV. vi. 36. But, whenas I did out of sleepe abray, I found her not. Ibid., IV. iv. 22. And now by this Sir Satyrane abraid Out of the swowne.
1600. Fairfax, Tasso, XIII. l. 244. But from his studie he at last abraid, Call’d by the Hermit old.
b. trans. To arouse, startle.
1596. Spenser, F. Q., III. i. 61. For feare lest her unwares she should abrayd. Ibid., III. xi. 8. The braue maid would not for courtesie, Out of his quiet slumber him abrade.
3. intr. To break forth abruptly into speech; to burst into a cry; to shout out.
c. 1430. Lydgate, Bochas (1544), I. i. 1 a. Our fader Adam sodeynly abrayde, And to mine autour, euen thus he sayde. Ibid., I. i. 5 b. In their working, as thei gan abrayde No man wist what that other sayd.
c. 1440. Ipomydon (W.), 1149. Ipomydon with that stroke abrayde, And to the kynge thus he sayde.
1531. Elyot, Governour (1580), 102. Holding his eyes and handes up towards heaven [he] abrayded with a loud voyce. Ibid. (1541), Image Gov. (1556), 145. After that he had sette a good space without speakyng, he abraided out at the last.
1566. Drant, Horace, Sat., II. B. Who … doth not abrade, and crye, Uppon the greateste God of all?
b. trans. To ejaculate.
1578. T. Procter, in Heliconia, I. 172. Wherwith distrest, with wood-like rage the wordes he out Abrade.
4. intr. To rise nauseously in the stomach.
1533. Elyot, Castel of Helth (1541), 33. An appetite to eate or drynke mylke, to the extent that it shal not arise or abraied in the stomake.
5. refl. To exert oneself.
1530. Palsgr., 415/1. I abrayde, I inforce me to do a thinge, Je mefforce. He dyd abrayde him to reche it.
6. (In Lydgate.) To resort to, frequent.
c. 1430. Lydgate, Bochas (1554), III. v. 75 a. O thou princesse of worldly goodes veyne, To thy flatterers I never did abrayde. Ibid., VI. xv. 161 b. Plato, To whose cradle Bees dyd abrayde.
