Obs. exc. Hist. Forms: 4 (9 Hist.) byrny, 4–6 (9 Hist.) byrnie, 6 birny(e. [Sc. variant of ME. brynie, BRINIE, with metathesis of r. The word was thus brought nearer to OE. byrne, from which however it could not directly come, as this gave only the monosyllabic *byrn, BURNE, BRYN.]
A cuirass, corslet, coat of mail; = BRINIE.
1375. Barbour, Bruce, II. 352. The blud owt at thar byrnys brest.
c. 1470. Henry, Wallace, II. 106. Into ye byrneis [v.r. birny] ye formast can he ber.
1513. Douglas, Æneis, VII. xi. 95. His breistplayt strang and his byrnie.
1535. Stewart, Cron. Scot., I. 140. With breistplait, birny, as the buriall brycht.
1864. Sir G. W. Dasent, Jest & Earnest (1873), II. 273. He had armed himself in two byrnies or shirts of mail.
1870. Magnússon & Morris, Völsunga Saga, xi. 37. No shield or byrny might hold against him.
