Forms: 4 curiour, 4–6 coriour, curryour, 4–7 corier, 5 coryowre, coryer, correher, coureour, curriour, 5–6 coryer, -ar, coryour, 6 corrier, curryar, courrar, currer, 6–7 coriar, 6– currier. [In sense 1, ME. corier, coryer, a. OF. corier, coryer:—L. coriārius, tanner, currier, f. corium hide, leather. The forms in -our, as coureour, are assimilated to, or directly from, F. courroyeur, in Palsgrave couraieur, OF. conreeur (13th c.) currier, f. conreer, in Cotgr. courroyer, now corroyer to CURRY, whence senses 2, 3. A confusion between the two words appears already in OF. where we find coroier, couroier as variants of coriier, in which the oi is due to corroyer, corroyeur.]

1

  1.  One whose trade is the dressing and coloring of leather after it is tanned.

2

  In the earlier quots. confused with tanner; but the two trades were quite distinct and legally incompatible in 1488.

3

c. 1380.  Wyclif, Wks. (1880), 471. Seynt petre dwelte in a corieris hous. Ibid. (1382), Acts ix. 43. Many dayes he dwellide in Joppe, at Symound, sum coriour, or tawier [1388 a curiour; Vulg. Simonem quemdam coriarium]. Ibid., x. 6 [v.r. curryour].

4

c. 1440.  Promp. Parv., 93. Coryowre, coriarius, cerdo.

5

1474.  Caxton, Chesse, III. iii. 77. Coupers, coryers, tawyers, skynners.

6

1488.  Act 1 Hen. VII., c. 5 § 2. That no Tanner while he occupieth the mistere of a Tanner … use the mistere of a Coriour nor blak no leder to be put to sale.

7

c. 1515.  Cocke Lorell’s B. (Percy Soc.), 1. The nexte that came was a coryar And a cobeler, his brother.

8

1576.  Gascoigne, Steele Gl. (Arb.), 79. When Tanners are with Corriers wel agreede.

9

1583.  Stubbes, Anat. Abus., II. (1882), 36. The tanners, makers, curriers, and dressers of the same [leather].

10

1639.  [see CURRY v.1 2].

11

1697.  Dryden, Virg. Georg., III. 833. Useless to the Currier were their Hides.

12

1846.  M’Culloch, Acc. Brit. Empire (1854), I. 761. The trade of a coach currier is hardly carried on anywhere except in the metropolis.

13

1854.  Lowell, Cambridge 30 Yrs. Ago, Wks. 1890, I. 70. A currier’s shop, where … men were always beating skins.

14

  2.  One who curries horses, etc.

15

1562.  J. Heywood, Prov. & Epigr. (1867), 134. When short hors, and short coriers doo méete.

16

1786.  trans. Beckford’s Vathek (1834), 39. A currier of camels.

17

  3.  One who curries favor.

18

1595.  Barclay, Egloges, I. A iv/2. Flatterers and lyers, curriers of fafell.

19