Forms: 4 forrier, forreyer, ferrour, 4–5 forrayour, forrour, 4–6 -eour, 5 -ear, ferriour, -your, foreyour, 7 forreiar, 9 forayer. [from two different sources: ME. forrier is a. OF. forrier:—med.L. type *fodrārius, f. *fodro fodder (see FORAGE sb.); ME. forrour, forreour, is a. OF. forreor, agent-n. f. forrer to forage. The two words coalesced, the trisyllabic forms alone surviving, and were regarded as the agent-n. belonging to FORAY v.]

1

  1.  One who forays; a forager, a raider.

2

c. 1330.  R. Brunne, Chron. Wace (Rolls), 13228. He was cheftayn of fforreyers [orig. foriers].

3

c. 1425.  Wyntoun, Cron., VIII. xl. 144. Ðe Forryowris þare hard war sete.

4

1600.  Holland, Livy, II. xxxix. (1609), 69. He encamped and forraied the territorie about, sending with forreiars certaine guides, to keepe them from spoyling and doing harme in the Noblemens lands.

5

1805.  Scott, Last Minstr., IV. xvii.

        Light forayers, first, to view the ground,
Spurr’d their fleet coursers loosely round.

6

  † 2.  A fore-goer, harbinger, messenger, or courier.

7

1340.  Ayenb., 195. Þe guode forriers þet nimeþ and agrayþeþ þet hous of paradys to þe riche manne.

8

1377.  Langl., P. Pl., B. XX. 80. Kynd … sent forth his foreioures [v. rr. forreyours, forreouris, forreores] · feures & fluxes, [etc.].

9

1549.  Compl. Scot., xi. 99. Thai var re[n]contrit be the forreours and exploratours of the romanis.

10