Also 5–6 laun(e, lawnd(e, 5–7 laund(e, lawne, 6 la(a)ne. [According to Prof. Skeat, from the name of Laon in France.
This suggestion has since been independently made by A. Thomas (Romania, XXIX. 182, 1900), who shows that linen manufactures were carried on extensively at Laon as late as the 18th c. A slight difficulty is presented by the fact that the earliest known form of the word is launde, which long remained more frequent in use than the shorter form; this, however, may be due to association with LAUND, LAWN sb.2].
1. A kind of fine linen, resembling cambric; pl. pieces or sorts of this linen.
1415. Test. Ebor. (Surtees), I. 382. j plice de lawnd.
1423. Rolls of Parlt., IV. 239. Item, 1 remenaunt de Laun, cont’ viii alnz pris l’aln’ iiis. iiiid.
c. 1440. Generydes, 73. Ther was an hanged bedde, And ther vppon a shete of launde was spredde.
1483. Acc. Coronation Rich. III., in Antiq. Repertory, II. 251. A coyfe made of a plyte of lawne.
1502. Priv. Purse Exp. Eliz. of York (1830), 50. A plyte of lawnde for a shirte for the childe of grace at Reding.
a. 1548. Hall, Chron., Hen. VIII., 240 b. But on her head she had a cap as she ware on the saturdai before with a cornet of laune.
1594. Plat, Jewell-ho., III. 46. You must tie the powder hard in a rag of Laune or thin Cambrick.
1634. Sir T. Herbert, Trav., 38. Long haire and loose,… covered with a fine thinne vaile of Callico Lawne.
1640. in Noorthouck, New Hist. London (1773), 838/2. Lawns, the whole piece 2d.
1692. Bentley, Boyle Lect., 123. In vessels cover’d with fine lawn, so as to admit the air and keep out the insects, no living thing was ever produced.
1730–46. Thomson, Autumn, 86. Bright in glossy silk and flowing lawn.
1764. Hadley, in Phil. Trans., LIV. 5. Sold in the shops for 2s. 4d. per yard, under the name of long lawn.
1793. Miss Chowne, in Ld. Auckland’s Corr. (1861), II. 511. If you can get fine lawns, bring them with you, for they are rare.
1813. Scott, Trierm., III. xi. A summer mist arose;… It seem’d a veil of filmy lawn.
1829. Yng. Lady’s Bk., 501. Take a common vase … and cover it entirely with widow’s-lawn.
transf. and fig. 1555. Eden, Decades, 186. Her bodye was … full of a laune wherof they make their webbes.
1591. Sylvester, Du Bartas, I. vii. 667. Then neat and nimbly her new web she [the spider] weaves, With her fine shuttle circularly drawn Through all the circuit of her open lawn.
1663. Cowley, Hymn Light, xix. The Virgin Lillies in their White, Are clad but with the Lawn of almost naked Light.
Proverb. 1546. J. Heywood, Prov. (1867), 15. He that will sell lawne before he can folde it, He shall repent him before he haue solde it.
1598. Barnfield, Pecunia, xxxvi. No peece of Lawne so pure, but hath some fret.
2. spec. This fabric used for the sleeves of a bishop. Hence, the dignity or office of a bishop.
a. 1732. Gay, Fables, II. iv. You ask me if I ever knew Court chaplains thus the lawn pursue.
1732. Pope, Ep. Cobham, 136. A Saint in Crape is twice a Saint in Lawn.
1763. Churchill, Ep. to Hogarth (ed. 2), 6. Whilst Thou In Lawn had’st whisper’d to a sleeping croud.
c. 1800. Syd. Smith, in Lady Holland, Mem. (1855), I. ii. 28. Those who were too honest to sell them [sc. liberal opinions] for the ermine of the judge or the lawn of the prelate.
1894. Hall Caine, Manxman, V. xi. 315. He took one of the two chairs under the canopy; the other was taken by the Bishop in his lawn.
† 3. An article of dress made of lawn. Obs.
c. 1480. Henryson, Test. Cres., 422. Thy gay garmentis, with mony gudely goun, Thy plesand lawn pinnit with goldin prene.
1573–80. G. Harvey, Letter-bk. (Camden), 103. No laanes or the like, lo bewitch delite.
1578. T. N., trans. Conq. W. India, 204. They were covered with a lawne called Nacar.
1610. G. Fletcher, Christ’s Vict., I. liii. Her vpper garment was a silken lawne.
1633. P. Fletcher, Purple Isl., II. viii. Lest eyes should surfet with too greedy sight, Transparent lawns withhold, more to increase delight.
c. 1704. Prior, Henry & Emma, 360. To stop the wounds, my finest lawn I’d tear.
1812. J. H. Vaux, Flash Dict., Lawn, a white cambric handkerchief.
† b. ? A piece of lawn used to strangle a person. For an explanation of the torture of the ‘lawn,’ see
1569. Jewel, Expos. 1 Thess., Wks. 1848, VII. 42–3. (Cf. linen-ball, LINEN B 5.)
1590. Marlowe, Edw. II., V. iv. 32 (1598). I learned in Naples how … To strangle with a lawne thrust through [later 4tos down] the throte.
1622. S. Ward, Life of Faith in Death, i. 84. Here thou … shiuerest to hear of the strappado, the racke, or the Lawne.
4. techn. Short for lawn sieve: A fine sieve, generally of silk, through which porcelain ‘slip,’ cement, etc., are strained, to ensure uniform fineness.
1853. Ure, Dict. Arts (ed. 4), II. 453. (s.v. Porcelain), The mixture [of ‘slips’ or fluid clays] is now passed … through fine sieves or ‘lawns’ woven of silk, and containing 300 threads to the square inch.
1895. G. R. Redgrave, in Times, 10 Jan., 3/6. [Cement-manufacture]. The use of such lawns … would … be almost impracticable.
5. Bot. A name for Venus’ Navelwort (Cynoglossum officinale).
1778. Milne, Bot. Dict. (ed. 2), 22. Cynoglossum, Hound’s Tongue, Venus’s Navel Wort, Lawn.
6. attrib. and Comb. a. attributive (‘made of or consisting of lawn’); b. objective, as † lawn-maker; c. instrumental, as lawn-robed adj. Also LAWN-SLEEVED a.
1477. Norton, Ord. Alch., vii. in Ashm. (1652), 103. Lawne Kercheefes fayre.
c. 1515. Cocke Lorell’s B., 10. Golde sheres, keuerchef, launds, and reben makers.
1562. Bulleyn, Bk. Simples, 86 a. Covering the place with a Launde clothe.
1565. Golding, Ovid’s Met., To Rdr. (1593), 4. As Persian kings did never go abroad with open face, But with some lawne or silken scarfe.
1602. Marston, Antonio’s Rev., II. ii. C 4 b. Looke on those lips, Those now lawne pillowes.
1697. trans. C’tess. D’Aunoy’s Trav. (1706), 284. The Embassadors are obliged … to put on certain little Lawn Cuffs, which they wear quite flat upon their sleeves.
1710. Steele & Addison, Tatler, No. 257, ¶ 3. The Lawn Apron that was whiter than Ermin.
1711. Ld. Marshal’s Order, 26 April, in Lond. Gaz., No. 4840/3. That the Peeresses … wear Black Silk, Laune Linnen, and White Gloves.
1719. Tickell, To Earl Warwick, On Death Addison. The duties by the lawn-robed prelate pay’d.
1819. Keats, Eve of St. Mark, 53. From plaited lawn-frill, fine and thin, She lifted up her soft warm chin.
1856. Miss Mulock, J. Halifax (1859), 101. Garnished with the snowiest of lawn frills and ruffles.
d. Special comb.: † lawn-man (derisively), a bishop; lawn-sieve, a fine sieve, made of lawn (or silk), used in cookery, porcelain-manufacture, etc.: cf. sense 4. Also LAWN-SLEEVES.
1795. Wolcot (P. Pindar), Liberty’s last Squeak, Wks. 1812, III. 432. May those lawn-men, born to happier fate Chase not the Curate from their grand abode.
1806. A. Hunter, Culina (ed. 3), 32. Run it through a lawn sieve.
1807. T. Thomson, Chem. (ed. 3), II. 492. The clay is reduced nearly to the consistence of milk with water, and the liquid passed through lawn sieves gradually increasing in fineness.
