Lazar

sb. and a. arch. Forms: 4–7 lazare, lazer, laser, (4 lacer, lazre, 5 lasyar), 6 lasar, (laiser, laizer), 4– lazar. [a. med.L. lazarus, an application of the proper name Lazarus, Luke xvi. 20. Cf. F. ladre, It. lazzaro.]

  A.  sb.

  1.  A poor and diseased person, usually one afflicted with a loathsome disease; esp. a leper.

1340.  Ayenb., 189. Ine þe uorbisne of þe riche manne, þet onworþede þane lazre.

c. 1350.  St. John, 254, in Horstm., Altengl. Leg. (1881), 37. Þe Lacer, þat died in disese.

13[?].  E. E. Allit. P., B. 1093. Lazares ful monye, Summe lepre, summe lome, & lomerande blynde.

c. 1420.  Chron. Vilod., st. 274. Blynd lazerus and croked in chirche to lede.

1485.  Caxton, Chas. Gt., 37. There atte laste were guarysshed & heled … viij lazars of the palesey.

1572.  Nottingham Rec., IV. 142. A lasar of the Spyttyll’ House.

1577–87.  Holinshed, Chron., III. 1082/2. They prouided for the lazer to keepe him out of the citie from clapping of dishes, and ringing of bels.

1610.  Holland, Camden’s Brit., I. 522. Lazers … so they used to tearme folke infected with the Elephantiasie or Leprosie.

a. 1743.  Savage, Epitaph on Mrs. Jones, 15. Did piteous lazars oft attend her door? She gave—farewell the parent of the poor.

1795[?].  Coleridge, Sonn., ‘Sweet Mercy.’ The Galilean mild, Who met the Lazar turned from rich man’s doors, And called him friend, and wept upon his sores.

1884.  Tennyson, Becket, I. iv. I marked a group of lazars in the market-place—half-rag, half-sore—beggars.

  † 2.  (See quot. 1710.) Obs.

1573.  Tusser, Husb., xlix. (1878), 108. If Lazer so lothsome in cheese be espied, let baies amend Cisley, or shift hir aside.

1710.  D. Hilman, Tusser Rediv. (1744), 52. What he [Tusser] calls Lazer, which is an inner Corruption, or Rottenness of divers Colours, is chiefly occasion’d from their using Beastings, or Milk soon after Calving.

  3.  attrib. and Comb., as lazar-like, † -man, -sore; † lazar’s clicket, clapper, snapper = lazarus clapper; lazar-haunter, one who frequents places where lazars are. Also LAZAR-COTE, LAZAR-HOUSE.

1611.  Cotgr., Claquette, a *Lazers Clicket, or Clapper.

1835.  Browning, Paracelsus, III. 760. You are not a *lazar-haunter; How should you know?

1602.  Shaks., Ham., I. v. 72. And a most instant Tetter bak’d about, Most *Lazar-like, with vile and loathsome crust, All my smooth Body.

1552.  Latimer, Serm. 3rd Sund. Epiph. (1584), 309. Note here also the behauiour of this *Lazer man.

1587.  Golding, De Mornay, xxix. 463. He saw him there lapping vp his sores among the Lazermen.

1658.  trans. Bergerac’s Satyr. Char., xxvi. 98. *Lazeres snappers [orig. cliquettes de ladres].

1796.  Burke, Regic. Peace, I. Wks. VIII. 123. Exposing our *lazar sores at the door of every proud servitor of the French republick.

  B.  adj. Affected with a loathsome disease, esp. leprosy, leprous. Also fig.

1483.  Caxton, Gold. Leg., 108 b/1. For the cruelte of Constantyn god sente hym suche a sekenes that he becam lazare and mesell.

1530.  in Weaver, Wells Wills (1890), 157. To the lazar people beyng at St. Margarets near the towne of T[aunton] xij^d.

1546.  Supplic. Poore Commons (E.E.T.S.), 62. Blind, lame, lazar, and other the impotent creatures.

1599.  Shaks., Hen. V., II. i. 80. Fetch forth the Lazar Kite of Cressid’s Kind, Doll Teare-sheete.

1792.  D. Lloyd, Voy. Life, VII. 148. Studious to heal a Lazar world.

  Hence † Lazarly a., lazar-like, diseased.

1612–5.  Bp. Hall, Contempl., N. T., IV. xi. And like another Ierusalem, for those five leprous and lazarly orders, hath built five porches.