arch. Forms: 3 lef-, leof-, leove-, levemon, 3–7 lemman, -on, 3–4 lefman (pl. -men), 4–5 lemmone, 4–8 lemmane, 5 lemanne, lemone, lemmande, limman, 5–6 lemane, 5–7 lemon, 6 leymon, lemonde, lefe man (pl. -men), Sc. lamen, 7 leyman, leiman, leaman, lemain, 3– leman. [Early ME. leofmon, f. leof LIEF, dear + MAN.]
1. A person beloved by one of the opposite sex; a lover or sweetheart; † occas. a husband or wife.
c. 1205. Lay., 18611. To Tintaieol he sende his leofmon [c. 1275 wif] þa wes hende.
c. 1250. Gen. & Ex., 782. Ðo sente he after abram, And bi-taȝte he him is leman.
a. 1300. Floriz & Bl., 53. Þo floriz iherde his lemman nempne.
a. 1300. Cursor M., 4345. ‘Ioseph,’ sco said, ‘to þe lemman, Hendest of all i mak mi man.’
c. 1375. Sc. Leg. Saints, xxiv. (Alexis) 494. My blyse, my beld, my lef-man dere.
c. 1386. Chaucer, Reeve’s T., 320. Now deere lemman quod she go fareweel.
1480. Caxton, Chron. Eng., clxxxviii. 166. Maydens of englond sare may ye morne for tyȝt haue ye lost your lemmans at bannokesborne.
1513. Douglas, Æneis, XII. Prol. 198. Ane sang, The schip salis ouer the salt fame, Wil bring thir merchandis and my lemane hame.
1535. Stewart, Cron. Scot. (1858), I. 106. And ilk ȝoung man in courtlie caroling With his lamen thairfoir to dance and sing.
1590. Spenser, F. Q., III. viii. 40. He … offred kingdoms unto her in vew, To be his Leman and his Lady trew.
1601. Shaks., Twel. N., II. iii. 26. I sent thee sixe pence for thy Lemon, hadst it?
1725. Song, ‘The Cock-laird,’ i. Thou’-se be my ain lemmane Jo, Jennie, quo’ he.
1739. Melmoth, Fitzosb. Lett. (1763), 291. The tender parley which these lemans held.
† b. Often used, in religious or devotional language, of Christ, the Virgin, etc. Obs.
a. 1225. Juliana, 17. Mi luue … towart te liuiende godd mi leofsume leofmon.
c. 1230. Hali Meid., 5. Godes spuse, Jeshu cristes brude, þe lauerdes leofmon.
a. 1300. Cursor M., 10664. To godd þan haue i giuen me … O þair husband mai i haf nan, Of him haf i made mi leman. Ibid., 20517. Cums wit me to mi lemman, Mi moder es scho, hir sun i am.
a. 1310. in Wright, Lyric P., 69. Ihesu, mi lemman.
13[?]. E. E. Allit. P., A. 805. In Iherusalem was my lemman slayn.
c. 1460. Towneley Myst. x. 65. Hayls that madyn, my lemman, As heyndly as thou can. Ibid., xxviii. 337. Mercy, ihesu, rew thi leman, mans saull, thou bought full soure.
2. In bad sense (cf. paramour): One who is loved unlawfully; an unlawful lover or mistress. In later archaistic use chiefly applied to the female sex.
c. 1275. Lay., 6356. Þeos Damus … hadde a lemman hende [c. 1205 ane chiuese].
1297. R. Glouc. (Rolls), 7069. He … huld ire as is lefmon, as wo seiþ in hordum. Ibid., 10206. Alle clerkene lefmen in prisoun the king brouȝte.
c. 1340. Cursor M., 8887 (Trin.). Quenes had he hundrides seuen, þre hundride lemmons [Cotton concubins].
c. 1386. Chaucer, Manciple’s T., 100. His wyf anon hath for hir lemman sent Hir lemman? certes this is a knauyssh speche.
1393. Langl., P. Pl., C. IV. 188. And prestes hue menteyneþ To holde lemmanes and lotebyes al here lif-dayes.
a. 1450. Knt. de la Tour (1868), 10. On a derke night, as she yede towardes her lemman to foly.
c. 1470. Henry, Wallace, V. 693. With my gud will I will no lemman be To no man born.
1515. Nottingham Rec., III. 343. We present Wyllyam Perkynsun and hys leymon for bawdre.
1553. T. Wilson, Rhet., 28 b. They founde greater gaines by priestes lemmans then they were like to haue by priestes wives.
1598. Grenewey, Tacitus’ Ann., IV. i. (1622), 90. He [Sejanus] putteth away Apicata his wife … lest his lemmon should haue her in iealousie.
1650. Bulwer, Anthropomet., 237. It is a bravery much used to their Wives and Lemons.
1671. H. M., trans. Erasm. Colloq., 22. It may be his wife ith’ mean time had got her self another Lemon and therefore she acknowledged not her husband.
1794. Matthias, Purs. Lit., 187. And Rochester’s address to lemans loose.
1812. Byron, Ch. Har., I. ix. Yea! none did love him—not his lemans dear.
1833. H. Coleridge, Poems, I. 50. Hope Love’s leman is, Despair his wife.
1871. Dixon, Tower, IV. v. 45. A lover whom his lemans dupe and cheat.
Hence Lemanless a., without a leman. Lemanry (in 6 Sc. lamenry, -ie), illicit love.
1483. Cath. Angl., 213. A Lemanry, concubitus, concubinatus.
1560. Rolland, Crt. Venus, III. 481. Gif siclik lufe cummis of ȝour Lamenrie.
15[?]. Priests of Peblis (1603), C 4 b. He beddit nocht richt oft, nor lay hir by, Bot throw lichtnes did lig in Lamenry.
a. 1755. Edom of Gordon, xxviii. in Child, Ballads, III. 434. And mony were the fair ladys Lay lemanles at heme.
a. 1828. Twa Knights, iv. ibid. V. 25. Lay never your love on lemanry.
a. 1830. Lady Margery, xxiii. ibid. III. 119/2. I’ll make many lady lemanless.
