Forms: 1 cweorn, cwyrn, (cœrn, cern), cweorne, cwearne, 4 queern(e, quyerne, qwhern, 4–7 querne, 5 queren, 5–6 qwern, 6 quearn, (wherne, wyrne), Sc. queirn, 7 quarn, 8 Sc. quirn, 7– quern. [OE. cweorn, cwięrn str. fem., cweorne wk. fem. = OFris. quern, OS. quern (or querna, MDu. queren-e, Du. kweern), OHG. quirn, churn and chuirna (MHG. kurn, kürne), ON. kvern (Icel. kvörn, Sw. qvarn, Da. kværn), Goth. -qairnus, from a pre-Teut. stem *gwern-, variations of which appear in synonymous forms in other Aryan languages, as Lith. gìrnos, OSl. žrŭny and žrŭnŭvŭ, Russ. жерновъ, Pol. žarna, OIr. bró (gen. broon), W. breuan, etc.] A simple apparatus for grinding corn, usually consisting of two circular stones, the upper of which is turned by hand; also, a small hand-mill for grinding pepper, mustard, or similar substances (see pepper-, mustard-quern).

1

c. 950.  Lindisf. Gosp., Matt. xxiv. 41. Tuu wif ʓegrundon on coernae [Rushw. æt cweorne].

2

c. 1000.  Ælfric, Exod. xi. 5. Þære wylne … þæt sitt æt þære cweornan.

3

c. 1305.  Pilate, in E. E. P. (1862), 111. Bi a melewardes douȝter he lai … And biȝat on hire vnder þe querne þe liþere bern.

4

1340.  Ayenb., 181. Samson … uil into þe honden of his yuo, þet him deden grinde ate querne.

5

c. 1374.  Chaucer, Former Age, 6. Onknowyn was þt quyerne and ek the melle.

6

c. 1420.  Pallad. on Husb., I. 831. Eek as for hail a russet weede is To kest vpon the querne.

7

1513.  Douglas, Æneis, I. iv. 39. For skant of victuall the cornes in quernis of stane Thai grand.

8

1577.  B. Googe, Heresbach’s Husb. (1586), 10. A Querne or a hand Mill doth but a little good.

9

1647.  Lilly, Chr. Astrol., l. 354. Some necessary thing … to use in his house, as a Furnace or Quern, or such like.

10

1699.  Evelyn, Acetaria (1729), 148. The seeds are pounded in a Mortar, or … ground in a Quern contriv’d for this Purpose.

11

1771.  Pennant, Tour in Scotl. (1794), 232. Saw here a Quern, a sort of portable mill made of two stones.

12

1841.  S. C. Hale, Ireland, III. 296. Two women generally worked the Quern, one sitting facing the other, the quern between them.

13

1884.  J. Colborne, Hicks Pasha, 60. The circular querns of Lower Egypt, which are turned by means of a wooden handle.

14

  b.  attrib. and Comb., as quern-chant, -house, -mill, -picker, -song, -staff; quern-like adv. See also QUERN-STONE.

15

1898.  Edinb. Rev., April, 440. In the North, where he often heard the rhythmical *quern-chant.

16

1525.  in Southwell Visit. (1891), 123. ij leads that standes in *wherne-house.

17

1591.  Sylvester, Du Bartas, I. vi. 595. Two equall ranks of Orient Pearls … (*Quern-like) grinding small Th’ imperfect food.

18

1600.  Holland, Livy, XXXIII. xlv. 706. Troughs and *querne mils.

19

1441.  in Bury Wills (Camden), 256. [The will of William Toly], *‘quernepykker,’ [1441, is in Lib. Osbern, f. 247].

20

1816.  W. Taylor, in Monthly Rev., LXXXI. 73. We will now subjoin the Grotta-Saungr or *quern-song.

21

1483.  Cath. Angl., 297/1. A *Querne-staffe, molucrum.

22