Forms: 3–7 templer, 4–5 -ere, (5 templeer), 5– templar. [a. AF. templer, OF. templier (c. 1200 in Godef.), = med.L. templārius (Du Cange), f. templum, TEMPLE sb.1: see -ER2 2; also templārēs, pl. of cl. L. templāris, in papal document of 1157 in Muratori, Antiq., Diss., XI. (1774), II. 329. For later spelling see -AR2.]
1. A member of a military and religious order, consisting of knights (Knights Templars, Knights or Poor Soldiers of the Temple), chaplains, and men-at-arms, founded c. 1118, chiefly for the protection of the Holy Sepulchre and of Christian pilgrims visiting the Holy Land: so called from their occupation of a building on or contiguous to the site of the Temple of Solomon at Jerusalem. They were suppressed in 1312.
c. 1290. Beket, 2264, in S. Eng. Leg., I. 171. He [K. Hen. II., as part of his penance] scholde finde to hundret knyȝtes to fiȝte Al ane ȝer with þe templers for holi churche riȝte.
13[?]. Coer de L., 3920. Hys … Templeres and hys Hospytalers.
c. 1330. R. Brunne, Chron. (1810), 305. A templer of pris, Sir Brian þe geay, Maister templere he was on þis half þe se.
1387. Trevisa, Higden (Rolls), VIII. 293. Þe fifte Clement was pope … he dampned þe ordre of Frere Templers.
14[?]. Nom., in Wr.-Wülcker, 681/23. Hic templarius, a templer.
1598. Hakluyt, Voy., I. 146. The Templars which were therein returned home out of Fraunce.
1603. Knolles, Hist. Turks (1638), 29. Hugh Paganus first Master of the Templers … returned with a great number of zealous Christians, ready to lay down their liues for defence of the Christian faith and religion.
1610. Holland, Camden’s Brit. (1637), 427. A church for Knights Templars, which they had newly built according to the forme of the Temple neere unto the Sepulchre of Our Lord at Hierusalem.
1700. Tyrrell, Hist. Eng., II. 745 One Durand a Knight-Templar.
1839. Keightley, Hist. Eng., I. 266. It was in the reign of Edward II. that the potent and wealthy order of Knights-Templars was suppressed throughout Europe.
1910. C. Perkins, in Eng. Hist. Rev., April, 224. There do not appear to have been over fifteen or twenty knights in the total of 144 Templars in the British Isles.
b. Phrase.
1653. Urquhart, Rabelais, I. v. 26. I drink no more then a spunge, I drink like a Templer Knight [orig. je boy comme ung Templier].
1819. Scott, Ivanhoe, xxxv. Now, to drink like a Templar is the boast of each jolly boon companion!
2. A barrister or other person who occupies chambers in the Inner or Middle Temple (see TEMPLE sb.1 5).
1588. Marprel. Epist. (Arb.), 26. Let the Templars haue M. Trauers their preacher restored againe vnto them.
1628. in Crt. & Times Chas. I. (1848), I. 311. On Saturday last, the Templars chose one Mr. Palmes … their lord of misrule.
1683. Tryon, Way to Health, 481. But very few Inns of Court Gentlemen or Templers.
1687. Montague & Prior, Hind & P. Transv., 22. Many a young Templer will save his shilling by this Stratagem of my Mice.
a. 1760. H. Browne, Pipe Tobacco, Imit., v. Blest leaf! whose aromatic gales dispense To Templars modesty, to Parsons sense.
1815. Lamb, Lett. to Southey, 6 May. I am a Christian, Englishman, Londoner, Templar.
1818. Scott, Hrt. Midl., i. The part which is common to the higher classes of the law at Edinburgh, and which nearly resembles that of the young Templars in the days of Steele and Addison.
1902. J. Hutchinson (title), A Catalogue of Notable Middle Templars.
3. a. A member of an order of Freemasons calling themselves Knights Templars, extensively established in the United States.
1859. (title) A Service for the Encampments of Knights Templars together with a Sketch of the History of the Order. Ibid., 30 [see TEMPLARY sb. 3].
1878. [see ENCAMPMENT 3].
1904. Westm. Gaz., 2 Aug., 2/3. The Royal Arch degree, the possession of which in these later times has been held essential to a Knight Templar.
b. Short for GOOD TEMPLAR, q.v.
1874–. [see GOOD TEMPLAR].
1885. Daily Chron., 3 Sept. (Cassell). He had often feared lest any of … their juvenile templars should be decoyed away on their journey to or from the meetings.
1905. Daily News, 30 Oct., 8. The Baron … being by no means a templar according to the jargon of to-day—‘templar’ or ‘teetotaler,’ whatever the phrase may be.
4. An official of the Jewish temple. nonce-use.
1884. H. W. Beecher, in Chr. World Pulpit, XXV. 11/3. It was this [the raising of Lazarus] … that brought … the determination of the templars that He should perish.
5. attrib., as Templar knight, order, etc.
c. 1440. Alphabet of Tales, 233. Cesarius tellis how some tyme þer was a preste of þe Templer ordur.
1537. Orig. & Sprynge Sectes, 15. Templare Lordes. Ibid., 16. Templare Knyghtes.
1819. Scott, Ivanhoe, xxxviii. A huge volume, which contained the proceedings of the Templar Knights.
Hence Templardom, the community or body of Templars; † Templarian a. Obs., of or pertaining to the Templars; Templarism, the principles of Templars (in any of the senses, e.g. = Good Templarism); Templarlike adv., like a Templar.
1877. G. H. Kingsley, Sport & Trav. (1900), 345. The most temperate races of the world are apt to burst out … to the utter confusion of all ‘Good *Templardom.’
1600. W. Watson, Decacordon (1602), 19. Seditious *Templarian Iesuiticall sectaries.
1612. T. James, Jesuits’ Downf., 48. For as they liue iust Templarlike in all things, so there will be a right Templarian downefall.
1888. J. Shallow, Templars Trials, 69. M. Loiseleur dilates … on the difference between Gnosticism and *Templarism.
1893. Voice (N. Y.), 15 June. He spoke of the drink question as affecting native races, and the spread of Templarism in India, Africa and Australasia.
