Now dial. Forms: 1 temes-, 4 temys, 5 temeze, tymze, 5–7 temze, tem(m)es, tempse (9 dial.), 7 temize, 7–9 tems, 5– temse; 9 dial. temmis, timse, teems. [OE. *tęmes (in tęmes-pile, tęmesian), app. Common WGer.; cf. MLG. tēmes(e, temse, LG. têms (tams); MDu. têms(e, teems(e, Du. teems; EFris. têms(e, täms(e, NFris. tems; HG. dial. zims; all fem., meaning ‘sieve’; the cognate OHG. zemisa renders ‘furfures,’ i.e., bran, siftings. These forms point to a Common WGer. *tamis(j)ô-, coinciding with the Romanic stem tamisio- of F. tamis, It. tamigio (Florio), med.L. tamisium (Du Cange), by many thought to be from WGer. A Celtic source has been conjectured, but Thurneysen finds no satisfactory Celtic root.]
1. A sieve, esp. one used for bolting meal; a searce, a strainer. In mod. local use esp. a sieve used in brewing.
[a. 1050. Gerefa, c. 17, in Liebermann, Gesetze, 455. Man sceal habban syra … hriddel, hersyfe, tæmespilan (= temsing-staff), fanna.]
1362[?]. Durham Acc. Rolls (Surtees), 566. Pro duabus temys emptis pro pistrina, ij s.
c. 1425. Voc., in Wr.-Wülcker, 633/4. Hoc taratantarum, temse.
c. 1440. Promp. Parv., 488/2. Temze, sive (K., P. temse, syue, S. temeze), setarium.
c. 1483. Caxton, Dialogues, 38/22. Ghyselin the mande maker Hath sold … his temmesis to clense with [F. a vendu … ses tammis].
1483. Cath. Angl., 379/2. A Tempse (A. taratantorium).
1557. in Wills & Inv. N. C. (Surtees), I. 159. A borde wth ij trestes & ij temeses ijs viijd.
1612. Capt. Smith, Map Virginia, 17. They use a small basket for their Temmes.
1616. Surfl. & Markh., Country Farme, 577. The boulter which is for this purpose must bee a course searse or a fine temze.
1674. Ray, N. C. Words, 47. A Temse, a fine sierce, a small sieve … whence comes our Temse bread.
1725. [see temmsmaker in 2].
1904. Eng. Dial. Dict., Tems(e, teems, temes, temis, tempse, temz, timse [in various dialects, Roxb. to Lancash., Notts., Lincoln]…. 3. A sieve used in brewing. W. Yks. Still common. Used when speaking of the strainer used in brewing to separate the hops, etc., from the ale.
¶ A suggested substitution of temse for Thames in ‘to set the Thames on fire’ has no historical basis: see THAMES.
2. attrib. and Comb., as temse-maker, -sieve; temse-bread, -loaf, bread or a loaf made of finely sifted flour, temsed bread.
1600. Chettle & Day, Blind Begg., II. (1902), 24. Good Beef, Norfolk *temes bread, and Country home bred drink.
1611. Cotgr., Miche,… the country people of France call so also, a loafe of boulted bread, or Tems bread.
1674. [see 1].
1552. Will of Leppingwell (Comm. Crt. Lond.). A *Temes loffe.
1573. Tusser, Husb. (1878), 39. Temmes lofe on his table to haue for to eate.
1725. Lond. Gaz., No. 6432/6. Hosea Emmott, late of Bridgehouses…, *Temms-maker.
