Forms: 4 tourner(e, 4–5 tornere, 5 turnere; 5 turnor, -owre, 5–6 -our, tornour; 5 turnare, 5–6 torner, 6 -ar, turnar, 5– turner. [a. OF. tornere (nom.):—L. tornātor, and torneor (acc.), F. tourneur:—L. tornatōr-em, agent-n. from tornāre to turn in a lathe; in later senses f. TURN v. + -ER1.]
I. 1. One who turns or fashions objects of wood, metal, bone, etc., on a lathe. Also fig.
c. 1400. Destr. Troy, 1586. Taliours, Telers, Turners of vesselles.
1415. in York Myst., Introd. 25. Tielmakers, Milners,… Turnours,… Bollers.
c. 1440. Promp. Parv., 507/2. Turnowre, tornator.
1485. Naval Acc. Hen. VII. (1896), 22. William Parken of London Turnor for iij dd shodde shovilles … xvs.
1507–8. Durham Acc. Rolls (Surtees), 104. Le Tornour pro CCC parapsidum et CCC discorum ligneorum, vijs.
1530. Palsgr., 284/1. Turnar a maker of bolles and dysshes, torneur.
1551. Recorde, Cast. Knowl. (1556), 111. Euery common turner can … know yt a little altering of the one side, maketh the boul to run biasse waies.
1552. Huloet, Turnours whele or instrument, tornus.
1578. Lyte, Dodoens, I. lxviii. 99. Horse tayle … stemmes … their roughnesse is such, that Turners … do vse them to polish … and smoth their workes.
1685. Boyle, Effects of Mot., ii. 7. I have caused a skilfull Turner to turn for me an oblong piece of Iron.
1709. Steele, Tatler, No. 3, ¶ 5. Advice to the Poets; that is to say, to the Turners of Verse, as he calls ’em.
1776. Pennsylvania Even. Post, 23 March, 149/1. A Turner of Brass is likewise wanted.
1838. Dickens, Nich. Nick., xiv. One Mr. Kenwigs, a turner in ivory.
1892. Labour Commission Gloss., s.v., When a turner himself holds the tool which cuts the iron or other material he is turning, he is termed a hand tool turner.
b. A potter; esp. one who finishes and smooths the ware before it is fired.
1601. Holland, Pliny, XXXV. xii. II. 553. That kind [of earthenware] that is wrought by turners craft with the wheele. Ibid., XXXVI. xxii. 592. A stone, which they use to hew hollow, and by turners craft make vessels for the kitchin.
1790. in Guide Mus. Pract. Geol. (1859), 98. About 90 painters … and about 200 throwers, turners, &c., were employed.
1853. Ure, Dict. Arts, II. 455. When the ‘thrown ware’ is sufficiently dry, it is transferred to the hands of the ‘turner.’
1881. Porcelain Works, Worcester, 20. The turner … finishes the edge and foot, and if necessary the outside surface.
1892. Labour Commission Gloss., Turners, potters who shape pottery ware upon a lathe.
II. One who or that which turns, in various other senses of the verb.
2. In general senses: see TURN v.
c. 1440. Promp. Parv., 507/1. Turnare, or he that turnythe a spete or other lyke, versor.
1491. in York Myst., Introd. 39. Tixt-wryters, luminers, noters, turners, and florisschers.
1527. Luton Trin. Guild (1906), 188. Item payd to a xjtis turners of spyttis xvij d.
1546. Bp. Gardiner, Declar. Art. Joye, 55 b. I affirme ye same iustification that was then taught, and yow be the turners.
1552. Huloet, Turnour of one out of the ryght waye, obuaricator.
1593. Rites of Durham (Surtees, 1903), 3. Which wheele did burst in peices and caught the turners of the said wheele and … rent them in peices.
1697. Bentley, Phal. (1699), 422. If I really were such a Turner of Index’s and Lexicons.
1702. Dennis, Monument, xxxiii. Nor sordid Turner of his Gold for Gain.
1730. Savery, in Phil. Trans., XXXVI. 338. The whole may be made to turn with one’s Hand, either with a Crank…, or with a Turner like that of a Grinding-stone.
1861. Times, 1 June. Several winnowing machines and one hay turner are damaged.
1868. Morris, Earthly Par. (1870), I. II. 588. An accursed race, Who with the turner of all hearts once strove.
1878. N. Amer. Rev., CXXVII. 490. He is a turner of night into day.
1893. W. B. Yeats, Celtic Twilight (1902), 24. Villages of fishermen and turners of the earth.
b. With adverbs: cf. TURN v. VIII.
1653. Waterhouse, Apol. Learn., 245. Perswaders, and turners away of the people from obedience.
1681. MacWard, Contendings (1723), 89. Lead forth such Backdrawers, and Turners-aside with the Workers of Iniquity.
1892. Sat. Rev., 13 Aug., 205/2. To the idle turner-over, perhaps the most remarkable thing is the frequency of the phrase ‘no information.’
† 3. A translator. Obs. rare.
1387. Trevisa, Higden (Rolls), II. 237. Þe seuenty torneres [Caxton turneres] and Isidre also … seiþ two þowsand ȝere seuen hondred and two and fourty. Ibid., 245. Þey beeþ specialliche i-cleped þe Seuenty tourneris [v.r. turneres], for þey torned Holy Writte out of Ebrew in to Grewe.
c. 1425. Saints’ Lives, Apol., in Anglia, VIII. 195/31. Þe turner of þis englysshe.
4. In shirt-making: see quot.
1884. E. Simcox in 19th Cent., June, 1041. A preparer of collars and wristbands, known as a ‘tacker and turner.’
† 5. A variety of fancy pigeon. See quot. 1735. Obs.
1688. R. Holme, Armoury, II. 244/2. Of Pigeons…. Turners having a tuft turning down backwards from the Head.
1735. Moore, Columbarium, 50. Columba Circumagens, The Turner … in many Respects like the Finnikin, except that when it … plays to the Female it turns only one Way, whereas the other turns both.
[1854. Meall, Moubray’s Poultry, 280. The Turner is also mentioned…. However, if they ever existed, there are certainly none such known now.
1867. Tegetmeier, Pigeons, xxii. 175.]
6. In the Newfoundland seal-fishery, a seal that is between the immature and mature stages of development; a three-year old seal. Also attrib. turner-harp, -hood (see HARP sb.1 7, HOOD sb. 6).
1891. in Cent. Dict.
7. A small piece of fire-clay on which a watch-dial is held and turned while in the enamelling oven.
1891. in Cent. Dict.
III. 8. A member of one of the gymnastic societies instituted in Germany by F. L. Jahn (1778–1852): cf. TURNING vbl. sb. 4 d.
[In this sense a. G. turner, f. turnen to perform gymnastic exercises, an adoption (by Jahn) of F. tourner.]
1860. in Worcester citing Adler.
1860. Bartlett, Dict. Amer., Turner (Germ.), a gymnast.
1865. Pall Mall G., 31 May, 9. The late meeting of German turners in Paris. Ibid. The turners who had come from Germany.
1888. U.S. Newspaper, 17 Aug. The red and white flags of the turners may be seen.
