Obs. exc. arch. and dial. Forms: α. 1–5, 9 undern (2 unnderrn-), 3 vn-, 4 ondarne, 3, 5 on-, 4–5 underne, 4 undirne, 5 -dyrne, 4–5 undorne, 5 -dorn, 4 undurn, 4–5 undurne, 7 dial. aandorn, 9 dial. andern; 4–5 onderen, 4–5 (9) underen (4–5 -on); 2–5 undren, 4 undrin, -on, -un, 5 oundron, undrone, 9 dial. andren; Sc. ontron, auntrin, antrum, andrum, etc. β. 1–5 under (4 undur, 4–5 -yr), 4–5 vndre; 4 ondre, honder-, 6 ander-; dial. 7 oneder, 7, 9 aunder, ownder, 9 ounder, oander (ōnder), andra, etc.; 8–9 oandurth. [Common Teutonic: OE. undern, = OFris. unden, ond (older NFris. undern; mod. unnern-e, ünjern, onner-n, önner), OS. undorn, undern (MLG. undern, LG. unden, ünner; MDu. onderen, -ern, -er, Du. dial. onder), OHG. untarn, -orn, undorn (MHG. undarn, -ern, G. dial. undern, untern, unnern, onnern, etc.), ON. undorn, undarn (Norw. dial. undonn, ondaan, undaal, etc., Sw. dial. undarn, -dun, Da. dial. unden, unnen), Goth. undaurn- (in undaurnimats ἄριστον); the relationships of the stem are doubtful. In all the Germanic languages the meaning shows a parallel development to that traceable in English; where the word survives it usually denotes either midday or afternoon or a meal taken at these times.
With some variation of form, undern is common in OE. and ME. down to the 15th cent.; in later use it is restricted to dialects of the north midland and northern counties and the south-west of Scotland. In addition to the forms given above, some northern dialects exhibit (from the 17th c.) variants with a prefixed d-, as downdrens, daundren, downder, etc. (Eng. Dial. Dict., s.v. Downdrins). The OE. ǽr undern also survived in dialect use, and appears as earnder, cender, etc. (see YEENDER), while OE. ofer undern appears in the 15th c. as orendron, ornedrone, in the 17th as orndorn, arndern, and later as ouruder, orntren, etc. (Eng. Dial. Dict., s.v. Undern). Both of these have equivalents in mod. N. Fris. (dialect of Sylt), viz. irōnner, īrner forenoon and aurōnner, aurner afternoon.]
† 1. The third hour of the day; the time at or about 9 o’clock in the morning. In ecclesiastical use = tierce. Obs.
α. a. 900. O. E. Martyrol., 3 May, 72. On þa þriddan tid dæʓes, þæt is on undern.
c. 1000. Sax. Leechd., II. 140. Sele drincan on þreo tida, on undern, on middæʓ, on non.
c. 1200. Trin. Coll. Hom., 117. Riht to-genes þe undrene;… þo com a dine of heuene.
c. 1250. Kent. Serm., in O. E. Misc., 33. Þat ferst uut-yede bi þe Moreghen;… so ha dede at undren and at midday also.
13[?]. Sir Benes (A.), 4168. Þus to gederes þai gonne dinge Fram prime til vnderne gan to ringe.
1338. R. Brunne, Chron. (1810), 18. Bituex vnderon & noen was þe feld alle wonnen.
1382. Wyclif, Acts ii. 15. Whanne it is the thridde our of the day, or vndirne.
1470–85. Malory, Arthur, XI. ii. 574 They lay to gyders vntyl vndorne on the morn.
[1855. Rock, in N. & Q., XI. 150/1. The high mass … for Sunday was celebrated immediately after undern or tierce.]
β. a. 1122. O. E. Chron. (Laud MS.), an. 540. Steorran heu ætewdon ful neh healfe tid ofer under.
a. 1225. Leg. Kath., 2496. I Nouembres moneð, þe fif & twentuðe dei, & Fridei, onont te under.
a. 1310. in Wright, Lyric P., xii. 41. In marewe men he sohte, At under mo he brohte.
c. 1315. Shoreham, II. 72. Crucyfige! crucifige! Gredden hy at ondre.
13[?]. E. E. Allit. P., A. 513. Aboute vnder, þe lorde to marked tos & ydel men stande he fyndez þer-ate.
c. 1450. Mirk’s Festial, 66. A husband-man ȝede … at pryme, and eftsones at vndyr, and efte at mydday,… and hyryd men to his vyneȝorde.
† b. High undern (see HIGH a. 11). Also half, whole undern (see quot. c. 1440), Obs.
c. 960. Rule St. Benedict, xlviii. 74. From ærmorʓenne oð heane undern [L. ad tertiam plenam].
c. 1275. Passion of our Lord, 657, in O. E. Misc., 56. At þon heye vndarne a witsuneday.
1303. R. Brunne, Handl. Synne, 4059. Come þou home at hygh vndurne, And no lenger yn þe felde soiurne.
13[?]. Floriz & Bl., 555. Bi þat hit was undern hiȝ, Floris was þe brigge niȝ.
1390. Gower, Conf., II. 250. He … lay … Til it was undren hih and more.
c. 1440. Pallad. on Husb., VI. 226. Half vndron hath but ix [feet]; High vndron vj. Ibid., VII. 254. Half vndern viij, hool vndern v. [= L. hora tertia and hora quarta].
† c. With addition of dayes (also day) or of the day. Obs.
c. 1122. O. E. Chron. (Laud MS), an. 1122. Þa wearð swiðe mycel wind fram þa undern dæies to þa swarte nihte.
a. 1225. Ancr. R., 24. Seoue psalmes … siggeð abuten undern deies.
c. 1290. Beket, 2445, in S. Eng. Leg., I. 176. A-boute onderne of þe daie to þis holi bones heo come.
c. 1386. Chaucer, Nun’s Pr. T., 402. Stille he lay Til it was passed vndren of the day.
c. 1400. Maundev. (Roxb.), xxxiii. 149. Þai will hyde þam in þe enthe fra vndrun of þe day til efter noone.
c. 1425. Cast. Persev., 138, in Macro Plays, 81. Loke þat ȝe be þere be-tyme,… for we schul be onward be vnderne or þe day.
a. 1500. E. E. Misc. (Warton Cl.), 10. At under day to skole I was i-sete.
† 2. The sixth hour of the day; midday. Obs.
a. 1300. Cursor M., 16741. Bi þis was vndren [Laud MS. vnder] on þe dai, Þat mirckend al þe light.
13[?]. Gosp. Nicodemus, 657. At vnderon was þis done, omang þam wex it mirk.
c. 1380. Wyclif, Wks. (1880), 41. Late lewid freris seie … for prime, tierce, vndren & noon, for eche of hem seuene pater nostris. Ibid. (1382), John iv. 6. Sothli the our was, as the sixte, or vndurn.
c. 1440. Promp. Parv., 511/1. Vnderne … submeridianum, submesimbria.
1493. Festivall, 7. An husbounde man went in to his gardeyn or vyne yerde at pryme and ayen at vndren or myddaye. (Cf. Mirk’s Festial, 66.)
3. The afternoon or evening. Now dial.
α. 1470–85. Malory, Arthur, VII. xix. 242. Vpon the morowe he took his hors and rode vn-tyl vnderne,… and bitoke his hors to the dwarf, and commaunded hymn to watche al nyghte.
1811. W. Aiton, Surv. Ayrs., Gloss. 693. Ontron, evening.
1858. Morris, Def. Guenevere, etc., 206. Summer cometh to an end; Undern cometh after noon.
β. c. 1480. Childe of Bristowe, 235, in Hazl., E. P. P., I. 119. Betwene mydday and under ther cam a blast of lightnyng and dunder.
1674. Ray, N. Co. Words, The Aunder, or as they pronounce it in Cheshire, Oneder; The afternoon.
1684. Meriton, Yorks. Dial., 46. To Morn ith’ Ownder we mun dod our Sheep.
c. 1746. J. Collier (Tim Bobbin), View Lanc. Dial. (1775), 16. Th’ last oandurth boh one me Measter had lik’t o killt meh.
1820. R. Wilbraham, Cheshire Gloss., 49. Ownder, or Aunder, the afternoon.
1828. Carr, Craven Gloss., I. 13. Aunder, afternoon. Nearly extinct in Craven.
1841. Hartshorne, Salop. Ant., 525. Ownder, the evening…. A word in general acceptation on the banks of the Severn, betwixt Shrewsbury and Bridgenorth.
1879–81. Miss Jackson, Shropsh. Word-bk., 309. In places where this term obtains the day is divided into morning, middle of the day, ōnder, and night.
4. dial. A light or intermediate meal, esp. one taken in the afternoon. (Cf. ANDERS-MEAT.)
1691. Nicolson, in Ray, N. Co. Words, 139. Aandorn, Merenda.
1866–86. in Lincolnsh. glossaries (in forms andern, andren, andra, andrew).
1880. C. H. Poole, Gloss. Stafford, 17. Ounder,… an afternoon tea.
1887. Darlington, S. Chesh. Gloss., 278. Oanders, the afternoon meal, often sent out in harvest time to the labourers in the fields.
1887. Suppl, Jamieson, s.v. Audrum and Antrum.
5. attrib., as undern-bell, -song [OE. -sang, -song]. See also UNDER-MEAL, UNDERN-TIDE, -TIME.
a. 1400. Sir Beues, 2250. So stod Beues in þat þring, Til noun [v.r. vndern] belle be-gan to ring.
1478–9. in Peck, Desiderata Curiosa (1732), I. vi. 36. That no Person … set ther Corn to sale afore the Hour of Ten of the Bell, or els the Undernone [sic] Bell be rongyng.
[1853. Rock, Ch. Fathers, III. II. 180. Every Sunday before undern-song or tierce.]
