essoin en · NOUN
Pronunciation
- /ɪˈsɔɪn/
Etymology
Inherited from Middle English essoyne, from Old French essoignier, from Medieval Latin exoniō, essoniō (“excuse oneself; accept an excuse”), from ex- + sonium + -ō, sonium being from Proto-West Germanic *sunnju (“care, need”).
Meanings
-
(UK, obsolete) An excuse for not appearing in court at the return of process; the allegation of an excuse to the court.
[W]ith Rejoinders and Replies, / Long Bills, and Anſvvers, ſtuft vvith Lies, / Demurr, Imparlance, and Eſſoign, / The Parties ne'er could Iſſue join: / For Sixteen Years the Cauſe vvas ſpun, / And then ſtood vvhere it firſt begun.
1726, [Jonathan Swift], Cadenus and Vanessa. A Poem, London: […] J. Roberts […], →OCLC, page 9:
-
(obsolete) Excuse; exemption.
From euery worke he chalenged essoyne.
1590, Edmund Spenser, “Book I, Canto IV”, in The Faerie Queene. […], London: […] [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, →OCLC, stanza 20:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| essoign | alternative | lexicographic |