pissemyre

Middle English

Alternative forms

• pismyr, pismyre, pismire, pismyer, pysmere, pyssmowre, pysmour, pismoure, pissemore

Etymology

From pisse +‎ mire (“ant”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈpis(ə)miːr(ə)/, /ˈpis(ə)muːr(ə)/, /ˈpis(ə)mər(ə)/

Noun

pissemyre (plural pissemyres)

1. a pismire; an ant
   • c. 1400, Geoffrey Chaucer, “The Summoner's Tale”, in The Canterbury Tales:

     He is as angry as a pissemyre, / Þogh þat he have al þat he kan desire […]

     He is as angry as an ant / Though he has all that he could ever desire […]

Descendants

• English: pismire
• Scots: pismire, pishmire

References

• “pisse-mīre, n.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 2018-08-21.