The etymology of 'rime' in the Ormulum

Abstract

Standard reference works have regarded the word rime in the Middle English Ormulum as a French loanword meaning 'metre'. In this article, it will be argued that this interpretation of rime, as well as the accompanying etymology, are erroneous; it is based on a misunderstanding of Orm's methods as a homilist. The article will present an alternative interpretation and an alternative etymology, based on a careful reading of the author's own account of his methods. According to this interpretation, the word is not borrowed from Old French but derived from Old English; its sense in the Ormulum is 'story7 or 'text'.