An Attempt To Date
the Horde
G.D.O'Bradovich III
July 29, 2015
Courtesy of the Oxford English Dictionary: What did the English know about the horde and when did they know it?
Forms:
15–17 horda, hord, 16 hordia, 16–17 hoord, 16– horde.
Etymology:
Ultimately < Turki ordā, also ordī , ordū , urdū camp (see Urdu n. and adj.), whence Russian orda horde, clan, crowd, troop, Polish horda, German, Danish horde, Swedish hord, Italianorda, Spanish, Provençal horda, French horde (1559 in Hatzfeld & Darmesteter).
The initial happears in Polish, and thence in the Western European languages. The various forms horda, horde,hord were due to the various channels through which the word came into English.
a. A tribe or troop of Tartar or kindred Asiatic nomads, dwelling in tents or wagons, and migrating from place to place for pasturage, or for war or plunder.
1555 R. Eden tr. Peter Martyr of Angleria Decades of Newe Worlde f. 280v, Tartares are diuided by companies which they caule Hordas..they consiste of innumerable Hordas.
1589 A. Jenkinson in R. Hakluyt Princ. Navigations ii. 348 The Nagayans..were diuided into diuers companies called Hords.
1594 T. Blundeville Exercises v. f. 263v, The Tartarians are diuided into certaine commonalties, and Colonies, called of them Hordes.
1600 E. Fairfax tr. Tasso Godfrey of Bulloigne xvii. xxi. 299 As the Scythian Hordas stray.
1613 S. Purchas Pilgrimage 421 Stayed with him in his hord (which consisted of about 1000 housholds of a kindred).
1753 G. Thompson & R. Hogg in J. Hanway Hist. Acct. Brit. Trade Caspian Sea I. lii. 348 They are divided into three hordas, under the government of a khan.
1799 W. Tooke View Russ. Empire II. 78 The Kirghises..have always been divided into three hordes, the great, the middle and the little hordes.
1863 A. W. Kinglake Invasion of Crimea I. i. 2 Nations trembled at the coming of the Golden Horde.
b. Also applied to other nomadic tribes.Golden Horde, name for a tribe who possessed the khanate of Kiptchak, in Eastern Russia and western and central Asia, from the 13th century till 1480.
1613 S. Purchas Pilgrimage 745 (Greenland) In which Tents they lived by hoords.
1695 W. Temple Introd. Hist. Eng. Introd., Such were the Hords among the Goths, the Clans in Scotland, and Septs in Ireland.
1838–42 T. Arnold Hist. Rome (1846) II. xxxiii. 320 Of the Gauls, new hordes had lately arrived from beyond the Alps.
1847 B. Disraeli Tancred III. vi. iv. 176, I am..sprung from a horde of Baltic pirates.
c. Cultural Anthropol. A loosely-knit social group consisting of about five families.
[1894 H. Cunow Verwandtschafts-Organisationen der Australneger iii. 28 In Dr. Hodgkinson's Werk ‘Australia from Port Macquarie to Moreton Bay’ (London 1845)..wird überall..die Bezeichnung ‘tribe’ gebraucht, ich habe dafür den meines Erachtens besser passenden Ausdruck ‘Horde’ gewählt. Unter ‘tribus’ ist stets die aus mehreren verwandten Horden bestehende gröszere Volksgemeinschaft, der Stamm, zu verstehen.]
1896 F. H. Giddings Princ. Sociol. iii. 275 Practically the horde as a component of the tribe is nearly, but not quite, identical with the clan.
1918 A. A. Brill tr. S. Freud Totem & Taboo iv. 208 Man, too, lived originally in small hordes in which the jealousy of the oldest and strongest male prevented promiscuity.
1939 Geogr. Jrnl. 94 89 Davidson points out that the horde, a unit of about five families, in all some thirty-five persons, was the largest political unit known to the Australians.
1948 W. McDougall Introd. Social Psychol. (ed. 29) Suppl. iv. 402 That..primitive society took the form of a horde, the leader of which horde, the horde-father, actuated by his sexual jealousy, habitually treated his sons with extreme brutality.
2. transf.
a. A large gathering of people, esp. of wild or fierce people; a gang, troop, crew.
1613 S. Purchas Pilgrimage 426 Pillars of Stone, which sometimes were Hoords of Men and Beasts feeding, transformed.
1796 E. Burke 2 Lett. Peace Regicide Directory of France i. 23, I hardly shall allow..that with the hord of Regicides we could..obtain any thing at all deserving the name of peace.
1837 W. Irving Adventures Capt. Bonneville II. 160 Eager to be out of the vicinity of such a piratical horde.
1883 19th Cent. May 901 In all our large cities there are hordes of little ragged urchins who live on the streets.
1888 H. E. Scudder in Atlantic Monthly Aug. 227/1 This great horde of young readers in America has created a large number of special writers for the young.
The citations in chronological order.
1555 Tartares are diuided by companies which they caule Hordas..they consiste of innumerable Hordas.
1589 The Nagayans..were diuided into diuers companies called Hords.
1594 The Tartarians are diuided into certaine commonalties, and Colonies, called of them Hordes.
1600 As the Scythian Hordas stray.
1613 Stayed with him in his hord (which consisted of about 1000 housholds of a kindred).
1613 Pillars of Stone, which sometimes were Hoords of Men and Beasts feeding, transformed.
1613 (Greenland) In which Tents they lived by hoords.
1695 Such were the Hords among the Goths, the Clans in Scotland, and Septs in Ireland.
1753 They are divided into three hordas, under the government of a khan.
1796 I hardly shall allow..that with the hord of Regicides we could..obtain any thing at all deserving the name of peace.
1799 The Kirghises..have always been divided into three hordes, the great, the middle and the little hordes.
1837 Eager to be out of the vicinity of such a piratical horde.
1838–42 (1846) Of the Gauls, new hordes had lately arrived from beyond the Alps.
1847 , I am..sprung from a horde of Baltic pirates.
1863 Nations trembled at the coming of the Golden Horde.
1883 In all our large cities there are hordes of little ragged urchins who live on the streets.
1888 This great horde of young readers in America has created a large number of special writers for the young.
1894 In Dr. Hodgkinson's Werk ‘Australia from Port Macquarie to Moreton Bay’ (London 1845)..wird überall..die Bezeichnung ‘tribe’ gebraucht, ich habe dafür den meines Erachtens besser passenden Ausdruck ‘Horde’ gewählt. Unter ‘tribus’ ist stets die aus mehreren verwandten Horden bestehende gröszere Volksgemeinschaft, der Stamm, zu verstehen.]
1896 Practically the horde as a component of the tribe is nearly, but not quite, identical with the clan.
1918 Man, too, lived originally in small hordes in which the jealousy of the oldest and strongest male prevented promiscuity.
1939 Davidson points out that the horde, a unit of about five families, in all some thirty-five persons, was the largest political unit known to the Australians.
1948 That..primitive society took the form of a horde, the leader of which horde, the horde-father, actuated by his sexual jealousy, habitually treated his sons with extreme brutality.
Forms:
15–17 horda, hord, 16 hordia, 16–17 hoord, 16– horde.
Etymology:
Ultimately < Turki ordā, also ordī , ordū , urdū camp (see Urdu n. and adj.), whence Russian orda horde, clan, crowd, troop, Polish horda, German, Danish horde, Swedish hord, Italianorda, Spanish, Provençal horda, French horde (1559 in Hatzfeld & Darmesteter).
The initial happears in Polish, and thence in the Western European languages. The various forms horda, horde,hord were due to the various channels through which the word came into English.
a. A tribe or troop of Tartar or kindred Asiatic nomads, dwelling in tents or wagons, and migrating from place to place for pasturage, or for war or plunder.
1555 R. Eden tr. Peter Martyr of Angleria Decades of Newe Worlde f. 280v, Tartares are diuided by companies which they caule Hordas..they consiste of innumerable Hordas.
1589 A. Jenkinson in R. Hakluyt Princ. Navigations ii. 348 The Nagayans..were diuided into diuers companies called Hords.
1594 T. Blundeville Exercises v. f. 263v, The Tartarians are diuided into certaine commonalties, and Colonies, called of them Hordes.
1600 E. Fairfax tr. Tasso Godfrey of Bulloigne xvii. xxi. 299 As the Scythian Hordas stray.
1613 S. Purchas Pilgrimage 421 Stayed with him in his hord (which consisted of about 1000 housholds of a kindred).
1753 G. Thompson & R. Hogg in J. Hanway Hist. Acct. Brit. Trade Caspian Sea I. lii. 348 They are divided into three hordas, under the government of a khan.
1799 W. Tooke View Russ. Empire II. 78 The Kirghises..have always been divided into three hordes, the great, the middle and the little hordes.
1863 A. W. Kinglake Invasion of Crimea I. i. 2 Nations trembled at the coming of the Golden Horde.
b. Also applied to other nomadic tribes.Golden Horde, name for a tribe who possessed the khanate of Kiptchak, in Eastern Russia and western and central Asia, from the 13th century till 1480.
1613 S. Purchas Pilgrimage 745 (Greenland) In which Tents they lived by hoords.
1695 W. Temple Introd. Hist. Eng. Introd., Such were the Hords among the Goths, the Clans in Scotland, and Septs in Ireland.
1838–42 T. Arnold Hist. Rome (1846) II. xxxiii. 320 Of the Gauls, new hordes had lately arrived from beyond the Alps.
1847 B. Disraeli Tancred III. vi. iv. 176, I am..sprung from a horde of Baltic pirates.
c. Cultural Anthropol. A loosely-knit social group consisting of about five families.
[1894 H. Cunow Verwandtschafts-Organisationen der Australneger iii. 28 In Dr. Hodgkinson's Werk ‘Australia from Port Macquarie to Moreton Bay’ (London 1845)..wird überall..die Bezeichnung ‘tribe’ gebraucht, ich habe dafür den meines Erachtens besser passenden Ausdruck ‘Horde’ gewählt. Unter ‘tribus’ ist stets die aus mehreren verwandten Horden bestehende gröszere Volksgemeinschaft, der Stamm, zu verstehen.]
1896 F. H. Giddings Princ. Sociol. iii. 275 Practically the horde as a component of the tribe is nearly, but not quite, identical with the clan.
1918 A. A. Brill tr. S. Freud Totem & Taboo iv. 208 Man, too, lived originally in small hordes in which the jealousy of the oldest and strongest male prevented promiscuity.
1939 Geogr. Jrnl. 94 89 Davidson points out that the horde, a unit of about five families, in all some thirty-five persons, was the largest political unit known to the Australians.
1948 W. McDougall Introd. Social Psychol. (ed. 29) Suppl. iv. 402 That..primitive society took the form of a horde, the leader of which horde, the horde-father, actuated by his sexual jealousy, habitually treated his sons with extreme brutality.
2. transf.
a. A large gathering of people, esp. of wild or fierce people; a gang, troop, crew.
1613 S. Purchas Pilgrimage 426 Pillars of Stone, which sometimes were Hoords of Men and Beasts feeding, transformed.
1796 E. Burke 2 Lett. Peace Regicide Directory of France i. 23, I hardly shall allow..that with the hord of Regicides we could..obtain any thing at all deserving the name of peace.
1837 W. Irving Adventures Capt. Bonneville II. 160 Eager to be out of the vicinity of such a piratical horde.
1883 19th Cent. May 901 In all our large cities there are hordes of little ragged urchins who live on the streets.
1888 H. E. Scudder in Atlantic Monthly Aug. 227/1 This great horde of young readers in America has created a large number of special writers for the young.
The citations in chronological order.
1555 Tartares are diuided by companies which they caule Hordas..they consiste of innumerable Hordas.
1589 The Nagayans..were diuided into diuers companies called Hords.
1594 The Tartarians are diuided into certaine commonalties, and Colonies, called of them Hordes.
1600 As the Scythian Hordas stray.
1613 Stayed with him in his hord (which consisted of about 1000 housholds of a kindred).
1613 Pillars of Stone, which sometimes were Hoords of Men and Beasts feeding, transformed.
1613 (Greenland) In which Tents they lived by hoords.
1695 Such were the Hords among the Goths, the Clans in Scotland, and Septs in Ireland.
1753 They are divided into three hordas, under the government of a khan.
1796 I hardly shall allow..that with the hord of Regicides we could..obtain any thing at all deserving the name of peace.
1799 The Kirghises..have always been divided into three hordes, the great, the middle and the little hordes.
1837 Eager to be out of the vicinity of such a piratical horde.
1838–42 (1846) Of the Gauls, new hordes had lately arrived from beyond the Alps.
1847 , I am..sprung from a horde of Baltic pirates.
1863 Nations trembled at the coming of the Golden Horde.
1883 In all our large cities there are hordes of little ragged urchins who live on the streets.
1888 This great horde of young readers in America has created a large number of special writers for the young.
1894 In Dr. Hodgkinson's Werk ‘Australia from Port Macquarie to Moreton Bay’ (London 1845)..wird überall..die Bezeichnung ‘tribe’ gebraucht, ich habe dafür den meines Erachtens besser passenden Ausdruck ‘Horde’ gewählt. Unter ‘tribus’ ist stets die aus mehreren verwandten Horden bestehende gröszere Volksgemeinschaft, der Stamm, zu verstehen.]
1896 Practically the horde as a component of the tribe is nearly, but not quite, identical with the clan.
1918 Man, too, lived originally in small hordes in which the jealousy of the oldest and strongest male prevented promiscuity.
1939 Davidson points out that the horde, a unit of about five families, in all some thirty-five persons, was the largest political unit known to the Australians.
1948 That..primitive society took the form of a horde, the leader of which horde, the horde-father, actuated by his sexual jealousy, habitually treated his sons with extreme brutality.