voider

English

Etymology

Middle English voider, equivalent to void +‎ -er.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈvɔɪdə(ɹ)/
• Rhymes: -ɔɪdə(ɹ)

Noun

voider (plural voiders)

1. One who, or that which, voids, empties, vacates, or annuls.
2. A tray or basket formerly used to receive or convey that which is voided or cleared away from a given place; especially, one for carrying off the remains of a meal, as fragments of food; sometimes, a basket for containing household articles, as clothes, etc.
   • 1609, Thomas Dekker, “The Guls Horne-booke: […]: The Old World, & the New Weighed Together: The Tailors of Those Times, and These Compared: The Apparell, and Dyet of Our First Fathers”, in Alexander B[alloch] Grosart, editor, The Non-dramatic Works of Thomas Dekker. […] (The Huth Library), volume II, London, Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire: […] [Hazell, Watson, & Viney] for private circulation only, published 1885, →OCLC, page 211:

     Peirs ploughman layd the cloth, and Simplicity brought in the voyder.

   • 1656, History of Richard Hainam:

     The cloth whereon the earl dined was taken away, and the voider, wherein the plate was usually put, was set upon the cupboard's head.

3. (historical) A contrivance in armour for covering an unprotected part of the body; a gousset.
   • (Can we date this quote?), Boydell & Brewer (→ISBN), page 173:

     […] amongst the stock of a Southwark armour-dealer in 1454 and worn-out haubergeons 'of westwale' at the Tower in 1455 were recycled into sleeves and voiders.

   • 1904, The Archaeological Journal, page 307:

     The plate defences for the legs and the under garment with chain mail voiders attached, are in place. The rest of the armour and two of his weapons are seen on the trestle table.

   • 1934, J. T. Herbert Baily, The Connoisseur:

     vambraces at the elbows are pierced with a series of holes, whereby voiders of mail could be laced into the vambraces themselves rather than on to the sleeves of the arming doublet […]

   • 2014, J. S. Hamilton, Fourteenth Century England VIII, Boydell & Brewer Ltd, →ISBN, page 86:

     Mail gussets (later also articulated plate ones) that filled the gaps at the joints of the armour. At this date they were attached to the undergarment. There was such a gap at the back of the knees which is where these voiders would have fitted. No voiders would have been required elsewhere […]

   • 2017, Liam Young, Knights Thranis: The Chronicles of Freylar, Liam W H Young via PublishDrive

     She had been studying the Knight Restorant's meticulous application of his arming doublet at the time, which included mail voiders to protect any gaps in his plate armour. The obviously well-practised ritual was slow and methodical; ...

4. (historical, rare) A servant whose business is to void, or clear away, a table after a meal.
   • 1609, Thomas Dekker, “Lanthorne and Candle-light. Or, The Bell-man’s Second Nights-walke. […] The Second Edition, […]: Gul-groping. How Gentlemen are Cheated at Ordinaries.”, in Alexander B[alloch] Grosart, editor, The Non-dramatic Works of Thomas Dekker. […] (The Huth Library), volume III, London, Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire: […] [Hazell, Watson, & Viney] for private circulation only, published 1885, →OCLC, page 221:

     The voider hauing cléered the table, Cardes & Dice (for the laſt Meſſe) are ſerued vp to the boord: […]

Anagrams

• devoir