Etymology

Formally < OE īren; ON semantic loan has been argued (Emerson 1922: 374) on the basis of the metonymic extension of the OIcel cognate járn for weapons (especially in eddic poetry: see Cl-V, LP, lFT). But this sort of extension is fairly commonplace and easy to parallel in OE and ME (e.g. OE īren is a widespread poetic shorthand for sword).

PGmc Ancestor

*īzarna-

Proposed ON Etymon (OIcel representative)

járn 'iron, object made of iron: weapons'
(ONP járn (sb.))

Other Scandinavian Reflexes

Far jarn, Icel járn, Norw jarn, Dan jærn, Sw järn

OE Cognate

īren 'iron instrument: iron weapon, sword'

Phonological and morphological markers

Summary category

CCC3

Attestation

MED records a number of instances of ME iren in the sense ‘armor; a piece of armor’, from as early as c1300 Lay. Brut (Otho C.13), with no marked dial distribution.

Occurrences in the Gersum Corpus

Gaw 729

Bibliography

MED īren (n.) (sense 3b.) , OED iron (n.1) , HTOED , Dance yrnes, de Vries járn, Mag. járn, Orel *īzarnan, Kroonen *īsarna- ~ *īzarna-, AEW īse(r)n, īren