Reyndere

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. A person in Middle English who gave back, delivered up, or surrendered something owed or possessed
2. An archaic term for someone who yielded up or handed over goods, rent, or a possession to another
3. Used in older English for one who rendered, that is, returned, paid, or gave up something due

Etymology: "Reyndere" is a rare Middle English word meaning "one who surrenders," and it was a sort of cousin to a word still in use. It comes from the verb "rendren," which in Middle English meant to give back or hand over, and which descends from Old French "rendre," from Latin "reddere," meaning "to give back." The same root produced "render" in its modern sense of delivering something or making something become a certain state, as in "render aid" or "render useless." The agent suffix "-ere" follows the Old French pattern for people who perform an action, so "reyndere" is essentially "one who renders up." Its use was limited, and it appears in few surviving texts, so it never became a common term for someone giving in to an enemy or authority. The surrender sense developed because handing something over, especially a town or fortress, was the central act of giving up.