Definitions
from The Century Dictionary.
- In old English law, to prove; justify; vindicate, as an assertion; clear one's self, either by proving one's own case or by refuting that of an adversary: sometimes used of an abstract or chronologic tracing of a chain of title to real estate.
- To claim and try to win by battle or combat; fight for.
- To arrange (an army); draw up in order of battle.
- To derange; disorder; disarrange.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- transitive verb (Old Law), obsolete To prove or to refute by proof; to clear (one's self).
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- verb law, obsolete, transitive To prove or to refute by proof, especially on threat of
combat . - verb obsolete To
engage in (battle, combat etc.).
Etymologies
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
From Old French deraisnier ("to explain, defend, to maintain in legal action by proof and reasonings"), from Late Latin derationare ("to discourse, contend in law").
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Examples
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Redoubted > Doughty, valiant, redoubtable deraign > {Challenge; fight a contest in order to settle a dispute} 3 And clash their shields, and shake their swords on high,
The Faerie Queene — Volume 01 Edmund Spenser
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5 Did to him pace, sad battle to deraign, to > towards sad > grievous deraign > challenge
The Faerie Queene — Volume 01 Edmund Spenser
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"Of whatever matter they shall be put in plea, they shall deraign themselves according to the law and customs of the city of
Stray Studies from England and Italy John Richard Greene 1860
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