Dictionaries of the Scots Language
Dictionars o the Scots Leid

A Dictionary of the Older Scottish Tongue (up to 1700)

Hide Quotations Hide Etymology

Abbreviations Cite this entry

About this entry:
First published 1951 (DOST Vol. II).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

Etern(e, a., adv., and n. Also: etarne. [ME. (Chaucer) and OF. eterne, L. æternus.]

1. adj. = Eternal a. 1 and 2.(1) c1475 Wall. iv. 130.
The eterne God his gouernour be and gyde a1499 Contempl. Sinn. 1273.
O eterne God, that man mot blissit be a1508 Kennedy Pass. Christ 1.
Hail, Cristin knycht! haill, etern confortour 1513 Doug. i. Prol. 457.
Thou kyng of kyngis, lord etern 1533 Boece iv. iii. 128 b.
I tak witnes to the goddis eterne that I inferrit na weris to Romanis a1570-86 Maitl. F. xxii. 1.
O gratious God, almychtie and eterne(2) 1490 Irland Mir. I. 122/29.
Knawand … the counsale eterne of the haly trinite 1513 Doug. i. i. 67.
Quhen that Juno, … The etern wound hyd in her breist Ib. xii. ix. 12.
Pepill … Quhilkis eftir suldbe ane in etern pes 1533 Bell. Livy I. 1/8.
Bricht Apollo, with thi cours eterne c1552 Lynd. Mon. 460.
To saif ws … frome etarne dampnatioun

2. adv. Eternally, for ever. a1508 Kennedy Pass. Christ 1380.
Within a crage now closit is etern Off all the warld the generall saluitour

3. n. In eterne, to eternity. c1500-c1512 Dunb. lxxxv. 3.
Haile, in eterne In Godis sicht to schyne