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

Fader, Fadir, n. Also: fadere, fadire, fadyr(e, fadre, fadar, fauder; fadder, -ir(e, -yr(e; faider, faiddir, faydyr, feder. [ME. fader, fadir(e, fadre, etc., OE. fæder. See also Father.]

1. A male parent.(a) 1375 Barb. i. 429.
Hys fadyr ay wes my fay feloune a1400 Leg. S. xxiv. 305.
His fadyre … til a serwand gert hyme betak c1420 Wynt. v. 2130.
Phylip callyd ware thai twa, The fadyre, and the sone alsua 1443 Acts II. 33/2.
All & sindri landis … as his fadir broukit thaim c1475 Wall. ii. 147.
His fadyr Malcom in the Lennox fled 1504 Aberd. Sheriff Ct. I. 90.
Wat Traill his fadir … was warnit to compeir 1537 Reg. Episc. Aberd. I. 414.
The said … Alexander fadir, modir, brudir and sistir(b) 1391 Antiq. Aberd. & B. IV. 379.
Jone of Forbesis fadre was a gude man 1389 Facs. Nat. MSS. II. 41.
Our … lorde & fadre, … the kyng of Scotland Robert that now ys c1420 Wynt. i. 456.
He … wald noucht byde His fadrys membrys for till hyde 1450 Aberd. B. Rec. I. 18.
Yherly to pay xl s. quhill he bryng hame the blew stane til his fadre(c) 1456 Hay I. 68/15.
Sum faderis … coud nocht fynd in thair hertis to … chasty thair barnis c1450 Craft of Deyng 227.
Crist … sytis one his faderis rycht hand 1490 Irland Mir. I. 26/24.
As the gud child … suld be lik to the fader 1543 Reg. Cupar A. II. 25.
Becaus his fader and moder ar ald and decrepat 1591 Edinb. Test. XXIII. 357 b.
I leif to my fader … ane cleithing of my best claythis 1614 Ayr Fr. Preach. Chart. 109.
Land … occupiit be James Kennedy and Thomas Kennedy his fader(d) a1400 Leg. S. ii. 975.
To ȝoung men als gef he lare, & faddire & modyre, that thaim bare c1420 Wynt. iii. 634.
Hys faddyr deyde or he wes borne 1572-5 Diurn. Occurr. 332.
All wyffis and barnes, having thair husbands or fadderis in the castell … , to depairt(e) 1478 Acta Aud. 64/2.
A reuersioune maid … be vmquhile the said James Blaire, faider to the said George 1513 Rep. Hist. MSS., Var. Coll. V. 87.
That Patric of Levingstoune … sal haif the takis that hys faiddir … hade of before 1558 Inverness B. Rec. I. 20.
Johne Stuert is seruit … ayr to his faydyr (f) 1543 Acts II. 432/1.
Our souerane ledyis feder

b. In uninflected possessive use. 1375 Barb. i. 291.
Hys fadyr dede he wengyt swa, That [etc.] 14.. Acts I. 40/2.
His frendis on the mudyrhalf and … on the fadyrhalf c1420 Wynt. ii. 213.
Jacob … wan his fadyr benysowne Ib. 744; etc.
Syne he wes noucht hys fadyre ayre 1495 Reg. Episc. Brechin II. 317.
To begyn the obbytis … for the said George's fader sawll 1558 Inverness Sheriff Ct. 45.
Desyrand to be cognoscit narrest agnate of the fader kyn to Lauchlane McIntoche

c. One regarded or addressed as a father. a1400 Leg. S. ii. 476.
For-thi suld thu [sc. Rome] gret joy may Of sic hirdis and fadderis twa c1420 Wynt. v. 1420.
Myld Antone thai oysyd alle And thare fadyre hym to calle 1456 Hay I. 130/11.
The band spirituall betwix man and his fader spirituale Ib. II. 9/19.
Then said the squyer, Faire fader, sen it is sa [etc.] 1513 Doug. viii. ii. 15.
And thou, O haly fader Tiberyne … Ressaue Eneas to ȝou onbekend 1562 Aberd. Eccles. Rec. 7.
All princis, magistratis, and reularis, quhilk … suld be faderis and motheris to the common veltht

d. Fader in (or of) law, a father-in-law. 1533 Boece I. vi. 45 b.
We ar to ȝow faderis in law, & ȝe to ws gude sonnys 1549 Compl. 3/10.
Quha is presentlye veil tretit in the gouernance of hyr fadir of lau

2. a. An ancestor. c1420 Wynt. ii. 912.
Now to begyn … off Woden, That fadyr wes off mony men 1492 Myll Spect. 277/27.
Our first fader Adam was put fro the blis of paradys

b. A founder; an originator. a1400 Leg. S. ii. 454.
Thai, [that] thi firste faderis war, … Gave thé [sc. Rome] name and fowndit to be c1490 Irland Asl. MS. I. 62/15.
Ane evill doctor & a dissaitful fadere of all falshed 1513 Doug. ii. Prol. 13.
Saturn, thou auld fader of malancoly

3. The first person of the Trinity. 1456 Hay I. 11/8.
Quhen he … gave us knaulage of the haly Trinitee, and of the secretis of the fader of hevin 1461 Liber Plusc. 334.
In the name of the Fadir, and the Son, and the Hali Gaist c1500-c1512 Dunb. ix. 58.
The Fader that all thingis wrocht and comprehendit a1568 Scott xxxv. 29.
To Fader gloir be evirmoir a1570-86 Maitl. F. lvi. 89.
Now fader, sone, and halie gaist, Souerain god in personis thre

b. Fader of hevin, Jupiter. (tr. L. cœli genitor.) 1513 Doug. ix. x. 93.
The fader of hevin exceppit hys prayer

4. Reverend, venerable, or haly fader, an ecclesiastic; an abbot, bishop, or archbishop. Freq. with addition of in God or Christ.(1) 1389 Wemyss Chart. II. 24.
The selys of reuerand faddrys into Crist 1437 Reg. Dunferm. 285.
A venerabill fadir in Crist, Androw … Abbot of Dunfermlyn 1490 Acta Conc. 153/2.
A reuerend faider in God, Robert bischop of Glasgw 1506 Charter (Reg. H.) No. 693.
To ane reuerend fader in God, Andro … bischop of Cathnes(2) a1400 Leg. S. xxxv. 1.
Of haly faderis in the lyfe Ane wthyre tale I fand 1423 Charter (Reg. H.) No. 259.
A reverend fadre, Dene John of Leth, quylum abbot of Halirudehous 1464 Reg. Episc. Brechin II. 107.
The offices of bailliery and chaumerlantry … pertening to the said reuerend fader 1500 Reg. Privy S. I. 69/1.
Ane letter … to ane venerable fader, Henry, abbot of Cambuskynneth 1511 Ib. 346/1.
Licence to Elizabeth Swintoun … to purches the said abbay at the said haly fader or archbischop

b. Our haly fader, applied to the Pope. Also fader of kirk.(1) 1410 Red Bk. Menteith. II. 281.
Our hally fadire the Pape 1455 Acts II. 43/1.
That thar pas ane ambaxat to our haly fader the pape 1478 Ib. 123/1.
Our hali faider the pape & the sege of Rome has grantit a priuilege(2) c1475 Wall. xi. 1422.
His purpos was for till haue send it to Rom, Our fadyr off kyrk tharon to gyff his dom

5. The faderis, the leading men or elders; spec. the Roman senators. 1456 Hay II. 2/26.
How the bacheler squyer suld be examynit be the faderis of the Order 1513 Doug. xiii. vi. 138.
The graue faderis … In thar digest decretis sage and stabill 1533 Bell. Livy I. 43/4.
The faderis (quhilk war ane hundreth in nowmer) devidit thame self in ten decuris Ib. 73/11.