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

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First published 1963 (DOST Vol. III).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

Len, Lend, v. Also: lene, lenn, lan, and Lane. P.t. lent(t, lente, (lenth); len(n)it. P.p. lent(t, lente, lynt; len(n)it; lenned, lend; len. [North. ME. and e.m.E. len, lenn(e (Cursor M.), var., with shortened vowel f. the p.t. and p.p., of ME. lene(n, leane(n, leene, ME. (15th c.) and e.m.E. also lend(e, p.t. lende also lent(e, p.p. ilænd, ilend, lened, lend, also lent, OE. lǽnan weak vb.The characteristic Sc. form of the pres. t. Was always len. The original form with the long vowel, as ME. lēne(n, appar. did not survive into Sc. The ME. and e.m.E. analogical form of the pres. t., lend, appears in Sc. only late, after e.m.E.]

1. tr. To lend, to loan. Also with cognate object.Also, to advance; to give in advance of payment or pay over before due time; to lend on hire or at interest.(a) a1400 Leg. S. ii. 251.
Lene me thi curch to heile me c1420 Bute MS. fol. 173 b.
Gyf thai [the crew] help nocht the mayster, he is nocht haldyn to len thaim nathyng 1424 State P. MS. (Reg. H.) No. 14.
Yhe pray vs to len to yhw a soume of gold for yhour dettis a1500 Henr. Fab. 2742.
His hors, his meir, he man len to the laird To drug and draw a1500 Bk. Chess 1618.
Quha lennys gud to sic a frend as this Tynt is his frend 1533 Gau 17/7.
Len ȝour layne traistand na thing thairfor 1535 Stewart 49278.
This greit nobill … sparit nother baith to gif and len Gold and siluer 1540 Lynd. Sat. 722.
Hes na man clerkis clething to len ws? Ib. 728 (B).
Now sum gud fallow len [Ch. lan] me ane hude 1574 Misc. Maitl. C. I. 112.
Being inquirit gif scho usis to lene ony money, declarit scho lenis nane 1633 Banff Ann. II. 169.
The saidis provest … giwis and lennis to the said Mr. Robert [schoolmaster] the chamber wnder the present schoolhouse 1673 Edinb. B. Rec. X. 161.
The thesawrer to len the said George old timber for proping his house 1702 Foulis Acc. Bk. 303.
He is to build up the walls … for which I am to len my cart to bring coalls to him(b) 1573 Sempill Sat. P. xxxix. 8.
Lend vs ane bourrouing of ȝour auld blak bellis 1609 Skene Reg. Maj. ii. 155 b.
Gif ane man lends his kill to ane vther [etc.](b) a1400 Leg. S. ii. 256.
Schow wes vode That lent to hym a clath 1489 Treas. Acc. I. 123.
To Schir James Abircrummy, that he lent the King to offir 1565 Edinb. Old Acc. I. 49.
iiij^c markis quhilk he awancit and lenth to the gude towne 1679 Kirkcudbr. Sheriff Ct. Processes No. 320 (22 July).
Henrie Moir deponed that he nather lent nor seld the meare to any persone(b) 1562 Aberd. B. Rec. I. 353.
Twa chalmeris of gunnis, quhilk tua chalmeris the said Thomas lennit to the said toun 1570 Leslie 42.
King Eduard lennit certain sowmes of money to the King of Scotland 1571 Id. in Misc. Bann. C. III. 125.
A bath-fatt … efter I had used it I lenit it to Doctor Good(c) c1420 Bute MS. fol. 156.
Sum … ayris wyl … peroffir to by the forsaid land wyth sylvir lent til him thrw gyle c1420 Ratis R. 1004.
And it is wnreddy payment That thow has fristit out or lent 1549 Edinb. Hammermen 180.
Lynt on thre crovnis of the svne that wes resauit fra the quenis grace quhen ther wes lent to hir vij s. vj d. c1568 Lauder Minor P. ii. 49.
Credit and frist is quyte away, No thing is lent bot for usure(b) 1635 Aberd. Council Lett. II. 31.
The haill moneyis ar lenit and na commidite brocht hame except some few hopis and hardis(c) 1571 Cal. Sc. P. III. 570.
[Rodulphi had] lenned [us sums of money](d) 1622-6 Bisset II. 95/2.
Fyve crownis of the sone … quhilk the said … had lend to the said relict(e) 1596 Highland P. I. 154.
Ane lang hagbit pertening to the said John … and len [infra lent] be him to the said Gillipatrick

b. To lend the services of (a person). ?1438 Alex. ii. 3059.
Of ȝour best men len vs sum 1507 Reg. Dunferm. 361.
And gif … the said [abbot] lennys the said Symon [a wright] till ony outwith the place, the said Symonis fee sall stand haill 1601 Conv. Burghs II. 117.

c. To lend (anything) out (also furth, on); freq. of books, from a library.(1) 1580 Edinb. B. Rec. IV. 183.
That nane of the saidis buikis sall be nawayis lentt furth of the said hous … bot vpoun the conditioun [etc.] 1636 (c 1700) Dundee B. Laws 58.
That the kirk mr. have one of the keys of the librarie and that none [sc. books] be lent out without … a sufficient pledge 1688 Misc. Bann. C. III. 259.
That no books be lent out without the citie of Dunblane(2) 1633 Misc. Spald. C. III. 80.
And haid nocht lent on [supra out] the saidis soumes againe for annuelrent c1650 Spalding I. 318.
Thay had no moneyis left thame to len out vpone suirtie(3) 1689 Foulis Acc. Bk. 109.
I have lent out … a musket, a carabine [etc.]

2. absol. or intr. To make a loan or loans.With or without dative of the person. 14.. Acts I. 31/2.
Na burges sall len to the bailȝeis of the castell … bot anerly to the valur of xl d. of thar gudis 1511–12 Selkirk B. Ct. fol. 14 a.
The commoun guidis … gewyne to Thomas Jhonson, he lennand as is promittit to the said work quhill it maye be gottyne agayne 1551 Hamilton Cat. 96.
Do gud and len, lukand for na vantage thairof agane a1586 Maitland Geneal. Setoun 8.
If onie … be aduentur fall in pouertie … len them and frist of thy geir to them —1597-8 Edinb. B. Rec. V. 215 (see Lenning vbl. n. (a)).

b. Freq., to len and borrow, borrow and (nor) lend (with (also to) another).(1) c1500-c1512 Dunb. xxiii. 4.
To thy freynd be kynd, And with thy nychtbouris glaidly len and borrow 1567 G. Ball. 91.
Na occour he will vse in till his lane, Bot frelie with his nichtbour len and borrow 1590 Welwod 59.
The maister is haldin to lenn and borrowe to his mariners giff they want 1637 Rutherford Lett. (1891) 205.
As I am now disposed, I think that I shall neither borrow nor lend with it [this world] Ib. 223.
To borrow and lend with Him(2) 1540 Lynd. Sat. 675.
Howbeit I can not steill Bot ȝit I will borrow and len 1572 Sat. P. xxxiii. 24.
My gluifis wer of fre liberalitie, My sleifis wer of to borrow and len glaidlie a1598 Ferg. Prov. (1641) No. 386.
He is weill staikit thereben, that will neither borrow nor len

3. tr. To give, grant, bestow, dispense, impart (usually some non-material attribute, as divine grace, life, wealth, etc.).a. Said of God or a divinity. b. Passive, without the agent expressed. c. Said of or implying various other agents. Sometimes with admixture of sense 1.a. a1400 Leg. S. xxxviii. 217.
God, wald thu lene me of thi grace Ib. xxii. 399, xxxiv. 276. Ib. xl. 362.
[They] lowit God … that thame had lent sa gud a hird c1420 Ratis R. 1201.
[God] That honor, es or possessione, … In-til his hand has hyngand ay To gyf ore len or tak away c1450 Cr. Deyng (S.T.S.) 189.
God … at lent hyme thir warldly gudis to help hyme with Ib. 170. 1450 Peebles B. Rec. I. 15.
That God len hym gras and al that beris cure of saulis to govern swa that it be lovabil til God 1456 Hay I. 189/17.
[God] tholis … synnaris … , and lennys thame lang lyf and sustentacioun 1482 Reg. Morton II. 246.
Eftir the wit & knawlege that Gode lenys to me 1560 Rolland Seven S. 10292.
Loving the Lord [who] life to thir babeis lent a1568 Scott i. 204.
Christ … sall … len thé lustie liberos at large 1584-9 Maxwall Commonpl. Bk. fol. 20 a.
God len me my handis for I haif no landis a1605 Montg. Sonn. xliv. 9.
My muse, let Mercure language to me lenb. c1460 Alex. (Taym.) 2438.
To cheis ane king with haill consent, To quhome thair is baith wit and wisdome lent c1500-c1512 Dunb. lxxvi. 3.
Quhat is this lyfe bot … A slyding quheill ws lent to seik remeid 1536 Lynd. Answ. Flyting 4.
From ȝour flyting, wald God, that I wer fred, Or ellis sum tygerris toung wer to me lent a1570-86 Arbuthnot Maitl. F. xxix. 146.
I want all micht, na powar is me lent a1585 Maitl. Q. xxxv. .
To wemen than … Sic giftis [wit & wisdom] first wes lent 1580 Hume Promine 144.
Indewit with the giftis plenteous Of bodie, mind and fortoun to thé lentc. c1450-2 Howlat 881.
Now ilka foull … a fedder sall ta And len the howlat 15.. Dunb. App. v. 11.
For quha that secreit can nocht be … credence nane sall him be lent a1500 K. Hart 351.
Syth scho ask, no licence to hir len 1513 Doug. viii. Prol. 120.
And as this leyd … lyggand me seys … he lent me sic wordis [etc.] Ib. xiii. Prol. 143.
Len me a fourteyn nycht … Or [etc.] a1568 Bann. MS. 30 b/23.
Our blisfull day is clerit in the est The sterne of joy hes lent of him a sicht 1566-70 Buch. Comm. on Virgil Eclogue x. 1.
Extremum hunc … mihi concede laborem, len me this hinmest trawell 1604-31 Craig i. 21.
And shall no light at all to len us light be left? 1609 Garden Garden 7.
Ile doe it in thy sight, War't but to len a luster to thy light a1649 Drummond II. 264/37.
Len me the voice that Boreas hath thé giuen

4. a. To lend (one's ears), give ear, to, till, unto; also, to lend or turn (a deaf ear, the corner of an eye) to or til.But cf. Lene v.¹ 8. a1400 Leg. S. xxx. 92.
Than wald scho … til hym len a def ere ay c1460 Wisd. Sol. 681.
A man suld nocht len his eris tyll all at he heris, na trow nocht lichtly all relacions a 1510 Aberd. Univ. Rev. XXXVI. 47.
Scho walde nocht lene to me For luwe the taile ende of hir e c1590 Fowler I. 184/5.
Incace thow len thy eares Vnto the mornfull accents of my mone 1604-31 Craig v. 5.
I drew me darne to the doore, some din to heare. And as I lent to my lug, this well I heard [etc.]

b. To bestow (a profanity) upon (to) another, to swear at him. c1460 Thewis Wysmen 384.
Thai wyll nocht waind for smal valour To len an aith to thar nychtbour

c. To give or deal (a blow), also, to deal out. 1560 Rolland Seven S. 6708.
Twa stripis or thre till hir sa hes he lent Ib. 6860.
Wyfes, … gif ȝe len thame anis ane blaw Quyte auld freindschip thay let faw 1638 Henderson Serm. 523.
Satan lends out many lashes and straiks at us 1605-6 Welsh Sermons 545.
Lend this a stroke: Lord, lend my passion, pride [etc.] … a stroke this day

d. To len(d a lift (also a put) (to) a person or thing, to lift or push or help in lifting or pushing (him, it); freq. fig., to help out of difficulties, come to the help of, to aid or support.(1) a1605 Montg. Sonn. xviii. 13.
As I confyde in King and solid Sharpe, Quhom I culd len a lift, your lordships knauis, War they in love 1638 Henderson Serm. 113.
Be pleased to lend thy awin a far lift forward into the way 1638 Cant Serm. 9.
To honour Christ & to lend his fallen truths a lift Ib. 34. 1692 Pitcairn Assembly iii. iii. (1817) 51.
If they knew themselves, they would … lend God a lift without bidding —absol. 1664 Pitcairn Spiritual Sacrifice 285.
O then! put in your necks under the yoke and lend a lift(2) a1628 Carmichael Prov. No. 555.
Get I your waine at a wolting, I sall len it a put

e. To put in a word, one's word, (for another), to speak in support (of). 1638 Baillie I. 130.
When Traquair and Lowdon had harped upon this string a while, Argyle lends in his word 1685-8 Renwick Serm. 508.
When ye hear his name reproached, lend in a word for him; and speak well of his truths

f. ? To deliver up or cast (something) on to (on) a thing. c1475 Wall. viii. 775.
Fagaldys off fyr amang the ost thai cast; Wp pyk and ter on feyll sowys thai lent