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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.

Levar, Lever, Levir, Lefar, compar. a. (adv.) Also: levare, lewar(e, (-or); lewer, leiver; levire, -yr, lewir, -yre; leffar, leiffar, lyfar; leir. [ME. lever(e, lefer, early leovere, leofere, OE. léofra (-re), compar. of léof Lefe a.]Compar. of Lefe a., appar. surviving only in these special uses: cf. Lefe a. 1 e (3) and 1 f.

1. a. With to be: Me (him etc.) war (past subj.), also wes, levar, it would be or was more agreeable to me, I would rather (do so-and-so, that something were done, etc.).Chiefly in early verse.(1) 1375 Barb. xiii. 480 (E).
Him war lewer [C. levar] that journay wer Wndone, than he sua ded had bene a1400 Leg. S. iii. 930.
Me ware leware wtrely Be banyste … Thane fore to brak to Criste the band Ib. vii. 516.
Josaphus … Bad his falow … chece Quethyre ware leware hyme [etc.] Ib. xxviii. 442.
Thi teris brynis me so sare That in hel leware me ware ?1438 Alex. ii. 3573.
The Bauderane led dame Fesonas, … All war him leuer haue had the last Ib. 7707.
Me leuer war I mocht Resembill him … Than haue half-deill this warld Ib. i. 348.(2) a1400 Leg. S. vii. 484.
[They] wald say That dee thare thame leware wes ay Than [etc.] 1535 Stewart 21595.
His [sic] levir wes for to haif peice nor weir

b. Thocht thame (me etc.) levar, it seemed better to them, they preferred (to do so-and-so). Also c. Tha thocht levar, they had rather.b. c1450-2 Howlat 19.
For to lende by that laike thocht me levare 1513 Doug. xiii. i. 44.
The Rutilianys … Ȝit thocht thame levir and haill to purpos tuke To follow and obey, for all thar harmys, The … bettir man of armysc. 1535 Stewart 31915.
Tha thocht ilkone far levar haif bene deid Or tha war nocht revengit of that feid

2. With to have. Chiefly a. I (he etc.) had (past subj., used of pres. and of past time) levar, I would hold (it) preferable, I had or would rather. Const. infin., noun clause or simple noun.(1) a1400 Leg. S. xlvii. 138.
That he Had lewar with that suerd slane be Thane he wald hand one hir lay c1420 Wynt. v. 1444.
That fere leware he had alway A man off his to sauff wnslayne Than off hys fays to sla … a thowsand 1491 Reg. Episc. Glasg. 483.
We had levar have our said bretheris hartis than thar gudis 1552 Buccleuch Mun. II. 210.
I had lewor gang by thi graif nor thi dure(b) c1400 Troy-bk. Y. 385.
Lever 1456 Hay II. 60/29.
He … had lever be him allane na in ony company that him thocht na pere till him c1460 Thewis Wysmen 345.
The foly of fwlys thai had leuer here, Na ga to preching of a frere a1500 Peblis to Play 166.
Johne Niksoun … Had lever haue giffin ane ox Or he had cuming in that cumpanie a1500 Henr. Twa Mys 152 (Asl.). c1500-c1512 Dunb. xxvii. 95.
Quhilk style to kepe thai had fer leuer Na ony armes beir 1531 Bell. Boece (M) I. 240.
He had grete admiracioun, quhy he had lever ieopert the Romane army on the chance of fortoun 1535 Stewart 17438.
Far lever Ib. 55906; etc.
Lever 1561 St. A. Kirk S. 86.
Or I war not revenged … , I had lever renunce my part of the kyrk of God(c) 1375 Barb. iii. 228.
Thaim thocht that thai had leuir ta The dede, na lat the toun be tane c1475 Wall. iv. 140, vi. 901. Ib. xi. 561.
Fer leuir 1513 Doug. iv. iii. 34.
Quhat wikkyt wyght wald euer Refuys syk proffyr or ȝyt with thé had levir … stand at debait? 1528 Douglas Corr. 345.
I had levire nevire have heretage in Scotland 1533 Bell. Livy II. 66/22.
He had levir returne to Rome with sikkir victorie than vnsikkir pece of Wolchis a1540 Freiris Berw. 292.
Thay had levir sleip nor sit in cumpanye 1549 Compl. 134/31.
Leuyr 1562-3 Winȝet II. 49/24.
That he had leuir erre with Origene than with wtheris to vndirstand the trewth a1586 Lindsay MS. 28 b.
Lewir 1596 Dalr. I. 103/13.
The nobilmen had leuir duel in the feildes, quhair … ar … castelis of strenth and touris, … heir I say had thay leuir duel than in the tounes Ib. 348/14.
Of his worthie actes … I had leuir say nathing(d) 1400 Maxwell Mem. I. 138.
Gyf the sayd Schyr Jon the son had lefar chese the fyfty mark na the aventur of the land, the said chose tane [etc.] a1578 Pitsc. I. 350/7.
I had leiffar speik fyue wordis to the wnderstanding … of the pepill nor ten thousand … in ane langage quhilk they wnderstand nocht(2) ?1438 Alex. ii. 4913.
I had leuer that he with honour Be tane than shamefully leif the stour Ib. 4943. 1515 Douglas Corr. 70.
The Kingis grace … he[s] wrytyne twys to Royme aganis Glasgw, bot I had lever he had wrytyne aganis the Byschep of Morray 1533 Bell. Livy I. 226/34.
The tribunis had levir ane citzens of Rome war scurgit … than to haue thame self murdrist in thare beddis a1578 Pitsc. I. 355/14.
[They] desyrit him not to pase to France … for marieage, for … thay had lever had mareit him at hame 1584-9 Maxwall Commonpl. Bk. 23 b.
I had lewer thow wer of carles clan With the maners of ane gentle man Nor [etc.](3) 14.. Acts I. 351/2.
[Prisoners to be] deliverit in evin handis or in the wardanis handis at the will of the pertiis quhilk thai had leuer [Balfour (p. 592) leiver] 1535 Stewart 20637.
The King … gaif him landis quhair he had most levar Ib. 32414.
Quhilk of thir tua this tyme that ȝe had lever Ib. 39362.(4) ?1438 Alex. ii. 8203.
This hie gift … I had it leuer weill alway Than all ȝour conquest 1562-3 Winȝet II. 63/5.
That he had leuir the dethe of the deand sinnar than that he suld returne and leue

b. With ellipsis of had.(a) a1500 Bk. Chess 576.
Or sic a sot suld in hir bed be slane Scho lever had bene deid a1568 Flemyng Bann. MS. 161 a/78.
Or I had lettin him spend a plak I lever haif wittin him brokin his bak a1605 Montg. Ch. & Slae 459.
I leuir haue euir Ane foule in hand … Nor seand ten fleand About me(b) 1540 Lynd. Sat. 390 (B).
Or ȝe tuik skaith … I leir [Ch. leuer] thair wes not [etc.] a1568 Scott iv. 78.
Or scho war kissit plane, Scho leir be japit thryis

c. Also Me (him etc.) had lever.Common only in Alex. a1400 Leg. S. xlvi. 83.
Hir lyfar had bene ded Than sic lyfe ony tyme to led c1400 Troy-bk. ii. 351.
Me hath levere thole peyne of ded ?1438 Alex. i. 432, 496, etc. Ib. ii. 197; Ib. 6935.
Hir had weill leuer be grauin in grene Ib. 2320.
That had me leuer than ony mede! Ib. 4251.
Me had leuer had this melle Than the rent of ane hale cittie Ib. 7365.
Me had leuer [F. Miex vaut etc.] of gude ane haue Than ane vaill full of ill to craue Ib. 9702. c1475 Wall. iii. 351.
Bot Wallace weille coude nocht in Corsby ly, Hym had leuir in trauaill for to be c1460 Alex. (Taym.) 892.
Thame hed levir de na him to leaue

3. adv. a. I (thai) wald (would) rather.Also ME. (a 1300– ). c1420 Wynt. v. 3258.
Or thai suffere wald swylk a payne Thaire tribwte lewyre [C. leffar, W. levare] thai wald forga ?1438 Alex. i. 1616. a1508 Kennedy Pass. Christ 335.
Peter said, ‘ … or I suld sic tratoury persew, … lever de wald I’

b. Rather, in preference: see quot. 1597 Misc. Spald. C. I. 141.
And in swa doing, the Devill and the said Jonett assurit thé, it [the spell] suld licht vpone levir to the guidwyf of Cloak nor thé