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Dictionars o the Scots Leid

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.

Ley, Le, Lie, v. Also: lee, lea. P.t. and p.p. leyit, leit, leid, lede, leed, lieit, lied etc. [ME. leȝhenn (Orm), leȝe, ley(e, lei(en, (1483) lee, (13th c.) lie(n, earlier liȝen, OE. léoᵹan (p.t. léah, luᵹon, p.p. loᵹen) str. vb. The weak p.t. and p.p. (leghed, liȝed(e, lied etc.) occur in ME. f. the 14th c.The pres. indic. plur. form lene, leyn(e in Douglas is by imit. of ME.]

1. intr. To lie, tell a lie or lies (habitually or in a particular situation). Also in various special collocations.(1) 14.. Acts I. 41/2.
Gif ony man … myssayis the aldirman … it behufis hym … to nyte it wyth opyn mouth sayand that he leyit c1500-c1512 Dunb. xxvi. 50.
Bakbyttaris … , To ley that had delyte 1568–9 Anderson Collect. Mary IV. ii. 188.
Sum disobedient subjectis … in leying falsly and calumniously 1513 Doug. i. Prol. 242.
For sykkyrly, les than wys authoris leyn [v.rr. lene, leyne], Ene saw nevir Touyr with hys eyn(b) a1400 Leg. S. xxv. 206.
My gud brethyr, quhy lest ȝou le? Ib. xxx. 508.
Sa thane at I Dois bot leis apertly 1453 Misc. Spald. C. V. 49.
To War ye le quhen he rede with a letter to the kount rollar 1490 Irland Mir. I. 26/30.
For ellis thou leis and js nocht his werray sone c1500-c1512 Dunb. Tua Mar. W. 308.
I salbe laith to lat him le a1568 Scott xii. 45.
Gif I le, And from ȝow fle, … Forsaik me Ib. xxxiii. 19.
Thow [Cupid] lovis thame that lowdest leis 1572 Buch. Detect. (1727) 135.
That he sal pluk the eiris out of his heid and that he leisp.t. and p.p.  14.. Burgh Laws lxxviii (A).
Giff ony mispersonis or missayis balȝes in burgh hym behuffis with opyn mouth in playn court with his frendis nyt it & say that he lede & wycht waknyng of mercy a1500 Henr. iii. 150/17.
I schrew thame that leid 1540 Lynd. Sat. 2776.
The mekil feind resaue the saul that leid 1560 Rolland Seven S. 9516.
I … sall preif … That he has leid a1628 Carmichael Prov. No. 1859.
Ye likit never your lips sen ye leid 1613 Fraserburgh Kirk S. Feb. 10.
His aith that he had nocht maliciouslie leit to the hurt of the said Janet 1622-6 Bisset II. 247/17.
And gif any say that his fellow leid(c) c1460 Consail Vys Man 51.
That thow be neuir leif to lee Ib. 150, 378. 1598 James VI Basil. Doron 78/10.
Sen I ame heire upon my testament it is na place for me to lee in(d) ?a1500 Remembr. Passion 610.
Think … how thow hes failȝeit … in thy toung, lieand, sklanderand [etc.] c 1568 Campbell Love-Lett. Mary App. 24.
Haif ye not desyr to lauche to sie me lie sa weill a1570-86 Maitl. F. xlv. 30.
Ane man of meikle speiche may sumtime lie a1605 Montg. Flyt. 114 (H).
Still lieing lik a ruik a1598 Ferg. Prov. 3.
A full heart lied never(e) 1581 Burne Cath. Tr. 157/18.
Quha can yit beir vitnes gif I lea or not(2) a1500 Henr. Fab. 1074.
Thow leis, quod scho, falstyke Ib. 1985.
‘Lowrence, I heir thé le’ c1475 Wall. v. 249.
Thou leid all out, thow has beyne with Wallace Ib. x. 145. 1560 Rolland Seven S. 2485.
Auld dosinnit carll (quod scho) I heir thé lie 1567 G. Ball. 193.
I say, ȝe leit euerie one 1571 Lanark B. Rec. 57.
Said William Broun, Quha is that? Sayis Jhone Folkert, Ye; and … said William Broun, Thou leid 1650 Auchterhouse Ann. 121.
Saying that ‘bee God I leed, limmer’(3) a1651 Calderwood III. 90.
He hath unhonestlie, falselie and mischeantlie leed in his throat Ib. IV. 29.
Yee lee in your throat(4) 1545 Stirling B. Rec. I. 40.
The assis decernis Agnes Hendersoun to … say to tong, Thou leid that said Annapill Graheme wes ane freris get 1559 Inverness Rec. I. 33.
[She] sall syt on hyr kneys at the mercat croce and say, false towng, scho leyd 1562 Aberd. Eccl. Rec. 9.
That all sklanderaris, bacbytaris and railyearis … sall … be putt in the cukstulis and say, Toung ye leid a1570-86 Maitland Maitl. F. cv. 23.
Thairfore repent, ȝe ralaris, … Cry toung I leid throw all this natioun, Mak … rymes of recantatioun a1599 Rollock Wks. I. 339.
The mouth in the mean time wil be backbyting him, and the conscience will say, thou leis, mouth(5) ?1438 Alex. ii. 2485.
Gif I le [F. si je ment], shent mot I be a1500 Henr. III. 115/31.
Luk thow my laythly lycome gyf I le c1500-c1512 Dunb. xxxiv. 23.
The feind ressaif me gif I le 1513 Doug. Exclam. 19.
Bot, gyf I le, lat Virgyll be owr juge 1540 Lynd. Sat. 174 (B).
Gif I ley, schiris, ȝe may speirp.t. 1570 Sempill Sat. P. xii. 40.
His grandschir slane at Lythquo gif I leid; … His cousing last(6) c1500-c1512 Dunb. Flyt. 81.
Thocht I wald lie, thy frawart phisnomy Dois manifest thy malice 1535 Stewart 29323.
Moir eith it war … I bid nocht le To bring the Bas … out of the se a 1568 Sempill Sat. P. xlviii. 94.
Myself tuk a say of it, A wylie-coit, I will nocht lee 1581 Ib. xliv. 134.
The las he reueist at Berne, I haue not leid

b. transf. c1500-c1512 Dunb. lxxix. 20.
I haue na preiff heir bot my purs, Quhilk wald nocht lie and it war luikit 1513 Doug. i. Prol. 278.
This Wther buik … Quhilk, vndir cullour of sum strange Franch wycht, Sa franchlyleys

2. With complements. a. To lie against (agane) the truth, to tell a lie to or unto a person.(1) a1400 Leg. S. xliii. 562.
Thu has leyt ilke deile Agane opyne suthfastnes(2) 15.. Clar. iv. 1447.
I liet never in earnest to na wicht 1650 Rec. Kirk Scotl. 606.
Wee haue often leied unto the Lord with our tounges, and flattered him with our lippes

b. To lie (more or less maliciously) about or against (on, apone or upoun, of) a person, to accuse falsely, slander. a1400 Leg. S. xii. 394.
The Jowis … As thai falsly one hyme leyt Ib. xxvi. 480. a1500 Henr. III. 142/4.
No dreid thai haue of thair nychtbouris to le c1500-c1512 Dunb. Flyt. 138.
Mater annwch I haiff … Thocht thow, foull trumpour, thus vpoun me leid c1500-c1512 Kennedy Ib. 313. 1533 Gau 15/13.
Thai quhilk … bannis or bakbitis or leis apone ony man 1580 Edinb. B. Rec. IV. 179.
To … acknawlege thair offence … saying thai haif leyet of him 1586 Calderwood IV. 521.
With the wordis of David when he was traduced and leed upon before Saul the King 1604 Shetland Sheriff Ct. (ed.) 110.
It is tryit that Geilis Claphoule hes leit schamfullie upoun Matched in Watsger, saying [etc.] 1684 Cramond Kirk S. II. 7 Sept.
What needed she ly on him, or slander herself, if it was not true Ib. 5 Oct.
To lie on him

c. To lie, speak falsely, in saying something, or of a matter.(1) a1400 Leg. S. xxi. 547.
That thu … say that thu has falsly leyt In al, quhare-of thu me [has] wreyt 1559 Cal. Sc. P. I. 261.
Yit will I meynteyn that thair in ye haif falslie leyt(2) a1500 Henr. Fab. 2484.
Quha sayis ane scheip is daft, thay lieit of it Ib. 2631.
Suppois I dar not say thairof ȝe leid ?a1500 Steel Roy Robert 51.
Thow leyd thairof

3. quasi-tr., with object clause: To say falsely. a1400 Leg. S. i. 512.
Thu leis all that thu sais Ib. xviii. 1217.
For suth, God leyt nocht that he Hycht 16.. Hist. Kennedy 41.
Thir ar the words we said, and quhat ȝe haue said mair, ȝe leid

4. tr. a. To lie about, accuse falsely, slander. b. To accuse of lying, give the lie to. c. To lie to, deceive.a. c1420 Bute MS. fol. 162.
It behufys hym wyth his frendis deny it sayand wyth his mouth I am leyit thrw the worde of mersy And eftyr that … he sal swere that he wate nane ivil on hym Ib. 172.
Of debate … And gyf the mayster [of a ship] leis ony of his yhong men he sal pay vij d. 1571 Lanark B. Rec. 59.
David Brentoun tuik ane act that Jhon Bannatin of Corhous leid him in jugement in ane fensit court, as hie allegit 1604 Shetland Sheriff Ct. (ed.) 115.
It is tryit that Olaw Nicolsoun & Olaw Andersoun hes leit and traduceit utheris by the actisb. 1375 Barb. vii. 623 (E).
Clvffurd roucht nocht him to leec. 1560 Rolland Seven S. 3283.
Quod scho, feir not, I bid not for to lie ȝow