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

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First published 2001 (DOST Vol. IX).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

Stour(e, n.¹ Also: stowr(e, store, stoor, stur(e. [ME and e.m.E. stur(e, stoure (all Cursor M.), stour (Rolle), store (c1440), stowre (c1460), stoore (1570), AF estur, OF estour.]

1. (A) battle, conflict, episode of fighting, freq. in alliterative phrases as stalwart stour, stand in stour, stith in stour, etc. Also stour off battaill, etc. the most hard fought part of a battle.(1) 1375 Barb. i 468.
Fawcht in-to mony stalwart stour, For to delyuir thar countre 1375 Barb. ii 396.
The gude, at enchaufyt war Off ire, abade and held the stour 1375 Barb. viii 269.
Thai war all to few … Agane so feill to stand in stour ?1438 Alex. i 2761.
Neuer his lif-tyme to that day Was he chaissit out of ane stour ?1438 Alex. ii 483.
Sen that we lossit our lord and cheif Gaudifeir, that styth in stour c1420 Wynt. ii 1176.
Haylstanys … Sa hewy … can lycht, That [ma] peryst in that schoure Than swerdys stikkyt in that stowre ?a1450 Florimond 58.
Alex[and]dyr conquerour, That throu battell and stalvairt stour In vii ȝere wan the warld 1456 Hay I 57/9.
Lang time the stoure durand mycht nane ken quha had ony avantage 1460 Hay Alex. 2522.
[They] best mycht stand in battall and in stouris a1500 Gol. & Gaw. 625.
Thair stedis stakkerit in the stour, … the strakis war sa strang! a1500 Rauf C. 865.
Ilk ane a schort knyfe blaidit out sone; In stour stifly thay stand, With twa knyfis in hand c1475 Wall. viii 97.
The stour was strang, and wondyr peralous, Contenyt lang with dedis chewalrous a1500 K. Hart 832. c1515 Asl. MS II 271/26.
The campioun Quhilk with mony bludy woundis in to stowre Victoriusly discomfit the dragoun 1513 Doug. ix x 30.
We, that bene … keyn men in a stour 1513 Doug. xi vii 44.
All the flour … of this realm dyd stryve in stour 1531 Bell. Boece I cv.
How forcy cheiftanis, in mony bludy stouris … wan landis and honouris 1533 Boece 267.
Eftir this lang and felloun bargane thay mycht na langare sustene the stoure 1535 Stewart 21671.
That stour it wox baith stalwart stif and strang 1554 Duncan Laideus Test. 155.
The dolorous day … Of Floudoun feild … This gentill knycht … Vnto that stoure valiantlie did pretend 15.. Clar. iii 1033.
His nobill bodie was never out of stoure, His bloodie sword restit never 1574 Three Reformers 116.
He stood then in that stalward stowre, Where there were many dintis dowre 1667 Highland P. II 22.
So they marched till both parties mett with a terrible stour, fighting handsomlie on both sides(b) a1400 Leg. S. xxv 749.
Thane thru the ost he cane ga, & of al the knychtis thru the sture, Til he come til the emperoure(2) 1375 Barb. i 24.
[They] oft in hard stour off bataill Wan [richt] gret price off chewalry ?1438 Alex. ii 5888.
Porrus … and the Bauderane, … I haue thame sene in stour of ficht 1456 Hay I 273/5.
Quhen the bataill war in the stoure of the maist hete of the fechting [etc.]

b. fig. or transf. (A) conflict or struggle of a different sort, chiefly with a non-material adversary, chiefly pain or death. a1400 Leg. S. xxxviii 126.
For the tyme cumis quhene nane Sal vthir relefe … As for to les thame [thar] payne … Na riches na possessoure Sal helpe man in-[to] that stoure a1450 Fifteen Ois 249.
To wesche man fra syn … In virgin flesche He stude in stoure, Sufferand mekill pane & dolour c1490 Porteous Noblenes 177/4 (A).
Noble men … that has … corage to serf wndere hir [sc. Worthiness'] banere … and in the stoure to dreid nathing bot God a1570-86 Dunb. in Maitl. F. 230/39.
He baid in stour quhill he mycht stand O mankynd for the luif of thé c1500-c1512 Dunb. (STS) lxxxv 59.
Quhill store and hore, my ȝouth devore 1535 Stewart 21552.
Honorious of Rome the emprioure, That tyme with seiknes staid wes in ane stour c1552 Lynd. Mon. 5161.
Quham wysedome may nocht contramand, Nor strenth that stoure may nocht ganestand! 15.. Lichtoun in Bann. MS 48a/44.
Our saluiour Quhilk sched his precius blud for thé in stour a1605 Montg. Flyt. 75 (T).
Thy dittay wes deid … Thy trumperie wes tryd; thy falset they fand … Condempnit to be dryd … Quhill thow payit ane pand, in that stour thow did stand 1685 Renwick in Biographia Presbyteriana II 276.
The Lord … hath helped you to stand with a poor despised party in many stours for his interest

2. A violent conflict of the elements; a storm. b. transf. Of the emotions. 1460 Hay Alex. 155.
The firmament … Distrublit was … Thair was na erdlie thing into the stour Bot it was changit a1499 Contempl. Sinn. 239 (Asl.).
O wale of teres … How … Of covatis I wyte the rafand rage In the vnstable sterand stormy stowris a1508 Kennedy Pass. Christ 1671.
The tent day fra His ascencioun … Out of the hevin wes maid a suddane soun Lik to the cumin of ane felloun schour And in thaim remanit in that fellown stowr [etc.] 1662 Crim. Trials III 609.
Charming for the bean-straw; … blew beaver, land-feaver, maneris of stoorisb. ?1438 Alex. ii 2194.
Gif sho of lufe had felt the shouris The siching, quaking and the stoures 1513 Doug. iv x 82.
In diuers stowris of ire brandysys sche

3. The violent movement of water; the spray caused by such movement. c1420 Wynt. iv 242.
The coursere lap … in to the flude, The stoure fere owre thare hewydis stude 1513 Doug. i iii 26.
The swowchand sey so law gart lycht, Thame semyt the erd oppynnyt amyd the flude The stour vp bullyrrit sand as it war wode 1513 Doug. iii v 16 (Sm.).
Wp thai welt the stour of fomy see 1513 Doug. iii vi 130.
The large fludis … spowtis in the ayr … Dryvand the stowr to the starnys, as it war rane 1513 Doug. iii viii 57.
With rochys … To brek the salt fame of the seys stour 1513 Doug. iv x 115.
The stour of fame … swepis our the haw fludis 1513 Doug. v iii 74.
The fomy stowr of sey rays thar and heir 1513 Doug. x vi 13.
Quhar the flude went styll, and calmyt all is But stowr or bullyr, murmour or movyng 1531 Bell. Boece I xxxvii.
Thir fowlis … doukis, with ane fellon stoure, in the see c1590 J. Stewart 62/185.
Lyk ane rock firm situat in the sie Sustening stres of stormie stouris hie

4. (A cloud of) dust. ?1438 Alex. ii 9018.
Sic ane stour attour thame stude That euin vp to the lyft it ȝude 1460 Hay Alex. 3.
The fecht was ferce and fell the stour was gret, Thay war sa vext with pulder and with het c1475 Wall. vii 579.
The strang stour rais, as reik, vpon thaim 1513 Doug. vii x 57.
Sum hie montit on horsbak … The dusty pulder vpdryvand with a stour 1513 Doug. vii xiii 28.
Ane ost of fut men, thik as the hail schour, Followys this Turnus, dryvand vp the stour a1578 Pitsc. II 99/15.
The stoure was so great that never ane of thame might sie ane wther 1581-1623 James VI Poems I 108/55.
Ore cled with blood and stoure 1685-8 Renwick Serm. 403.
There is much stour and dust sticking to you