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

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

Stur(e, adj. (adv.). Also: stuir, stuyr, stwre, stour(e, stere, steir, stoir, stoer. [ME and e.m.E. stor(e, steor (all Layamon), stour(e (Manning), stoore (Chaucer), sture (c1400), stower (1549), stur (1567), OE stór, ON stórr; MLG stûr, MDu. stuur.]

A. adj. 1. a. Of a battle: Fiercely contested. b. Of an action: Fierce, powerful.a. 1460 Hay Alex. 3820.
The grevis war grete, the stoure was stour and strang, The folk of Gadderis hed bene fechtand langb. c1590 J. Stewart 27/452.
Ane loftie bang The steide presents vith his tuo heils … Ane mont of mettall mycht tham not induir … thow happelie did find Thy fortoune now that from his stricking stuir So hes eschewit … vntuitchit … For haid he hit the rycht vas no remeed

2. Of a person or animal, army, etc.: Stalwart, strong, powerful; stern; fierce; implacable. b. Of a person's look or manner. c. Of a person's pace: Powerful, vigorous.(a) 1375 Barb. x 158.
He wes a stout carle and a sture 1375 Barb. xii 92.
The lordis of his cumpany Blamyt [him] … That he hym put in auenture To mete so stith a knycht and sture ?1438 Alex. ii 32.
His oist he sawe baith stark and sture c1420 Wynt. viii 1075.
He made hym, syn he wes stark and sture, kepare off hys chawmbyre dure c1420 Wynt. viii 2052.
Stwre [C. stere] c1450-2 Howlat 500 (A).
Was nane so sture in the steid micht stand him a start 1460 Hay Alex. 80.
Out of him com ane serpent stark and stour 1460 Hay Alex. 9076.
Sturdy men and sture c1460 Consail Vys Man 367.
With crabyt men hald na cumpany, Na falow theé nocht with our-gredy, Na with our-still men, na our-sture a1500 Gol. & Gaw. 108.
He wes sa astonayt with the straik, in stede quhare he lay, Stok still as ane stane, the sterne wes sa sture! a1500 Rauf C. 818.
Thay sture hors at that straik strikin deid c1475 Wall. iii 95.
So growane in pith, off pouer stark and stur, His terryble dyntis war awfull till endur c1500 Fyve Bestes 286.
His tuskis … Of stele thai war baith stark & sture 1513 Doug. v viii 20.
The tother of lymmys byggar, and cors mair stuyr is 1535 Stewart 10132.
Lustie and large of stature, strang and stuir a1582 Sir Colling 96.
This alreche knycht [was] stif and stuir And stiflie culd he ryd(b) c1420 Wynt. viii 2052 (C) (see (a) above). a1500 Prestis of Peblis 218 (Ch.).
His sone gat vp, ane stalwart man and steirb. a1400 Leg. S. xx 149.
Thane sad hym Blase with stur chere: Certis, thu art a foule a1500 Gol. & Gaw. 87.
With stout contenance and sture he stude thame beforne, With vesage lufly and lang, Body stalwart and strangc. c1475 Wall. iv 780.
Quhen that he was with out, Rycht fast he ȝeide, a stour pais and a stout

3. Of a voice, sound, etc.: Harsh, stern; powerful; commanding; loud.(a) a1500 Gol. & Gaw. 534.
The brym blast that he blew with ane stevin stour a1500 K. Hart 819.
To the ȝet come rydand … Wirschip of weir … ‘Go to the king’, with sture voce can he say, ‘Speir gif ony office he hes for me’ 1501 Doug. Pal. Hon. 704.
Venus … with a voice sa sture Answerit thus: ‘Thow subtell smy, God wait! Quhat wenis thow to degraid my hie estait?’ c1500-c1512 Dunb. (OUP) 183/63.
Quha sall weild … the gold gatherit with oppressioun, Quhen the angell blawis his bugill sture 1533 Boece 54.
Apoun the nycht, wachis having heich vocis and sture, kepit the entres c1568 Lauder Minor P. ii 26.
Hipocrasie, vaine glore, and pryde, Now blawis thair bugillis strang and sture 1570 Misc. Bann. C. I 48*.
Eftir he [sc. John Knox] had keipit sylence ane guid quhile, he begynis with ane stuir and kroken voce(b) a1568 Bann. MS 156a/28.
The killing with hir mekle mowth Ane stoir horne cowd scho blaw

4. Of a material thing, building, etc.: Strong; powerful; not flimsy; great. a1400 Leg. S. xix 339.
Quhen that Christofore this prayere had mad, … His staf, that was sture & stark, was cled with lewis, & with bark a1400 Leg. S. xxvii 478.
Sanct Colme gert thane aparel A bat [= boat] sture with wetale c1400 Troy-bk. ii 198.
That kyng … Statut in-to the honoure Of Pallas [a] tempile full stoure And mekill als [L. magnum templum] in this cite c1475 Wall. x 956.
Thai … Brak byggyngs doun quhilk had bene stark and stur c1475 Wall. xi 682.
Wallace in haist straik wp the chawmir dur Bot with his fut, that stalwart was and stur 1513 Doug. xi xi 45.
In hys hand … had he A bustuus speir, … baith styth and stuyr, As he that was a worthy weriour

5. attrib. Stoer-mackrel, the shad (see SND Sture adj. 1 (2)). 1684 Sibbald Scot. Illustr. iii 23.
Thunnus, nostratibus the stoer-mackrel

B. adv. Fiercely, violently. a1500 Rauf C. 16.
The wind blew out of the eist stiflie and sture a1540 Freiris Berw. 369 (M).
Be that the freyr hes left his studeing And on his feit he stertis vp full sture