A Dictionary of the Older Scottish Tongue (up to 1700)
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First published 1937 (DOST Vol. I).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
Quotation dates: 1450-1515
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Active, a. Also: actif, actiue. [ME. actif, active (14th c.), OF. actif m., active f., L. actīvus.]
1. Of persons: Active, energetic.c1450-2 Howlat 350 (active and awenant). c1515 Asloan MS I. 228/13 (a gud actif man). c1500-c1512 Dunb. xxxix. 39 (ane active man and wyice).
2. Applied to actions or things.1456 Hay I. 117/35 (mannis werkis, outhir actives or passives). 1490 Irland Mir. I. 147/8 (hir actif lif and operative). 1513 Doug. i. vi. 24 (an active bow); iii. iv. 135 (the active gemmys and sportis).
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"Active adj.". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 13 Dec 2025 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/dost/active>
