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: 1540-1586
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Alternative, a. [med.L. alternativus. Also in e.m.E. (1590).] Coming or acting in turn. Be vice alternative, by alternation. — 1540 Reg. Privy S. II. 511/1.
[The] archibischop of Sanctandrois, and … Williame, bischop of Abirdene, patronis alternative of the said personage a1570-86 Maitland Folio MS clxx. 81.
Wo wirkis to weil be wice alternatiwe [Q. vyice alternatiue]
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"Alternative adj.". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 15 Dec 2025 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/dost/alternative>
