A Dictionary of the Older Scottish Tongue (up to 1700)
Hide Quotations Hide Etymology
About this entry:
First published 1937 (DOST Vol. I).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
Big, a. Also: byg, byge. [ME. big, bigg(e, byg(ge, byge, of obscure origin. In Sc. only poetic, and prob. adopted from Eng. writers.] Big, large; stout, strong. c1475 Wall. i. 213.
Likle he was, richt byge and weyle beseyne Ib. iv. 548.
A bow he bair was byg and weyll beseyn a1500 Gol. & Gaw. 6.
Biggest of bane and blude Ib. 706.
Mony burgh, mony bour, mony big bike a1500 Henr. Fab. 1947.
Was nane sa big about him he wald spair c1500-c1512 Dunb. G. Targe 140.
With bowis big 1513 Doug. i. iii. 89.
With his byg ceptour Ib. iv. viii. 69.
The ancyant aik tre, With hys byg schank Ib. xiii. viii. 13.
Hys byg statur and hycht 1535 Stewart 1186.
Bald as ane bair, and big to weild ane brand Ib. 60556.
So big he wes baith of bone and blude
b. Used in alliteration with Bene a. (q.v.). a1500 Henr. Fab. 2732.
Thow in barn and byre sa bene and big
You may wish to vary the format shown below depending on the citation style used.
"Big adj.". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 1 May 2024 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/dost/big_adj>
