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.
Quotation dates: 1375-1566, 1622-1626
[1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,0,0,0,0,1,1,0,0,0,0,0,0]
Capital(e, a. Also: -all(e, capytale, -alle. [ME. capitale (a 1225), -all(e, etc., F. capital, L. capitāis.] Capital, chief (in various senses).(1) 1375 Barb. iii. 2.
The lord off Lorne … That wes capitale ennymy To the king c1420 Wynt. viii. 3020.
Be … fals suggestyowne That was made hym … Be oure capytale innymys c1420 Ib. 4185.
To thare fays capytale To wyn off were than that castale 1456 Hay I. 245/7.
Quhen a capitale and mortale inymy haldis in his power the principale party advers 1522 Douglas Corr. 83.
The Duke of Albany … is capitalle and dedelie inimye to me(2) 14.. Acts I. 380/2.
All tha that ar arettit or blamet with the chef capital crimes 1456 Hay I. 243/25.
Thare folowis … payne capitale, that is to say, the hede 1456 Ib. 244/24.
The lawis that ar callit capitale lawis in sik materis 1558-66 Knox II. 227.
Murthour, periurie, and uthir crymes capitall(3) c1420 Wynt. iv. 2343.
C, that lettyre capytalle c1420 Ib. vi. 237.
A lettyr capytale … off fyne gold … made c1420 Ib. 2289.
Off this lawch are thre capytale 1622-6 Bisset II. 134/14.
At the fourt and last capitall heid courte
You may wish to vary the format shown below depending on the citation style used.
"Capital adj.". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 15 Dec 2025 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/dost/capitale_adj>
