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: 1499-1596
[0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0]
Cowartnes, Cowardnes, n. Also: kowartnes. [ME. cowardnes (a 1400).] Cowardice.(a) a1500 Doug. King Hart 487.
This cowartnes sall nocht betyde (1553) Doug. xi. Prol. 58.
How may curage and cowartnes agree? a1586 Lindesay MS. 57.
To be full of cowartnes to his innemy 1596 Dalr. I. 293/3.
The blaitnes of the men of weir and thair cowartnes 1596 Ib. II. 194/20.
To Surrie he obiected his waik hairt and kowartnes(b) 1535 Stewart 2392.
He and his men all cowardnes forsuik a1570-86 Maitland Folio MS xxx. 44.
Patience is comptit cowardnes 1596 Dalr. I. 100/1.
To be ouircum war a takne of cowardnes
