A Dictionary of the Older Scottish Tongue (up to 1700)
Hide Quotations Hide Etymology
About this entry:
First published 1951 (DOST Vol. II).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
Quotation dates: 1375-1400, 1499-1604
[1,1,1,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0]
Drery, a. Also: drerie, dreyrie, dreirie, driereie, dririe, -ry. [ME. drery, dreri, early dreori, OE. dréoriᵹ.] Dismal, doleful, melancholy, sad. (Of persons, feelings, looks, etc., or conditions.)(1) a1400 Legends of the Saints ii. 254.
Thane schow lent it, at drery wase c1500-c1512 Dunb. lxxxi. 18.
The drerie damiesall Distres 1513 Doug. ii. ii. 17.
That drery onarmyt wyght 1531 Bell. Boece I. 274.
Now is Britain drery, and naket of all support 1562-3 Winȝet I. 25/5.
I being drery and dolorus for the schisme … in Godis Kirk c1590 J. Stewart 34/141.
All dririe … doutsum in deuyis … Scho stairing stands 1604 Dundonald Par. Rec. 58.
Scho lyand in hir yard driereie and soriefull for that caus(2) 1375 Barb. xx. 203.
Than went thai furth with drery mwde a1500 Henr. Orph. 176.
On thé I call To mend my murnyng and my drery mone c1500-c1512 Dunb. Tua Mar. W. 411.
With him deit all my dule, and my drery thoghtis 1540 Lynd. Sat. 103 (B).
Quhat garris ȝow mak sa dreiry [Ch. dreirie] cheir a1540 Freiris Berw. 521.
With ewill cheir and dreyrie countynance 1567 Gude and Godlie Ballatis 41.
He said with drerie spreit … haif mercy on my wo 1597 Melvill 432.
Deir damiselles! leave of your dreirie mean 1604 Craig i. 23.
No more with dririe cryes my dolful hearse decore(3) a1500 Henr. Test. Cress. 470.
Thus chydand with her drerie destanye c1500-c1512 Dunb. xxxv. 47.
My drery dayis ar done c1500-c1512 Ib. lxxi. 14.
Quhilk to heir is ane drery cace 1513 Doug. ii. Prol. 8.
The drery fait … of Troys sege 1513 Ib. vi. ii. 114.
Cochytus, with his drery bosum onrude, Flowis enveroun a1585 Maitland Quarto MS lxv. 81.
My drerie destanie and lukles lot a1585 Ib. 181.
O lat that licht destroy that drerie nicht
You may wish to vary the format shown below depending on the citation style used.
"Drery adj.". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 17 Dec 2025 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/dost/drery>
