A Dictionary of the Older Scottish Tongue (up to 1700)
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First published 1951 (DOST Vol. II).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
Quotation dates: 1498-1587
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Gravité, Gravitie, n. Also: grav(i)etie, -até [e.m.E. gravitie (1509), F. gravité]
1. Grave or serious bearing or behaviour. c1500-c1512 Dunb. xxix. 18.
Quhen men … Passis to drynk or to disione, Than mon I keip ane grauetie 1549 Complaynte of Scotland 70/23.
The sycond of hyr sonnis was sittand in ane chair … kepand grite grauité 1529 Lynd. Complaynt 252.
Thare may we lope at lybertie, Withouttin ony grauitie c1552 Id. Mon. 4281.
This potent Pape … hes intill ilk cuntrie His princis of greit gravitie 1560 Rolland Seven Sages 7975.
Heir is hir grace, heir is hir grauitie a1578 Pitsc. I. 138/23.
Ane monk, quho did conterfit mervalus gravitie and hollienes of lyfe 1587 Waus Corr. 383.
That the gentilmen be cled in blak … sa that sall represente a grauite, and half ane duill
b. Weight or dignity of style or language. 1513 Doug. i. Prol. 54.
Quha may thy versis follow in all degre, In bewtie, sentence and in grauite 1513 Ib. 365.
For thar be Latyn wordis, mony ane, That in our leyd ganand translatioun has nane, Les than we mynys thar sentens and grauyte
2. Seriousness (of an event). a1499 Contemplacioun of Synnaris 822.
Quha may ymagin the grevand gravité Of dedlie dome a1499 Ib. 1233.
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"Gravité n.". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 21 Dec 2025 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/dost/gravite>
