A Dictionary of the Older Scottish Tongue (up to 1700)
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First published 1963 (DOST Vol. III).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
Quotation dates: 1549-1595
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Imbecill(e, a. [e.m.E. imbecil(le (16th c.), F. imbécille (15–16th c.). L. imbēcillus, -is.] (Physically) weak, feeble, impotent. — 1549 Complaynte of Scotland 37/3.
The … attentiue laubirs that I tuke … gart al my body be cum imbecille ande verye 1580 Edinburgh Testaments VIII. 166 b.
The said Andro being seik & imbecill of body ȝit … haill of wit1583 Ib. XIII. 52. 1595 Brechin Testaments I. 131 b.
The said Johne Mwrdo being seik and imbecill of body
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"Imbecill adj.". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 14 Dec 2025 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/dost/imbecille>
