A Dictionary of the Older Scottish Tongue (up to 1700)
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First published 1971 (DOST Vol. IV).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
Quotation dates: 1498-1512, 1585-1586
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Merrans, -ens, Marrance, n. [OF. marance, marrence affliction, vexation, fault, f. marer v., cognate with Mer v.] Obstruction, hindrance, impediment, nuisance. — a1499 Contemplacioun of Synnaris 718.
[Following] the fyre of conflagracoun … son and mone myrkand throw merrans And vther planetis … Sall … schawe dolorus countenans c1500-c1512 Dunb. Tua Mar. W. 57 (M).
God gif matrimony wer made to mell for ane ȝeir It war bot merrens to be mair bot gif our myndis pleisit a1586 Lindsay MS. 85.
[Ensure that] the wind … dryff the dust … in thair face the quhilk to ony battell is ane grit stope & marrance
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"Merrans n.". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 14 Dec 2025 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/dost/merrans>
