A Dictionary of the Older Scottish Tongue (up to 1700)
Hide Quotations Hide Etymology
About this entry:
First published 1971 (DOST Vol. IV).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
Quotation dates: 1460, 1533-1600, 1651-1692
[0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,1,0,0,0,0,0,0,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,0,0,0,0,1,1,1,1,1]
Moderat, a. Also: moderate, modreth. [ME. (Trevisa) and e.m.E. moderat(e, L. moderātus p.p. of moderāri Moderat v.]
1. Of persons, their attributes etc.: Avoiding excess or extremes, temperate, reasonable. 1533 Boece viii. ii. 249.
Britouns, … neclecting the moderate temperance of ancient forefaderis, war gevin to glutony 1562-3 Winȝet I. 78/18.
To beleue in simplicitie of mynd thir thingis … nocht … in idolatrie nor superstitioun bot in ane moderat reuerence 1578 Misc. Abbotsf. C. 46.
To tak ane … plane pairtt with the ressonabill and moderat pairtie aganis the willfull stubburne and obstinat 1600 Colville Palinode 32.
To trouble … the Christian … estate … of a prince so moderate
2. Of things. a. Not excessive in quantity. c1460 Dietary 75.
Modreth fude giffeth to a man his helth
b. Not extreme in degree, ‘tolerable’. 1563-1570 Buch. Wr. 32.
Bot it is na moderat nor tollerabill thing that thai seik. It is the blude … of ȝour innocent King 1651 Craven Ch. in Orkney 2.
This … upstart generation have no love to presbyterial government but are … feeding themselves with … moderate episcopacy 1692 Vindication of Calvin, [etc.] Preface.
You may wish to vary the format shown below depending on the citation style used.
"Moderat adj.". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 15 Dec 2025 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/dost/moderat_adj>
