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: 1375-1700+
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Murning, vbl. n. Also: murninge, -yn(g, -eing, -eng, mwrning(e, -yng(e; mornyng; mourning, -eing, -eng. [ME. murnunge (Ancr. R.), -ing (c 1250), mournyng (c 1290), moornynge (Chaucer), mornynge (1402), e.m.E. mourning, -yng, morning, -yng, f. Murn(e v.]
1. Grieving, sorrowing; grief, sorrow, regret.Freq. to ma(k) murning, = to grieve, and const. for (also of) someone or something.(a) 1375 Barb. ii. 469.
The Bruys that mekill murnyn mais For his men that war slayne and tane 1375 Ib. iii. 350.
And knychtis, for thar luffis sak, Baith sich and wep and murnyng mak 1375 Ib. xiii. 648.
Off this ilk quhelys turnyng King Robert suld mak na murnyng a1400 Legends of the Saints xxx. 124.
Quhen scho thare-of wes ware That he lewit to play & sing Bot drupyt & mad murnyng c1420 Wynt. iv. 2108.
A clethyng … in takyn off murnyng c1420 Ib. v. 1983.
For all the murnyng that scho made Hyr kyndly tyme off nede scho bade c1420 Ib. iv. 2061 (C).
Mwrnynge c1450-2 Howlat 44.
Withm air murnyng in mynd than I meyne may 1456 Hay II. 134/31.
Mekle thrist mekle hunger mekle waking mekle murnyng mekle langing 1461 Liber Pluscardensis 383.
Turn … in murning all myrth, musik and glew a1500 Golagros and Gawane 646, etc. a1500 Henr. Fab. 510 (Bann.). a1500 Ib. 1698. a1500 Id. Test. Cress. 398.
Thay presumit, for hir hie regrait, And still murning, scho was of nobill kin a1500 Ib. 473.
Hir dule, hir cairfull cry Micht not … hir murning mend a1500 Id. Orph. 91 (Asl.). a1500 Ib. 176. a1500 Id. III. 91/38. a1500 Ib. 156/2. c1475 Acts of Schir William Wallace iv. 76.
Full gret murnyng he for his neuo maid c1475 Ib. viii. 323.
Off Wallace men v hundreth war slayne, I ges, Bot na chyftayne, his murnyng was the les c1475 Ib. 789. a1499 Contemplacioun of Synnaris 1050. a1499 Ib. 1460. 1490 Irland Mir. I. 115/15.
To schaw … the gret misere, susperis, murnyng and lang pennaunce that mankind lang tyme had lyin jn c1500-c1512 Dunb. lxxiv. 31.
Mwrning 1513 Doug. ii. i. 25. 1513 Ib. xi. ii. 8. 1533 Gau 5/17. 1533 Boece ii. vi. 69 b. 1535 Stewart 42025. a1568 Bannatyne MS 225 b/4.
For misheis & murning makand my mone 1560 Rolland Seven Sages 5791.
That is the verray thing That troubillis my hart & causis my murning 1567 Gude and Godlie Ballatis 36.
In till his mynde with murning still 1567 Satirical Poems iii. 209.
My bony boy, thy murning dois me harme, Bot thy sweit figureit speiche dois me delyte a1570-86 Maitland Folio MS lxxxv. 36.
That murning may no thing amend a1578 Pitsc. I. 143/29. a1578 Ib. 394/17.
No man … supponit ony thing of hir bot murning and lamenting for hir husband 1600-1610 Melvill 21.
And by fasting and murning in the scholl all day 1587 Carmichael Etym. 7.
Maeror, murning 1596 Dalr. II. 126/2.
Al this lauching [turned] into murning 1626 Garden Worthies 77.(b) a1538 Abell 110 a.
Eftirwert … King James wes slane with gret mornyng & dolour of all his legis a1568 Scott xvi. 3.
The mornyng and the grit mallure can nane devyne(c) 1596 Dalr. I. 197/11.
Lyeng neir her housbandis graue in dreirrines, lamentatioune and mourneng sair
b. Passing into The audible expression of grief, lamenting, lamentation.?1438 Alex. ii. 7778.
Thay went furth, quhen thay leuit war With mad murning and sichingis sare c1420 Wynt. v. 2720. a1500 Henr. Fab. 495 (Bann.).
‘Alace!’ quod Partlot, makand sair murning a1500 Buke of the Sevyne Sagis 455.
Than come the lady … And sperit quhat gart that murnyng be a1500 Ib. 933. c1500-c1512 Dunb. Tua Mar. W. 417.
My mouth it makis murnyng [M. mourning] & my mynd lauchis 1513 Doug. vi. ix. 50.
Murnyng, granyng, gowlyng and duylfull beir 1513 Ib. xv. 64.
Quhou gret murnyng … Sall dyn and resound to the cite wall 1513 Ib. xiii. i. 10. 1531 Bell. Boece I. 153. 1533 Boece iv. xii. 144 b.
Inhabitantis on nychtis herd vocis, menyng, murnyng, and dolours 1560 Rolland Seven Sages 4271.
Scho began to weip and mak murning 1560 Ib. 4288. 1562-3 Winȝet I. 107/2. 1562-3 Ib. 31/9.
As sobing, mourning and teris 1558-66 Knox I. 133.
For we heard your grones; yea, we heard your bitter murning a1578 Pitsc. I. 369/24. a1578 Ib. i 10/17.
Thair ȝeid sic murning throw the contrie and lamentatioun that it was great pettie for to heir
c. Also, contextually, sorrow or regret for one's sin(s), remorse.1562-3 Winȝet I. 105/10.
To turn to God in murning, fasting, prayar and almus deid a1570-86 Maitland Maitland Folio MS cii. 33.
Giff we will mak mwrning Sould be for oure offence a1595 Cullen Chron. Aberd. 48.
Quhan that the pepill of Issarell With mwrnyng did repentt
d. Distress, suffering, pain, more generally.c1500-c1512 Dunb. xliv. 15.
Grit pane and wo, and mvrnyng mervellus, Into thair birth thay suffir sair for ws 1567 Gude and Godlie Ballatis 88.
For the opprest that sair dois weip And murning of the indigent
e. Also attrib.c1552 Lynd. Mon. 212.
Off murnyng mater men hes no delyte
2. An utterance expressive of grief or distress or a sound resembling this; a moan or wail; moaning or wailing.1513 Doug. iii. i. 75.
Furth of the graif a duylful murnyng law I hard 1513 Ib. x. iv. 134.
Vndre the breist of this ilk bysnyng thyng The sey wallys bulrand makis murnyng 1535 Stewart I. 638 heading.
Of the lamentbill murnyng that was maid that nycht in the feild amang hurt men
3. The conventional or ceremonial manifestation of sorrow for a person's death; mourning.As by the wearing of black clothes, living quietly, etc.1560 Rolland Seven Sages 163.
As that time was the gyse Lang time efter the empreour maid murning 1572 Buch. Detect. (1727) 24.
Scho … proclaimit a murning not lang to indure 1572 Ib. 80.
Without spilling the play scho counterfutis ane murning a1597-1617 Hist. Jas. VI 7.
His bodie was bureit … without any kynd of solemnitie or murnyng hard amang all the persounis at court —1606 Birnie Kirk-b. [see Murner n. (b)]. —1663 Moray Synod 133.
Unbecoming the house of mourning 1668 Aberd. B. Rec. IV. 248.
Aught clocks for murneing
b. Mourning dress; mourning garments, draperies or other appurtenances. sing. and plur.(1) 1662 Aberd. B. Rec. IV. 204.
The haill persons of counsell to be in mourneing for convoying of the corps 1710 Household Bk. Gr. Baillie 139.
For buckerram, button molds, and to their murning(2) 1686 Kirkcudbr. Test. [Reg. H] 26 Nov.
The sowme of 100 merkis Scots … as the equall halfe of the funerall charges and murnings 1696 Fountainhall Decis. I. 711.
The funeral expences here could extend neither to drugs nor mournings, but allenarly to the charge expended on the likewake and burial
c. Attrib. with blak, cloke, clothes, gluve, habit, etc.c1590 Fowler I. 353/3.
Let widdows olde in murninge blacke them dight a1605 Montg. Sonn. lix. 8.
In murning blak he cled this beutie bricht —1673 Edinburgh Testaments LXXIV. 282.
Ane murneng clock 1674 Cunningham Diary 32.
To the altering my mourning cloke —c 1633 Events Q. Mary & Jas. VI 125.
Murning clothes be given to them [servants] 1636 Sutherland Corr. 167.
We may prowyid for our murning clois 1685 Kirkcudbr. Test. (Reg. H.) 27 Nov.
At the said defunct his funerall for mourning cloathes —1685 Proceedings of Society of Antiquaries LVIII. 356.
A pair of old murning gloves —c1650 Spalding II. 31.
Nixt cam one of his gentlemen, bair heided, in mourning habit —1666 Edinburgh Testaments LXXII. 150.
Ane mourneing hatt band —1664 Household Bks. Archb. Sharp MS. 29.
2 ellis of murneing ribbanes for his lordship c 1680 Bk. Dunvegan I. 194.
Ribbon murning the piece 6 s. —c 1680 Ib. 190.
Alamod, narrow for a murning skarf —1634 Dumbarton B. Rec. 43.
To bye a murning sheit for hir deid bairne when sche had no bairne deid —1664 Household Bks. Archb. Sharp MS. 26.
For a paire of murneing shoes to his lordship 2/18/0 c 1680 Bk. Dunvegan I. 206.
Shews murning 2/18/0 —1663 Household Bks. Archb. Sharp MS. 5 b.
2 ellis of creap for a murneing string when the Bischop of Orknay died at 2 lib. 13 s. the ell 1685 Proceedings of Society of Antiquaries LVIII. 350.
Funerall … for ane murning string and glovs 6/0/0 1703 Stirling B. Rec. II. 99.
To buye four mourning strings to the toune officers … which they are to wear above their belts … upon account of the funeralls of the deceast John Stivensone provost —1648 Edinburgh Testaments LXIII. 310.
Ane blak murneing suite with ane cloak —1686 Edinb. B. Rec. XI. 186.
And … they have whitened and blackened a great part of the walls of the said kirk with mourning tears … Therfor the councell appoynts all these paintings upon the kirk walls to be expunged —1664 Household Bks. Archb. Sharp MS. 25 b.
For a murneing tippett of thrie ellis and 3 halff quarteris of brodlove —c1550 Lynd. Test. Meldrum 214.
The fair ladies of France, … for my saik, will weir the murning weid 1572 Satirical Poems xxxiii. 6.
That ȝe may … with ȝour murning weid absconse my face 1632 Aberd. Council Lett. I. 371.
In mourning weids c1650 Spalding I. 41.
Accompaneit with sum vther ladeis in mvrninge weid
