A Dictionary of the Older Scottish Tongue (up to 1700)
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First published 1983 (DOST Vol. V).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
Quotation dates: 1610, 1689
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(Overmach,) Overmatch(e, n. [e.m.E. over-, ouermatch(e (in this sense, 1589).] An adversary who has greater ability or power than oneself. = Ourmach n. — c1610 Melville Mem. 33.
Intending to eschew battaill gif he culd, the other [army] being ane ouermatche 1689 Leven & Melv. P. 259.
God … is an overmatch for them all [sc. His enemies]
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"Overmach n.". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 13 Dec 2025 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/dost/overmach>
