A Dictionary of the Older Scottish Tongue (up to 1700)
Hide Quotations Hide Etymology
About this entry:
First published 1986 (DOST Vol. VI).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
Quotation dates: 1420, 1513
[0,0,0,0,1,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,1,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0]
Qualm, n. Also: qwalm(e, qualim, qwhalm(e, quhelm. [ME qualm(e, cwalm, OE cwealm. Appar. obsolete in Eng. after c1400.] a. Mortality, plague, pestilence. b. A calamity or disaster. — c1420 Wynt. ii 579.
Syne comune qwalm [C. qwhalme] off all thare fe, That scheype or nowyt or gayte suld be [C. de] c1420 Ib. vii 3427.
Swa suddane qwalmys [C. qwhalmys] God on thame send 1513 Doug. x i 31.
Quhen the fers burgh of Cartage To Romys boundis … Ane huge myscheif and gret qualm [Ruddim. qualim, Ruthv. quhelm] send sall
You may wish to vary the format shown below depending on the citation style used.
"Qualm n.". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 14 Dec 2025 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/dost/qualm>
