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: 1551-1588
[0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,1,1,1,1,1,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0]
Quhisperar, -er, Quysperar, n. [e.m.E. whysperer (a1550); cf. Quhisper v. 3.] A whisperer; one who prefers to pass reports or comments secretly, a secret slanderer. — 1551 Hamilton Catechism 111.
Of thame that ar quysperaris, rowkaris, and rounaris 1587 Carmichael Etym. 5.
Susurro, a quhisperer 1588 King Catechism 40.
We ar forbiddin be it to bear fals … witnes … as verralie is dovne be quhisperars, bakbytters, and euill sayers
You may wish to vary the format shown below depending on the citation style used.
"Quhisperar n.". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 14 Dec 2025 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/dost/quhisperar>
