A Dictionary of the Older Scottish Tongue (up to 1700)
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First published 1990 (DOST Vol. VII).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
Quotation dates: 1399-1400, 1475-1567
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Ray, Raye, n.1 [ME (1399) and e.m.E. ray(e.]
1. Array; order of battle. = Array n. 1.Common in Wall. c1475 Acts of Schir William Wallace v 59.
Butler be than had putt his men in ray c1475 Ib. 877.
To brek thar ray he besyit hym full fast c1475 Ib. vi 498.
Than rais thai wp; till ray [1570 array] sone ordand thai c1475 Ib. vii 768.
In broken ray and we cum on thaim thus We may [etc.] c1475 Ib. x 195. 1535 Stewart 4299.
To ray he ȝeid rycht sharplie under scheild c1552 Lynd. Mon. 3111.
Thare apperit, In battell raye, ane new armyefig. 1567 Satirical Poems iv 43.
Fra credite I crakit, Kyndnes brak ray [: say]
2. Apparel; array. = Array n. 2. a1400 Legends of the Saints xxxiv 79.
Na of this hyr [ed. hyr this] thol nocht the ray Confonde me one domysday a1500 Henr. Test. Cress. 432.
The royall rinkis in thair ray In garmentis gay garnischit on euerie grane
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"Ray n.1". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 13 Dec 2025 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/dost/ray_n_1>
