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: 1420, 1475
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Reth, Reith, adj. Also: rethe, retthe, retht; reythe; (reche, reich). [North. ME reth (Cursor M.), thereafter only Sc., OE réđe fierce, cruel, savage. Cf. ON reiđr wrathful, angry.Some of the -ch(e forms here, and in the next entry, are probably scribal, or editorial, misreadings of an original -th(e, but others may be attempts by a scribe to replace a word unknown to him by another similar in appearance.]The -o- forms below prob. derive from the OE variant form rœthe.Only in Wynt. and Wall.: Wild, furious; violent; terrible.There is possible ambiguity with Reth adv.(1) c1420 Wynt. i 402.
And ranys rethe be-for that rystyde c1420 Ib. 1027.
A wattyre gret, on hewyd rynnand Depe and rethe [ed. reche; W. reich, A. reythe, E. routh, E.2 ruyd] c1420 Ib. iv 1412.
The rywere Sa retht [W. reith, C. retthe] off spate wyth watrys sere Ras(2) c1420 Wynt. v 1916.
Bot ay wytht rarys rethe [ed. reche; E. roith; E.2, Au. royde] he berde(3) c1475 Acts of Schir William Wallace iii 193.
Reth [1570 Riche] hors repende rouschede frekis wndir feit
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"Reth adj.". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 13 Dec 2025 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/dost/reth_adj>
