A Dictionary of the Older Scottish Tongue (up to 1700)
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First published 2001 (DOST Vol. IX).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
Quotation dates: 1399-1400, 1537-1538
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Sperar, -er, n. [Sper(e v.] a. An inquirer. b. A person who seeks out offenders. —a. a1400 Legends of the Saints xxvii 1140.
Rycht gret foly is To ȝou to spere or tret of this [sc. God's secrets] … For sperer of his maieste Fra his ioy sall donne thrungine be —b. a1538 Abell 31a.
He slais his saule … that knawis thame [sc. thieves] and schawis thame nocht to the speraris
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"Sperar n.". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 14 Dec 2025 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/dost/sperar>
