A Dictionary of the Older Scottish Tongue (up to 1700)
Hide Quotations Hide Etymology
About this entry:
First published 2001 (DOST Vol. IX).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
Quotation dates: 1520-1535, 1604
[0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,1,1,1,0,0,0,0,0,1,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0]
Spous-brekar(e, -brekair, n. [ME and e.m.E. spous-breker (Cursor M.), spouse brekere (Trevisa), spousbrekar (c1400), spous-brecker (1548-77); Spous(e n. and Brekar(e n.] An adulterer. — c1520-c1535 Nisbet Matth. xii 39.
Ane euile generatioun and a spousbrekare [W. auoutrere, P. spouse brekere] sekis a taken 1531 Bell. Boece II 123.
I am scho that slew King Fergus … thinkand mair plesand to remove occasion of adultry and to be destitute of my husband, than to leif perpetually defraudit of his bed and injurit be thir spous-brekaris 1604 Shetland Sheriff Ct. (ed.) 116.
David Sinclair … hes … sclanderit Hendrie Chalmeris wyfe calling hir ane spous brekair
You may wish to vary the format shown below depending on the citation style used.
"Spous-brekar n.". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 19 Dec 2025 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/dost/spous_brekare>
