A Dictionary of the Older Scottish Tongue (up to 1700)
Hide Quotations Hide Etymology
About this entry:
First published 2001 (DOST Vol. X).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
Quotation dates: 1375-1438, 1500-1599
[1,1,1,1,1,1,1,0,0,0,0,0,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0]
Tentifly, Tentively, -ie, adv. Also: tentyfly, tentyvlie. [ME tentifly, tentyfli (both c1350), tentiflye (1438), aphetic f. Attentively adv.; Tentife adj.] Attentively, carefully. ?1438 Alex. i 541.
He panit him sa tentifly To arme his hede and his body c1400 Troy-bk. ii 42 (C).
And preyed hym right tentyfly That he for hyr wald trete the pece 1511 Antiq. Aberd. & B. III 107.
Anent the vij pundis aucht be Patrick Leslie … your lordschipe man lay our again his obligatioune mair tentyvlie and send me vord quhat I sale do tharto 15.. Clariodus v 574.
Unto everie ladie … Scho gave rewaird and that full largelie. Quhilke the Lord Constabill persavit tentivelie 1375 Barb. (1571) i 613.
He luikit the seill full tentiuelie [E. ententily] 1375 Barb. (1571) vii 555.
He beheld hir mair tentively [E. encrely]
You may wish to vary the format shown below depending on the citation style used.
"Tentifly adv.". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 15 Dec 2025 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/dost/tentifly>
