A Dictionary of the Older Scottish Tongue (up to 1700)
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First published 2002 (DOST Vol. XI).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
Quotation dates: 1375-1420, 1475-1535, 1596-1614
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Unwis(e)ly, adv. Also: unwis(e)lie, -wyslye, -wesely, wnwisly, -wysly, -wyislie, onuyslye. [ME and e.m.E. unwisliche (Ancr. R.), vnwisly (Piers Plowman), vn-wiseli (Cursor M., c1375), vnwysely (c1440), unwisely (1586); Wis(e)ly adv.] Foolishly; ill-advisedly, misguidedly.(a) 1375 Barb. xi 38.
That wes wnwisly [C. vnwisly] doyn perfay c1420 Wynt. vii 1659.
In Alnewyk wnwysly [C. wnwisly, W. vnwesely] The kyng hym-selff … Bade c1475 Acts of Schir William Wallace v 1019.
The ȝett, but mayr, wnwysly he wp drew a1508 Kennedy Pass. Christ 77.
He micht haue stand quhill God to grace Him brocht, But pane, or dreid; bot He vnwislie wrocht 1533 Boece 128b.
Vnwiselie 1535 Stewart 14120.
And now thow hes … With Pechtis blude wnwyislie mixit thé 1596 Dalr. I 199/1.
Now at last thay considder with thame selfes how vncircumspectelie and vnwislie thay wrocht, quhen sa cruellie thay enveyet against the Scottis 1596 Dalr. II 340/27.
Vnwyslye c1614 Mure Dido & Æneas i 9.
If myn infant muse … Such task to treat (vnwisely bold), doth choose(b) 1513 Doug. iv xii 107 (Ruddim.).
Before hir day [Dido] had onuyslye hir self spilt
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"Unwisly adv.". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 14 Dec 2025 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/dost/unwisely>
