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: 1611-1645
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Venefical, adj. [e.m.E. veneficall (1584), venefical (1609), L. venēficus.] Pertaining to witchcraft or sorcery. — 1611 Criminal Trials III 194.
[Marion … having] ane deadlie and venefical malice in her heart [against Edward Halcro] 1645 Shetland Witch Trial in Hibbert Shetland Islands 598.
Ye, being enraged, set your venefical malice against him
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"Venefical adj.". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 18 Dec 2025 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/dost/venefical>
