A Dictionary of the Older Scottish Tongue (up to 1700)
Hide Quotations Hide Etymology
About this entry:
First published 2002 (DOST Vol. XII).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
Quotation dates: 1375-1460
[1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0]
Witterly, Wittirly, adv. Also: vittirly, wittrely, wytterly. [ME witerrlike, -liȝ (both Orm), witterliche (Ancr. R.), witerli (Cursor M.), wyterly (Piers Plowman), witterly (c1450), MSw. vitterliga, Da. vitterlige, clearly, manifestly.] Certainly, truly. 1375 Barb. iv 226.
For feyndys ar off sic natur That … thai wate weill and witterly [C. wittirly] That [etc.] 1375 Barb. x 355.
I can noucht rehers thaim all … Bot thai that I wate wytterly [C. vittirly] … rehers will I 1375 Barb. xiv 154.
For he wyst all witterly [C. wtirly, 1571 richt perfytelie] That [etc.] a1400 Legends of the Saints xviii 673.
Der laydy, alsa wittirly Of me synful thu haf mercy a1400 Legends of the Saints xix 171.
I cane tel thé witterly How [etc.] a1400 Legends of the Saints xlviii 84.
Thare-for wat I wittirly That [etc.] c1400 Troy-bk. ii 1309 (C).
And so hys spekyng Vlixes Endyt … But Thelamonyus wittrely With prowd wordes full fellonly Vlixes manased ?1438 Alex. i 2458.
The king … Thar straik nane, wit ȝe witterly c1420 Wynt. i 483 (W).
Quha lukis the Bibill wittirly [R. increly, C. increlye] May fynd [etc.] c1420 Wynt. i 834 (W).
Nixt lyis the land of Medy, Off Medus king callit witterly [R. rychtwysly, C. richtwisly] c1420 Wynt. v 4637.
Or ellis wit he witterly [R., C. certanly] He suld haif [etc.] c1460 Consail Vys Man 309.
Suppos thai wyst it wytterly, Quhai suld that gold aw werraly
You may wish to vary the format shown below depending on the citation style used.
"Witterly adv.". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 13 Dec 2025 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/dost/witterly>
