Dictionaries of the Scots Language
Dictionars o the Scots Leid

A Dictionary of the Older Scottish Tongue (up to 1700)

Hide Quotations Hide Etymology

Abbreviations Cite this entry

About this entry:
First published 1937 (DOST Vol. I).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

Beleve, Belief, n. Also: belewe, beleiue; beleiff, beleyff, beleife, belef. [ME. (and e.m.E.) beleve, byleve, ME. bileve, early bileave, bileafe = OE. ᵹeléafa, and e.m.E. beleefe (1580), belief, belief. The Sc. spellings with f or ff do not necessarily indicate change of v to that sound: cf. the verb. Rare before 1500, and prob. adopted from English.]

1. Belief in a deity; religious belief; a statement of belief or faith.a1400 Leg. S. xxviii. 532 (lef thi wikit fals belewe). 1513 Doug. vi. Prol. 60 (strenthing our beleve). 1560 Acts II. 532/1 (to forge new articklis of our beleif). 1562-3 Winȝet I. 30/5 (ane necessare articule of thar beleif). 1598 Elgin Rec. II. 64 (to lerne the articulis of his beleiff).

b. The Apostles' Creed.1569-73 Bann. Memor. 287 (the Lordis prayer and the beleife). 1575 St. A. Kirk S. 408 (the Lordis prayer, the beleve, and the commandementis). 1595 Ib. 794 (the belef and ten commandimentis). 1662 Lamont Diary 156 (the beliefe was appointed to be said).

2. Belief. faith. or trust in some person or thing.c1475 Wall. ii. 181 (syne my beleiff remanys in thé). c1500-c1512 Dunb. lxvi. 25 (beleif dois liep). 1533 Gau 87/20 (this vane belewe). 1535 Stewart 20990 (in ȝoung Fergus tha had so gude beleve). c1552 Lynd. Mon. 931 (sche patt hir husband in beleue that … ). 1567 G. Ball. 110 (in God put ȝour beleif); 113 (my beleue is in thy word).

3. Expectation, anticipation. 1513 Doug. ii. viii. 118; Ib. iv. viii. 52; etc.
Syk fayr beleif is lost of his offspring 1535 Stewart 6622.
Ay da be da puttand thame in beleue To gif battell Ib. 27148.
Without beleif to gif battell agane c1550 Lynd. Meldrum 1220.
Quhilk … of tressoun had no beleiue