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

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

Body, n. Also: bodye, -ie, -ey, bod(d)é, boidye, bothy; pl. bodiis, boiddis. [ME. body(e, bodi(e, OE. bodiᵹ.]

1. The body of a human being or animal. Also attrib. c1400 Troy-bk. ii. 1132.
Pyrrus … hyr bodye … Hewit in peces Ib. 2031.
To defoull thare bodvis c1420 Wynt. i. 667.
To lyownys lyk ar thare body Ib. ii. 1244.
Bath hors and man in a body Ib. v. 2765.
To the hele of my body 1456 Hay I. 197/19.
To kepe this mortale lyf of his body a1500 Gol. & Gaw. 89.
With … body stalwart and strang c1500-c1512 Dunb. xxxii. 8.
He braisit hir bony bodie 1513 Doug. i. ix. 15.
Lyke till ane god in body and in face Ib. x. 36.
All the membris of his body c1550 Lynd. Meldrum 1068.
All his bodie brint in fyre 1562-3 Winȝet II. 41/17.
Neuir sal the body be turnit in the saul, nor the saul in the body 1565 Southesk MSS. 17.
Being in his bed deidly seik in bodie 1578 Brechin Test. I. 7.
My bodie vappynnis and rydding gair to be deliuerit ... to the said William 1596 Dalr. I. 89/15.
To sustein thayr bodyes commodiouslie

b. As the source of progeny. 1391 Antiq. Aberd. & B. IV. 163.
Failliand of the ayrez of hir body c1420 Wynt. iii. 817.
Astrages … ayrys male of his body Gat nane Ib. v. 4160.
Off hir body scho bare bot man 1531 Bell. Boece I. 84.
Ewin … deceissit … but ony airis of his body c1552 Lynd. Mon. 1165.
Adam saw mony ane thowsand That of his body did discend a1578 Pitsc. II. 128/24.
Airs maill gottin of the quenis bodie 1586 Coll. Ayrsh. & Gall. VI. 239.
Barnis lauchtfulle gottin of her awin bode

c. With reference to subjection, submission, allegiance, etc.: One's person. 14.. Acts I. 336.
The body and catall of the borow greff sall be in the kyngis will 1420 Reg. Great S. 30/1.
The … lord and his … squyar ar oblist ilkane til other be the faythis of thair boiddis c1420 Wynt. viii. 3801.
To the Kyng off Ingland … than yhalde he his body 1423 Edinb. Chart. 213.
We graunte that our bodijs and al our gudis … ar at your wyll 1518 Edinb. B. Rec. I. 184.
We bind and oblissis ws … be the faithis and treuthis of ouris … bodys 1520 Ib. 200.
Be the faith and treuth in thar bodiis 1545 Montgomery Mem. 138.
His ayeres skaithit to … thair bothyis, honouris [etc.] 1568 Haddington Corr. 276.
In spending of thair lyves, bludis, bodyis, landis [etc.]

d. In combination with saul, mynd, gudis, etc. 1456 Hay I. 162/26.
Scathe, bathe in body and gudis Ib. 287/33.
Perile … bathe of body and of saule c1460 Wisd. Sol. 481.
Nocht takand rest in body na spreit 1531 Bell. Boece II. 122.
Al this day … my mind and body is aflocht c1552 Lynd. Mon. 4268.
Power … Boith of the body and the spreit c1568 Lauder Minor P. i. 85.
He will haue him, saule and bodye haill 1591 Lennox Mun. 335.
Boith boidye and saull

e. In references to the body of Christ. c1420 Wynt. v. 1776.
The Ewcaryst … That Goddys body is werray 1456 Hay I. 204/12.
The sacrament of Goddis body c1500-c1512 Dunb. ix. 151.
Thy precious body in breist or I ressaif 1590-1 Bruce Serm. (1590) M vj b.
Will ȝe speare … gif the true bodie of Christ be present

2. (Also dede body.) A dead body, corpse. a1400 Leg. S. xxx. 781.
The ded body for to wesche c1400 Troy-bk. ii. 63.
To be … Buryed as the bodye of a queyne c1420 Wynt. ii. 718.
His body … Wes put in tyll honest sepultoure Ib. iv. 741.
Off slayne bodyis … Hepys hey wpstandand ware a1500 Gol. & Gaw. 650.
Thair bodeis wes beryit baith in ane hour a1500 Seven S. 932.
He … at a hors tale … Gart drawe the body by the feit 1513 Doug. i. iii. 13.
Ondyr the flude Symois mony … stalwart bodeis lyis warpit 1531 Bell. Boece II. 98.
Thay fand … thre beris, with thre bodyis a1578 Pitsc. I. 99/11.
Wpoun the morne thairefter all the deid bodieis was burieit 1585 Edinb. Test. XV. 12.
Hir bodey to be bureit in the erth

3. A person. a1400 Leg. S. xxxiii. 91.
A schepe … & a quyk body c1420 Wynt. ii. 548.
Jacob … browcht in wyth him … Thre scor off bodyis and fyftene 1456 Hay I. 202/28.
Gif a preste … leve in perile the seke body but sacrament a1500 Henr. Fab. 2839.
Ane bodie that hes neid, To help thame self suld mony wayis cast a1500 Rauf C. 34.
He cachit fra the Court, … Quhair na body was him about 1511 Antiq. Aberd. & B. III. 106.
Tha ar sa pouer indigent bodyis 1539 Aberd. B. Rec. I. 165.
All maner of … vagaboundis and puyr boddeis a1500 Peblis to Play i.
At Beltane quhen ilk bodie bownis To Peblis to the play a1568 Scott i. 86.
Blait bodeis ein to bleir 1560 Rolland Seven S. 183/24.
Quyte out of minde, and as ane bodie mad 1569-73 Bann. Memor. 12.
Sorrow a body heiris us but ourselues a1570-86 Maitl. F. lxxxviii. 1.
Gif bissie branit bodeis ȝow bakbyte 1586 P. Gray Lett. 91.
Allead[g]ing him to be a simple body 1662 Soc. Ant. XXII. 229.
Margaret … answered, she could both cure beast and bodie

4. A number of persons in combination. 1523 Edinb. B. Rec. I. 215.
The haill bodye of the craft of baxterie a1578 Pitsc. II. 23/14.
They schortlie concludit in thair consall to raise the body of the realme 1572-5 Diurn. Occurr. 40.
In the myddill ward, the governour with the bodie of the realme 1647 Aberd. B. Rec. IV. 73.
That the haill bodie of the toun be taxet

5. The substance or mass, the main portion or larger part, of something; esp. of a document or church.(1) c1400 Troy-bk. i. 508.
The moone … lettis ws thane of fare sone To se the body(2) 1494 Acta Aud. 198/2.
That thai sulde ansuer to the summondis and body of the causse but excepcioun delatour 1550 Reg. Cupar A. II. 93.
That this claus be of effect and strentht as it war put in the body of this present writ 1557 Ib. 166.
That this last claus haif strenth and effek as it war insert in the body of this lettre 1600 Liber Dryburgh 317.
This present tak … (the bodie quhairof is vrettin be William Fergy my servitor) 1617 Antiq. Aberd. & B. IV. 687.
Mr. Androw Cant with my hand, wretter of the bodie of the contract abouewrettin 1688 Wemyss Chart. 258.
A. Hope, witnes to bodie and margine(3) 1516 Rentale Dunkeld. MS. 215.
Vnius lie bodie bigharum Ib. 216 b.
In confectione quatuor lie bodeis redarum 1658 Glasgow B. Rec. II. 404.
The boddie of the cairt(4) 1532 M. Works Acc. II. 35 b.
The … plate forme of the body of the grete hous 1553–4 Edinb. B. Rec. II. 349.
For poynting of the haill bodey of the queir Ib.
The bodey of the Kirk betwix the stepil and west gavill thairof 1576 Prot. Bk. W. Cumming 161.
Ane alter betuix the quyr and bode of the kyrk 1642 Orkney Rentals iii. 17.
Ther is ane act off Parliament … for upholding off the bodie off the kirk 1649 Mun. Univ. Glasg. III. 539.
In the bodie of the chalmer a chimblie 1667 Dunferm. Kirk S. 63.
That the comunion be celebrat and given in the midle or bodie of the Kirk 1691 Melville Corr. 168.
Their was first burnt … a great body of ane house, a jam and a stair case

6. The body part of a garment. Cf. Bodeis. 1542 Treas. Acc. VIII. 82.
Item … v quarteris bombacye fustiane to be the body of ane doublet to the Kingis grace