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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.

Broder, Bruder, n. Also: brodir, broidir, brodyr(e; brudir, brudyre, brudder; pl. breder, -eir, bredir, -yr(e, breider, breyder; bredren(e, breidering. [ME. and e.m.E. broder (brodyr), variant of brother, with d for th after fader, moder.]

1. A brother by relationship. Broder germane: see Germane a.In Wyntoun (iv. 818, etc.) rhyming with othire, tothyre.(a) sing. c1420 Wynt. v. 955.
Mare lyk tyll Nero … Than till fadyr or brodyre Ib. viii. 1067.
In Scotland come the yhongast brodyr Brus ii. 19.
Hys brodir Eduuard thar thai fand c1475 Wall. ii. 193.
My faithfull fadyr … thai slew, My brodyr als 1491 Lennox Mun. 144.
Ȝung Thomas of Maxwell and his brodyr 1513 Doug. ii. viii. 111.
Neoptolemus … And athir brodir of Atrides Ib. iv. i. 43.
Quhar that our hows with brodyrris ded was sprent 1533 Gau 63/13.
Quhow oft sall I forgiff my broder? 1542 Grant Chart. 88.
The said Katheryne is apperand air to … hir brodyr a1568 Scott ii. 143.
Sayis Sym, ‘send for thy broder Jok’ 1562 Will Agnes Betoun 226.
Marion Ogilvy hir modir, … Alexander Betoune hir brodir 1605 Bann. Memor. App. 365.
To be gevin to my broder James(b) 1490 Irland Mir. I. 37/4.
Fadere, moder, bruder, scister 1513 Rep. Hist. MSS., Var. Coll. V. 87.
Patric Levyngstoune, brudder to Willȝam Ib.
Brudir to the said lard 1537 Reg. Episc. Aberd. I. 414.
The said … Alexander fadir, modir, brudir and sistir 1546 Acts II. 475/2.
Brudir and are to the said chancellar 1577 Fam. Innes 132.
I can nocht steir quhill I se how my brudir dois(b) pl. c1420 Wynt. ii. 321.
His bredyre ten salde hym Ib. v. 3343.
The yhongest off the bredyre thre 1495 Acta Conc. 385/2.
For him … , his thre breder and a syster 1513 Doug. ix. iii. 148.
Breder twa, … Agamemnon and Menelay 1569 Reg. Morton I. 48.
The said Dauid Fynlaysouns breider 1570 Leslie 23.
Be the counsall of … his uther twa bredir a1586 Lindesay MS. 45.
All his breder and sisteris 1599 Crim. Trials II. 80.
Laurence, Robert, and Patrik Hay, as breyder c1615 Chron. Kings 77.
This Douglas wes banneist in England with his tua bredeir(b) 1603 Misc. Spald. C. II. 281.
Androw Hay … and remanent his bredrene c1615 Chron. Kings 64.
Thrie of his breidering … wer beheidit at Lundone

b. Applied to a friend, colleague, or fellow-man.(a) sing. 1509 Antiq. Aberd. & B. II. 265.
To our richt hartlie and weile belwit broder 1539 Ib. III. 199.
Gudeman and broider, … tak me by the hand c1568 Lauder Minor P. i. 480.
The pure broder, for hunger he man die a1568 Balnavis Bann. MS. 139 b/103.
I counsall thé, gude bruder a1570-86 Dunb. Maitl. F. cxliii. 33.
Cum, brodir, by the hand me tak Id. Ib. cxlvi. 26.
Dreid this danger, gud freind and brudir(b) pl. a1570-86 Dunb. Maitl. F. cxxxii. 26.
Ȝe and I, my bredir all Id. Ib. clix. 26.
My bredir oft hes maid the supplicationis

c. fig. The sun in relation to the moon. 1513 Doug. iii. Prol. 2.
Pail Cynthia, … Quhilk from thi broder borrowis al thi lycht

d. Brother in or of law. 1508 Antiq. Aberd. & B. II. 333.
Ane honorable man and my broder of law, Robert Innes 1590 Edinb. Test. XXI. 270.
James Keching his broder in law 1597 Ib. XXXI. 280.
Androw Home, … hir broder in law

2. A member of a gild or religious order, etc. Usually in pl.(a) 14.. Acts I. 329/2.
The breder of the gilde 1431 Coll. Ayr & W. I. 228.
With consent … of the hail breder of the gyld 1491 Reg. Episc. Glasg. 482.
For ȝow and our bredir of the cheptor Ib. 483.
Our dene and said chanonis, bredeir of our cheptour 1536 Dunferm. B. Rec. 17.
The said … sall pay xl s. to the den of gild and the bredir 1549 Stirling B. Rec. I. 55.
The breve of lyning purchest be the bredir of the Freris Minoris 1566 Peebles B. Rec. 302.
Gilbert Browne, sumtyme freir, and the rest of his breider, sumtyme freirris 1579 Aberd. B. Rec. II. 34.
Craftismen and breder of the craft(b) 1549 St. A. Baxter Bks. 4.
All the bredren … off the baxter craft 1550 Ib. 6.
The bredren off baxtorie

3. Broder and breder as possessives, esp. in broder sone (nephew), broder dochter (niece), breder barnis (nephews and nieces).(a) c1420 Wynt. v. 3396.
He wes to gud Constantyne Brodyre son Ib. viii. 4064.
Fra hys brudyre dowchtris away All thare herytage than tuk he 1559 Misc. Wodrow Soc. 266.
My broder sone, my Lord Eglinton, and all thair friendis 1568 Rec. Earld. Orkney 126.
With consent and assent of Johne … and of hir broder oy 1572 Bann. Memor. App. 371.
Paule Knox, my bruder sone 1584 Crim. Trials I. 135.
Katherene M^cCulloch, his broder dochter 1596 Misc. Bann. C. II. 220.
Jonet Norvell, my broder dochter 16.. Hist. Kennedy 15.
Scho … come to hir broder sone(b) c1420 Wynt. viii. 447.
Till succed in till his sted, Noucht bredyr, na bredyr barnys ar 1481 Fam. Rose 143.
My sonis, bredir ande bredyr barnis 1533 Boece vi. x. 205.
How amang the breder sonnys of king Craithlinth was questioun of the croun 1589 Edinb. Test. XXI. 157 b.
Jonet and Margaret M^cDill his breder dochteris