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.

Conferm(e, v. Also: -fereme. [ME. conferme (c 1290), OF. confermer, L. confirmāre Confirm.]

1. tr. To strengthen; to establish firmly. a1400 Leg. S. iv. 55.
For to confereme and strinth his lar Myraculis gret he wrocht 1456 Hay II. 77/9.
God Almychti … conferme thy spirit of thy governaunce till his honoure and service Ib. 158/19.
The erde … apon the quhilk all the lave of the warlde is confermyt c1500-c1512 Dunb. xxxviii. 35.
The weir is gon, confermit is the peis 1549 Compl. 22/27.
Mony ignorant pepil hes confermit ane ymaginet … opinione in ther hede c1568 Lauder Minor P. i. 669.
Bot tha ar Christ discyplis … That will conferme his doctrine with thair blude 1619 Garden Elphinstoun 1035.
That band, … Conferm'd, assuird and seal'd With bothe the nations' noblest blood

b. To make (one) stable in a belief, etc. a1400 Leg. S. xvi. 374.
Thane thai Ware confermyt in cristyne fay 1456 Hay II. 88/23.
The quhilk confermys him in syk a presumpcioun 1490 Irland Mir. I. 15/15.
This I do … to conferme thame in the haly doctrine of Ihesu Ib. 36/19.

c. To corroborate by testimony. c1475 Wall. xi. 1418.
He gat this buk, and confermd it him sell For werray trew 1549 Compl. 167/30.
Quha can calkilthe degreis of kyn & blude of the barrons of Scotland … vil conferme this samyn

2. To ratify formally; to declare or render valid. 1389 Liber Melros 449.
As it apperis be the forsaid chartir confermyt be … oure lorde the kyng … wyth his grete sele 1390 Acts I. 217/1.
It suld nocht be his wil … oucht to do or to conferme that suld ryn ony man in preiudice of thair heritage c1420 Wynt. viii. 3738.
The pese, that sworne wes, and made, And confermyd wyth selys brade c 1423 (1431) Reg. Great S. 45/1.
We oblys us … that we sal ger thaim conferme this our gift 1456 Hay I. 246/36.
The lawe sais that the thing that touchis all suld be approvit and confermyt be all 1473 Edinb. B. Rec. I. 27.
Desyreand … of ws to haue the samyn [devysis] authorezeit, ratefeit, and confermit 1515 Reg. Privy S. I. 407/1.
A lettre … ratifyand, apprevand and confermand … the lettre maid under the grete sele 1513 Doug. ii. xi. 22.
Haly fader, … conferm al thir takynnys seyn befor 1536 Edinb. B. Rec. II. 79.
The quhilkis articulis, statntis, and rewlis we hane ratifiet, apprevit, and confermit 1562 Reg. Cupar A. I. 362.
In pensioun of John Scot, confermet in Rome of auld 1584 Acts III. 300/2.
Oure Souerane Lord confermis the gift … to schir Robert Melvill … of the office and clerkschip [etc.] 1609 Peebles B. Rec. 75.
With full power … to conferme all testamentis gryt and small within the samyn boundis 1622-6 Bisset II. 88/28.
Albeit the testament be confermed eftir the executioun of the summonis

3. To establish in office. c1420 Wynt. v. 4586.
Thare this Symacus gert he Chosyn and confermyd be Ib. vii. 1850.
This Lyte in till Saynct Andrewys se The Pape than gert confermyd be 1489 Acta Aud. 134/2.
The said Dene Bernard is nocht as ȝit blissit nor confermit abbot of the said abbacy 1558-66 Knox II. 216.
The Superintendent … with the Rectour and rest of the Principallis … shall conferme ane of the three thei think maist sufficient

4. To confirm as a religious rite. c1420 Wynt. v. 1495.
He ordanyt alsua that manare Quhen barnys suld confermyt be Ib. vi. 1095.
A lurdane off thame slwe hym syne, That he confermyd in Crystyn fay

5. To reinforce (a siege). c1475 Wall. viii. 790.
Na murnyng thai maid; Confermyt the sege, and stedfastly abaid Ib. ix. 1854.
Conferme the sege