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.
Quotation dates: 1375-1590
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Cors, Corce, Corse, n.1 Also irregular variants: croce, crose.[ME. corse, cors (c 1300), OF. cors. Cf. Corps.]
1. The body of a living person (or animal).(a) 1375 Barb. xx. 192.
Quhen saull and cors disseuerit er c1420 Wynt. i. 777.
Off cors he lyk is a lyown c1420 Ib. iv. 1534.
Knychtis … Fayre off fassowne and of cors 1456 Hay II. 5/18.
Nane that had sene him … but lak or dishonestee of his cors c1450-2 Howlat 981.
We se Thy nakit cors bot of clay a1500 Henr. III. 122/44.
Thy cors sall cling, thy curage sall wax cald a1499 Contemplacioun of Synnaris 989.
Syne his cumly cors celestiale Thai cled with purpour silk a1508 Kennedy Flyt. 316.
Apon thy cors [M. croce] vengeance, vengeance! thay cry a1508 Ib. 510.
Thy cloutit cloke … Cleke on thy cors 1513 Doug. iv. Prol. 115.
Lufe is a kyndly passioun, … Kyndlyt in the hart, ourspredyng al the cors 1540 Lynd. Sat. 1022.
Then, to schaw our curtlie corsses, Ga se quha best can rin thair horsses 1560 Rolland Seven Sages 7070.
He gat upon his hors, Fenȝeing him self to haue ane seiklie cors a1568 Scott xv. 29.
Scho … Committing clene hir corse to me in cure c1590 Fowler 127/26.
Or yit this catiffe combred cors returne to dust or as(b) 1535 Stewart 214.
With corpolent corce and middill that wes small 1535 Ib. 10131.
Formois he wes, … Clenelie of corce 1560 Rolland Seven Sages 76.
With sair seiknes sa troublit was hir corce [: force] 1560 Ib. 1282.
He sa hes rent my corce [: deforce] a1570-86 Maitland Folio MS cli. 29.
Wer it possibill that in ony corce Wer Salamonis wit [etc.]
c. A person, a being.c1500-c1512 Dunb. xxvi. 80.
Lichery, that lathly cors, Berand lyk a bagit hors c1536 Lynd. Compl. Bagsche 145.
Wes neuer sa vnkynd ane corce, As quhen I had authoritie a1570-86 Maitland Folio MS xlvii. 53.
For and thow be ane vnkynd crose [sic] On neid thow man be fals of forse
2. A dead body; a corpse. (Also with dede.)1375 Barb. xix. 222.
The cors to Paslay haf thai had a1400 Legends of the Saints i. 473.
Symon firste the corse stud by a1400 Ib. ii. 275; etc.
Of the cors com swet sawoure c1420 Wynt. ii. 1016.
Ane wgsum mangery Of wlatsum corsys and wgly c1420 Ib. v. 2579; etc.
My cors thow tholys wngrawyn be c1475 Acts of Schir William Wallace v. 164.
Fourty thar past agayne … With this dede cors c1475 Ib. vi. 624.
With dede corssys that lay wnputt in graiff 1513 Doug. ii. vii. 3.
To tell … Sa feil ded corsis as thar lyis slane 1513 Ib. 9.
Heir and thar thai ly, Feil corsis ded 1587 Edinb. B. Rec. IV. 480.
To caus red the rowme of the awld gallows, baynes, deid corssis and all
3. A collective body (of persons, etc.).1456 Hay II. 30/3.
All knychtis ar and suld be as a cors 1504 Halyb. 273.
A lytill kist in the quhilk thar was viii volomys contenand the cors of bath the lawys
4. In oaths and asseverations: By God's body.c1550 Lynd. Meldrum 1259.
Be Goddis croce, I sall hir tak away perforce
