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 1951 (DOST Vol. II).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

Dede, Deid, n.² Also: ded, deide, deyde, deed, dead, daid. [ME. (chiefly northern), deed, dede, early dead, dæd, variant of deth(e Dethe n., prob. after the adj.]

1. Death; the act or fact of dying; the state of being dead. To tak dede, to die.(a) 1375 Barb. i. 567.
Quharfor syne he tholyt ded Ib. xii. 204.
For dout of ded we sall nocht fale a1400 Leg. S. ii. 206.
For quham he dred nocht ded to ta Ib. xxxiii. 584.
Al that iugit was Sic ded to de c1450 Cr. Deyng 21.
The day of ded Ib. 37.
In the artykle of ded Ib. 85.
Till the houre of ded c1475 Wall. vi. 652.
The erle off Kent … tuk ded befor the king 1494 Acta Conc. 364/2.
Cruell … hurting in perell of ded 1506 Lennox Mun. 180.
Gyf that sall happyn … be ded or dissasent of ony of the partiis 1513 Doug. ii. x. 168.
Ded I desyrit, and irkyt of my lyve Ib. x. Prol. 172.
Na feir of hell, nor dreid of ded(b) 1375 Barb. i. 272.
Dede anoyis him bot anys Ib. iv. 208.
To thole the payn of dede a1400 Leg. S. i. 463.
That he mycht rase men fra dede 14.. Acts I. 41/2.
Na man lyande in bedde of dede ony landis … may analy c1420 Wynt. iv. 601.
In-tyll gret dowt off dede Ib. v. 1318.
Quhare Cryste the passyowne tholyd of dede 1456 Hay I. 114/21.
Thare may na man … leve the ost under the payne of dede Ib. 224/16.
He is in perile of dede c1450 Cr. Deyng i.
The passage of this … warlde, the quhilk is callit dede a1500 Gol. & Gaw. 270.
Bot dede be my destenyng c1500-c1512 Dunb. iv. 90.
Gud Maister Walter Kennedy In poynt of dede lyis veraly c1552 Lynd. Mon. 504.
Quhow Father Adam … Brocht in the warld boith syn and dede(c) 1482 Reg. Morton II. 246.
Nother … harme, skaith, deide, … nor disherysing a1500 Bk. Chess 1473.
For hir luf in poynt of deid he stud 1506 Peebles B. Rec. 200.
Gif … thair be strublans be seknes or deid 1513 Doug. x. Prol. 125 (Sm).
That frute … Mayd deid onknawin be fund 1526 Antiq. Aberd. & B. II. 406.
Becaus the said Erle is lyand in extremite of deid 1527 Edinb. B. Rec. I. 232.
With the aventure of deid and weir 1544 Treas. Acc. VIII. 283.
Towis to the men that tholit deid thair 1560 Rolland Seven S. 276/1.
Appeirandly thair is nathing bot deid 1569-73 Bann. Memor. 74.
We never made us to tak revenge thairof be way of deid or bludshed a1585 Maitl. Q. xxxviii. 97.
O God, gif deid be end of mekill wo 1596 Edinb. B. Rec. 167.
With aventure of deid and weir and all other aventures(d) 1461 Liber Plusc. 385.
Fra lyff to deed, fra deed to lyff agen Ib.
We draw to deed, and deis euirilk day a1605 Montg. Misc. P. xxii. 41.
Then wer I out of dout of deed(e) 1559 St. A. Kirk S. 17.
To inchew syn, dead, and hel c1568 Lauder Minor P. i. 701.
Feirful and dolent is that dead a1598 Ferg. Prov. (1641) 6.
Dead and marriage makes tearm-day a1651 Calderwood V. 38.
Preestes … sould … incurre the paine of dead

b. Personified or materialized. a1400 Leg. S. xxvii. 119.
The dynt of ded, Agane the quhilk is na remed 1461 Liber Plusc. 382.
Quhilk dulfull Deed has tane till his duellyng Ib. 388.
Scho has assythit Deed of all his rentis a1508 Kennedy Pass. Christ 14.
Haill, beyme to skaill of ded the dirk vmbrakill c1500-c1512 Dunb. lxix. 36.
Syne Deid castis up his ȝettis wyd 1513 Doug. iii. x. 57.
A litil space fra ded Ib. xiii. v. 72.
Thy selvyn to submyt … to dedis byt a1568 Bann. MS. 49 a/15.
For deid he hes his bow ay bent Ib. 49 b/69.
Quhill deid he hint him be the back a1570-86 Maitl. F. lxxxiv. 25.
Quhen deid callis, than seiknes will the assaill

c. A (specified) manner or kind of death. Also with a(ne) and the.(1) a1400 Leg. S. xxix. 150.
I … fra ay-lestand ded hyme wan c1400 Troy-bk. ii. 2004.
To saif hire-self from felloune deid c1420 Wynt. v. 3544.
Julyane Wes endyt wyth dede subytane a1500 Henr. Fab. 533.
His sinnes can him leid … to ȝone suddand deid c1515 Asl. MS. I. 177/16.
Better is honest deid than to lif in schame 1535 Stewart 7864.
He previt hes the panis of strang deid 1560 Rolland Seven S. 829.
And ȝe speak anis ȝe sall thoill suddand deid a1598 Ferg. Prov. 19.
There is remeid for all things but stark deid(2) a1400 Leg. S. xxxvi. 1124.
Herod … tholit than the double deide Of lif & saule c1420 Wynt. viii. 2579.
A ware dede may na man tak, Than to be slayne in to the bak 1456 Hay I. 205/4.
It war better the temporal dede na the spirituale a1500 Henr. Orph. 464.
To betakyn thre manir of dedis Ib. 466.
The secund dede is in the medill age 1533 Gau 13/11.
God giff thé ane ewil deid 1544 Bk. Carlaverock II. 29.
I am content to rassayff the mast wylld deid that may be geyn me a1586 Maitland Ho. Seytoun 19.
It is ane pieté that sa nobill ane knycht suld die sa crewell ane deid

d. A mortality or plague. c1420 Wynt. iv. 748.
Off all kyn natyoune Pestilens or ded felowne Ib. 7136.
That ilke yere in till Yngland The secund dede wes fast wedand 1500 Edinb. B. Rec. I. 28.
Quhilk was done at the Mychelmis efter the greit deid 1599 Chron. Perth 7.
Ane great dead amongis the pepill

2. The death of a person.(a) a1400 Leg. S. Prol. 90.
Syne mad I furth mencione Of hir ded Ib. xxvi. 440.
Quhy has thu … To felone ded of innocent Conspyrit? 14.. Acts I. 72/2.
Ilk woman … eftir the ded of hir husband c1450 Cr. Deyng 13.
The ded of synfull man … is euer ill a1500 Bk. Chess 538.
Aye of his ded suld I be in dreid 1513 Doug. vi. vii. 69.
I was the causar of thy ded Ib. ix. ii. 163.
Full neir thair deid thai stand(b) 1375 Barb. i. 291.
His fadyr dede he wengyt sua Ib. xvii. 115.
Thai suld haf sald thair dedis der 14.. Acts I. 25/2.
And he … hafe nocht assignyt his landis … befor his dede c1420 Wynt. v. 968.
This Domityane Throuch wnhape hys dede had tane Ib. viii. 2111.
The womannys dede … I sall now quyt 1455 Edinb. Chart. 79.
Fra the dede of the said Williame fadir 1481 Buccleuch Mun. II. 40.
Gif it happynis to falyhe … through the dede of the said Adam 1513 Doug. ii. ii. 49.
Now mwrn thai for his dede 1551 Hamilton Cat. 3.
All redemit with ane blud & dede of our mediatour(c) 1472 Lennox Mun. 90.
Sen the deide of Erle Duncane Ib. 91.
Betwene the deid of the antecessour and the entre of the ayr c1475 Wall. x. 645.
On ilk sid thai fled for ferdnes off thair deid 1495 Charter (Reg. H.) No. 596.
For the deid & slauchter of … Johne of Caldwel c1515 Asl. MS. I. 231/19.
Efter the deid of king Iames the secund 1535 Stewart 1861.
Makand greit duill for the deid of thair king 1552 Edinb. B. Rec. II. 170.
That the guidis of all persouns efter thair deidis salbe roupit 1563-1570 Buch. Wr. 23.
To put doun the young king that he sould not rest to revenge his faderis deid 1595 Aberd. Sheriff Ct. I. 369.
By the quhilk straikis he conceauit his deid 1602 Shetland Sheriff Ct. MS. 25 b.
Thomas Ȝoirstoun … is dempt to quite him selff of the deid of ane kalff(d, e) 1561 Inverness B. Rec. I. 69.
Sen the daid of our gude nychtbouris … in the feyld of Pinkkecluycht 1574 Davidson Three Reformers 117.
To the West he made sic steade That they may sare lament his dead 1600 Crim. Trials II. i. 177.
Remember on my fatheris dead c1610 Melville Mem. 356.
She took hir dead patiently 1631 Elgin Rec. II. 220.
His dochter … died and left her dead upon Elspet Watsone

b. A cause of death. 1662 Soc. Ant. XXII. 229.
Spier at her what she did to your wife and your bairn, for she was baith their deads

3. In the phrase to dede with various verbs, as dicht, do, put, and ding, schute, stane, steke, etc.(1) 1375 Barb. i. 347.
His fadyr wes done to ded c1400 Troy-bk. ii. 697.
That the Gregeois … myght mak to ded The Troyiens Ib. 707.
They drede … That … Scho walde be put to felloune dede c1420 Wynt. iv. 544.
Mony dour to dede wes dycht Ib. v. 3391.
That he wald hym to dede hawe done 1456 Hay I. 121/8.
King Charles of Naples gert put to dede a chiftane callit Corradin c1515 Asl. MS. I. 236/2.
Iames of Levingstoun … was put to deid 1535 Stewart 2731.
Dogitlie tha did thame all to deid c1590 J. Stewart 16/32.
To vrak his realme, And put his men to deed(2) c1420 Wynt. i. 208.
He dang hym wytht hys bowe to dede Ib. iv. 512.
The Qwenys swn … in that pres was slayne to dede Ib. v. 334.
Saynct Stewyn was stanyde to dede c1450-2 Howlat 65.
Sum will me dulfully dicht, Sum dyng me to deid a1500 Henr. Fab. 1949.
In his breith he weryit thame to deid c1475 Wall. i. 226.
Without reskew he stekyt him to dede Ib. vii. 464.
With suerdis sone bertnyt thai war to dede 1513 Doug. ii. ii. 47.
Quham Grekis … stanyt to ded Ib. vi. xiii. 100.
All thocht the … hart he schot to ded a1578 Pitsc. I. 347/20.
[They] provockit wther in barras to fight to deid ?1549 Monro W. Isles 18.
Men & houndis … huntis mony of the said scheip to deid

4. The dede, in preceding senses.(a) 1375 Barb. iv. 273.
That throu hir feill the ded resauit Ib. xx. 155.
Of all this liff the commoune end; That is the ded c1400 Troy-bk. ii. 1119.
Wherfor the ded come on c1475 Wall. xi. 837.
Throuch cowatice, gud Ector tuk the ded c1500-c1512 Dunb. iv. 7.
Onto the ded gois all estatis 1513 Doug. i. ii. 68.
Schawand the ded present to for thar E(b) c1420 Wynt. v. 829.
In tyll that thrawe he tuk the dede 1456 Hay I. 46/28.
The dede that all thing tamys Ib. 191/25.
Gif ony man … war condampnyt to the dede 1508 Reg. Privy S. I. 255/1.
Throu justifying of thaim to the dede for crimes committit 1549 Compl. 35/8.
As [if] the dede had na pouuer to sla oure bodeis 1556 Lauder Off. Kings 13.
To do dew iustice to the dede(c) (1397) Acts I. 208/1.
He sal be condampnit to the deid 1490 Irland Mir. fol. 341.
His disobeysaunce was punyst to the deid 1535 Stewart 4128.
Thai fand him … neir hungrit to the deid 1560 Rolland Seven S. 1577.
The morne he sall go to the deid maist vylde a1570-86 Maitl. F. xxx. 147.
It … lernis ws to muse apone the deid 1595 Misc. Spald. C. II. 128.
In that caice he is content to be hangit to the deid 1622-6 Bisset I. 15/22.
Actis of parliament provydis that mutulatioun do deserve the deid

5. In the possessive dedis, esp. with wound. 1513 Doug. x. vi. 68.
He the swerd eschapit by hys hap: Bot not at this tyme so the dedis clap 1516 Acts II. 284/2.
Quhatsumeuer tennent … happinis to be slane … or gettis deidis woundis 1531 Bell. Boece II. 465.
[They] fand him neir deid, thryis strikin throw the body, and ane deidis wound in his heid 1602 Davidson in Three Reformers 154.
Hee gets sik a deads wound that … he is never able to overcome