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

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

Elde, Eild, n. Also: eld, eyld(e, eilde, eeild, eeld(e. [ME. eelde, elde, OE. (Angl.) eldo, ældu.]

1. The age of a person. Freq. with specification of the number of years.(a) 1375 Barb. xiii. 704.
Of his kynrik passit was Fif ȝeir, … and of his elde sexty a1400 Leg. S. xxxvi. 997.
Herot … thocht al barnis to sla … Of twa ȝere elde & withine c1420 Wynt. iii. 509.
Quhen that he wes yhing Off fyftene yhere eld Ib. viii. 4128.
Off elde he passyd noucht sewyntene yhere ?1438 Alex. ii. 3015.
Cassamus … that was … of his eld cant and ioly 14.. Acts I. 52/2.
Sa mekil as a swyn of iij ȝer elde … is of lenth 1456 Hay I. 45/13.
Aristotil was than of xvj ȝere of elde c1500 Crying of Play 85.
Or he of elde was ȝeris thre 1513 Doug. i. xi. 22.
Ane hundreth madynnys had scho ȝong of eld 1539 Reg. Cupar A. II. 4.
Jhone Buttyr, lviii ȝeris of eld, marijt(b) c 1390 Soc. Ant. XXX. 42.
Prays for hym that deyt hafand lx yherys of eyld c1420 Wynt. iv. 27.
Romule off eylde was twenty yhere And twa quhen he begouth to stere 1424 Acts II. 4/2.
A colt of thre ȝer and mare of eild Ib. 6/1.
That all men busk thame to be archaris fra thai be xii ȝere of eilde c1500-c1512 Dunb. Tua Mar. W. 465.
Hutit be the halok lase a hunder ȝeir of eild 1513 Doug. viii. ix. 41.
In sic strenthis and eild So as I was quhen first [etc.] 1535 Stewart 23084.
Of quhome the ȝoungest auchtene ȝeir of eild Suld be no les 1567 Edinb. Test. I. 33.
Quhen he cummis to the aige or eild of xx ȝeiris 1572 Inverness B. Rec. I. 219.
Bernis schone xvj or xviij d. as thai ar of eyld 1587 Edinb. Test. XVIII. 65 b.
Quhill he be of the aige of xiiij ȝeiris of eyld

b. With qualifying terms, esp. lauchful or perfite elde.(a) 1375 Barb. xvii. 928.
Micht he haf lifit quhill he had beyne Of perfit elde a1400 Leg. S. xxvii. 301.
Quhen he come to rypare eld Ib. xxviii. 79.
Scho beand in tendir elde, Hyr modyr … deit 1416 Maxwell Mem. I. 150.
The said Jamys [to act] as tutowr to the perfyt eld of the said childir 14.. Acts I. 24/2.
Gif ony burges … be passit elde to fecht [etc.] 1438 Lennox Mun. 69.
Als sone as the forsayd sone and dochter is off lachfull eld 1456 Hay I. 264/11.
As gif a man war our ȝong, within elde of tutry 1523 Fam. Rose 198.
Quhow soun the said Huchoun ayre … cumis to perfytt elde(b) c 1423 Reg. Great S. (1431) 45/1.
Gif we lyf till thai cum to perfyte eylde c1420 Ratis R. 887.
Quhen thow art ful eild cumyne to 1478 Acta Conc. 19/1.
The saidis persounis fand the saidis dochteris of lauchful eilde to the landis of Orcheardfelde c1500-c1512 Dunb. Tua Mar. W. 305.
I wes apperand to be pert within perfit eild 1535 Stewart 15767.
Ane sone he had … Fettis and fair and nocht of lawfull eild Ib. 45765.
Quhill that he come onto perfytar eild

c. A particular age. a1400 Leg. S. xxvii. 311.
Of that eld was he Lik to a formulare to be c1390 Reg. Morton I. App. xl.
Thou … tuk away twenty-one beistis … of syndri eildis and syndri hewis c1400 Troy-bk. i. 299.
Thai saw … sa fayr folk … flurysand as of ane eld c1420 Wynt. viii. 1842.
Off elde, na kynd, nane sparyd thai c1420 Ratis R. 1112.
The formest of thire eildis sere I set within the fyrst thre ȝere Ib. 1126; etc.
The tother eild … Is fra thre ȝer to vij lestand 1490 Irland Mir. I. 130/6.
Nouthir in the figure of ane auld man, nor of ane barne, for baith thai eldis and statis betakynnis imperfeccioune

2. Mature or legal age; full age.(a) c1400 Troy-bk. ii. 2777.
Quhen he come to eld 14.. Acts I. 49/2.
Be witnessing of thre lele men of eld 1456 Hay I. 41/3.
Quhen thai war cummyn till elde, thai callit with thame all the herdis of the contree 1557 Reg. Cupar A. II. 144.
Ay and quhill he be of eld and habill to gyd his awin(b) c1420 Wynt. v. 476.
A woman yhong till eyld growand c1460 Thewis Gud Women 208.
Quhill wysdome cum throw wyt or eild 1490 Irland Mir. fol. 351.
Quhil he cum to eild and wisdome c1500-c1512 Dunb. xlii. 106.
Be that of eild wes Gud Famis air, And cumyne to continwatioun 1529 Lynd. Complaynt 115.
I prayit daylie … My ȝoung maister that I mycht see Off eild 1556 Reg. Cupar A. II. 261.
The said Johne … sall tak in keping and sufficientlie pastur … samony ky of eild as we plais deliuer thame 1570 Sat. P. xviii. 16.
Allace! that sic ane tratour suld consume His dayis befoir our King had bene of eild

b. Within elde, under age. c1400 Troy-bk. ii. 2063.
Arestes … was with-in eude ȝit suthly 14.. Acts I. 37/2.
That nane beand wythin eylde … sal suer ath Ib. 44/2.
He sall chasty hir as a barne wythin eylde

c. A difference in age. 1456 Hay I. 41/16.
Becaus thare was nane elde betuene thame that men mycht wit, thai war in hope ilkane to be first borne

3. Advanced or old age.(a) a1400 Leg. S. ii. 862.
Quhare hele beis ay but seknes, Ȝouthed but eld or wrechitnes Ib. xxix. 20.
Quhen for elde he has quhyt hare c1400 Troy-bk. ii. 2621.
I am now so strikin in eld, That I the kynryk may nocht weld c1420 Wynt. i. 676.
Thar sum wyll thare eldrys sla, Quhen eelde thaim hapnys tyl our-ta 1456 Hay I. 264/14.
A man past grete age that for elde war excusit [from fighting] 1473 Holyrood Chart. 152.
Now the saide venerabil fadir is cummyn til elde and in grete wakenes of his persone c1500 Crying of Play 99.
I am all crynd in for eld 1531 Bell. Boece I. 223.
He randerit all the strenthis of his realme, to have peace with Romanis in his eld(b) a1400 Leg. S. xxvii. 1152.
Sanct Dewynnik … Thru gret eilde falȝeit & ded was c1420 Wynt. ii. 182.
The gast he yhalde, … In gud eylde and in rychtwysnes 14.. Acts I. *91/2.
Giff ony of our brether of the gilde in his eyld fall crukyt or pure c1420 Ratis R. 1102.
To knaw the cours of thi ȝouthed, And of the mydys, and of thin eild 1490 Irland Mir. I. 136/7.
Elizabeth now in hire eild … has consauit a child c1500-c1512 Dunb. vii. 63.
Most fortunable chiftane, bothe in yhouth and eild 1513 Doug. v. viii. 21.
Hys faynt schankis gan for eild schaik 1535 Stewart 30099.
He grew into sic eild, As he wes wont he micht nocht walk on feild 1549 Compl. 20/9.
Ther efter tha begyn to decresse ande declinis til eild ande to the dede 1579 Edinb. Test. VII. 194 b.
Ane meir that deit immediatlie for eild 1596 Dalr. I. 315/22.
The kirk of Coldinghame was alde, for eilde than fell 1630 Misc. Hist. Soc. II. 265.
Better never [have] coft it, nor be in debt in eild

4. Old times; antiquity. c1450-2 Howlat 426.
Mony schen scheld … That bene cot armouris of eild Ib. 594.
Of honorable ancestry thir armis of eld Bure the erll of Murray

5. An age of the world. c1420 Wynt. i. 287.
Nowe the fyrst eeld endys here Ib. ii. 5.
Bathe the eldys has tane ende Ib. 870.
The Scottis cummyn were … in the ferde eylde in Yrland 1490 Irland Mir. I. 129/2.
In the sext eild of the waurld … God tuk humanite 1513 Doug. vii. xi. 89.
Ceculus … Quham all eyldis reputis and schawis ws Engendrit was by the God Vlcanus Ib. viii. vi. 34.
Quhil peis and peis, the elde syne war and war Begouth to wolx 1533 Boece xiv. xi. 563 b.
Ane faire lugeing … (as ȝeit in this eild may be sene in Antwarpe)