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.

Fever, n. Also: fevyr, fevir(e, feveir, fevare, feaver; fewer, fewir(e, fewyre. [ME. fever(e, fevire, fevoure, etc., early ME. fefre, OE. fefer, fefor. See also Fiver n.]

1. Fever. Also in pl. a1400 Leg. S. xi. 31.
Of fewire & parlesy Vith word thu heilis anerly Ib. xxv. 117.
Sa fel fewyre has hyme tane c1420 Wynt. v. 1211.
The feveris tyll hym tuk he 1456 Hay II. 120/6.
Of it cumis all unthrifty maladies, as feveres, fluxis, perleseis a1500 Henr. Fab. 312 (A).
As in a fever trymblit fut and hand 1497 Treas. Acc. I. 336.
Gevin to Watte Sangstar … quhen he lay seke in the feueris 1533 Boece ix. xi. 313 b.
Hereapoun followit ane fevir throw lang rest corruptit be ane catarr a1578 Pitsc. II. 190/19.
The quenis grace tuik ane gret fewir Ib. 315/1.
The king of France … depairted in the fevir a1605 Montg. Flyt. 308 (T).
The feveris [H. feaveirs], the totteris 1622-6 Bisset II. 168/4.
He wes bittin be ane vowlf in huntting of the quhilk enschewed ane fevare

2. With distinguishing epithets: fever agu, cartane; hait fever.(1) c 1420 Liber Calchou 451.
Qwil a man is in the feuer agw he suld et na flesch c1420 Ratis R. 179.
Thir thingis … Wyll smyt men that are hail & fere, The fewir agow, the sarnes of E c1500 Crying of Play 57.
For cald scho tuke the fever cartane 1540 Lynd. Sat. 2188 (B).
It is ane bane of Sanct Brydis cow, Gude for the fevir cartane(2) a1500 Henr. Test. Cress. 515.
With hait fewir ane sweit and trimbling Him tuik 1531 Bell. Boece II. 110.
The Scottis, in thir dayis, knew na maner of hait fever 1549 Compl. 24/11.
The lord sal sende pestilens on thé, the heyt feueir. … ande all euil seiknes c1552 Lynd. Mon. 5098.
Ȝitt strykith he … Sum be hait feueris violence a1578 Pitsc. I. 112/30.
He tuik the heat fewer and dieit Ib. II. 318/2.
Thair was no towne … bot it vas vesitit with gret seiknes and speciallie the het fewir 1596 Dalr. I. 246/16.
Scotland for al that, … euin as of the hett fevir, lang was frie(3) 1623 Elgin Rec. II. 182.
The sea fewer and the land fewer, bot and the head fewer and the hart fewer