A Dictionary of the Older Scottish Tongue (up to 1700)
Hide Quotations Hide Etymology
About this entry:
First published 1951 (DOST Vol. II).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
Quotation dates: 1399-1400, 1499-1615
[0,0,1,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,0,0,0,0,0,0,0]
Force, v. [ME. force (a 1300), OF. forcer. Cf. Fors v.]
1. intr. and refl. To exert oneself, to strive. a1400 Legends of the Saints xxxii. 503.
Quhow ma that be, … Ȝe … fast forcis away to hyde? a1500 Henr. Fab. 2872.
Quhen scho saw thair wes bot do or de, … scho forcit hir to swym
2. tr. To compel; to drive by force. 1571 Satirical Poems xxvii. 53.
Reid how thai forcitt the Britonis folk to flitt 1615 Melrose P. 245.
To the whiche he went, when as he wes forcit out of this ile
3. tr. To strengthen, reinforce. 1535 Stewart 442.
Tha fundit thair ane citie of defence, … Syne forcit it with fowseis mony one c1550 Rolland Court of Venus ii. 847.
The plesand palice … With stark draw brig, weil forcit with fortalice a1578 Pitsc. II. 161/22.
Scho passit to Leyth … and forceit and strengthned the same
You may wish to vary the format shown below depending on the citation style used.
"Force v.". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 13 Dec 2025 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/dost/force_v>
