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

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Langour(e, n. Also: -or, -oir, -ure, -wre, -ar, -er, -re. [ME. (a 1300) and e.m.E. langur(e, -or(e, -our(e, OF. and med. L. langor: cf. the much less common Languo(u)r(e.]

1. Sickness, illness, espec. prolonged or chronic sickness.a1400 Legends of the Saints xxvi. 717.
Thare a lange tyme he can ly In langoure, & of hele in were c1420 Wynt. v. 1204.
Fra thine Saynt Gregor ay In till lestand langure lay And in paynys till his endyng c1420 Ib. 2805.
To recovyr … remede Off my langwre [C. -ure]

b. Prolonged and serious illness as a legal essoign.Also in the same use in F. jurer langueur (s.v. in Sainte Palaye). See also first quot. s.v. Languo(u)r(e.1609 Skene Reg. Maj. i. 8.]
[Essonȝies … some commes be haistie suddaine seiknes, and some commes of ane lang and auld seiknes, called resseantisa (ane resident, heavie infirmitie, and sair seiknes) (L. ex infirmitate languoris de resseantisa, id est, de infirmitate, qua quis gravi morbo tenetur) 1609 Ib. 9.
Foure faithfull men sall … visie the seik man … to try … quhither it be ane langour [L. languor] 1609 Ib.
And gif they … verifies … the infirmity to be ane langour (or ane vehement seiknes of bodie or of minde) [L. languor] the defender … sal [etc.]

c. An illness or disease. (In Nisbet, after Purvey).c1520-c1535 Nisbet Matth. iv. 23.
Heiland euery langour and ilk seeknes amang the peopile c1520-c1535 Ib. 24.
Al … that war takin with diuerse langouris and turmentis c1520-c1535 Id. Luke iv. 40.

2. Mental affliction or distress; grief, sorrow, misery; wretchedness, wretched condition. Also personified.(1) c1400 Troy-bk. ii. 796.
The noble wemen … war then In fele teres and in doloure, Remanand still, and in langoure c1420 Wynt. v. 4725.
We fell in gret langwre c1420 Ratis Raving 945.
Be scho in langour led & blam Scho wyll forȝet quhat is scham a1450 Fifteen Ois 72.
O Jesu, … Think on that langour & that cair That throu thy tender hert can pas a1500 Golagros and Gawane 1227.
On-fortune … That led men in langour ay lestand inly a1500 Buke of the Sevyne Sagis 1168.
Till hire chalmer scho hir sped In langour and in cair bed 1535 Stewart 40801.
The King … sorrowfull wes … with greit langour and wo a1538 Abell 87 b.
Paip Wrbane herand the taking of Ierusalem he deit of langoir 1540 Lynd. Sat. Procl. 38; Rolland Seven Sages 9223.
We men that hes sic wickit wyvis In grit langour we leid our lyvis(2) a1500 King Hart 783.
Langour the watche attour the kirnale flaw c1500-c1512 Dunb. xxix. 7.
Quhen I wald blythlie ballattis breif, Langour thairto givis me no leif c1500-c1512 Ib. xlii. 33.
Langour wes weche vpoun the wall, That nevir sleipit bot evir wouke c1500-c1512 Ib. lxxxi. 21. 1513 Doug. viii. Prol. 14.
Langour lent is in land, all lychtnes is lost

b. Pining, longing.a1500 Henr. Orph. 246.
It is langour that puttis hir in sik ply; Were scho at hame in hir contree … Scho wald refete full sone 15.. Clariodus i. 1207.
In heartis [they] war all sad and dollorus For langour that they could get na tyding Of him 15.. Ib. 1226.
Sike langour deidlie dois me bind, That gif I hear no tydingis haistilie Than daith [etc.] a1585 Maitland Quarto MS lxxxix. 9, 10.
Of absence langour dois proceid & langour breidis melancolie 1587-99 Hume 151/224.
So doth the body … sleepe … in the graue … during the which space man shall not think long, for what langor can the body haue which is a sleepe

c. Low spirits, tedium. d. To hald (a person) out of langour, to keep up the spirits of, to amuse.c. c1460 Wisdom of Solomon (S.T.S.) 234.
Mar suet is to slep twa to-gydir na ane alane for langoure and warmnes and gud cumpany c1460 Consail Vys Man 232, 3.
Be blyth and besy, quyk & smert, And lat na langour throw thi hart, Bot fle langour and ydilnes Quhilkis bringis disspar & hevynes a1500 Golagros and Gawane 173.
Weill gretis yow, lord, yone lusty in leid, And says hym likis in land your langour to lis 1529 Lynd. Complaynt 48.
Thy maiestie Sall anis rewarde me … And rube the ruste of my ingyne, Quhilk bene, for langour, lyke to tyne a1568 Bannatyne MS 238 b/16.
Dewoyd langour and leif in lustinesd. 1596 Dalr. II. 457/10.
The gentle men … exercist thame selfes … to recreat the Quene and hald her out of langre, quha [was] slane amaist with sadnes 1630 Misc. Hist. Soc. II. 256.
Ye forget to send me vord quhat was done … in the commissione … and we ignorant, if it war bot toyis to hold us out of langor

3. Freq. (in verse), a lover's suffering or distress. Also, ? plur.1513 Doug. iv. Prol. 25.
Ȝour lust lykyng in langour to remane a1568 Gyre-carling 33.
All this langour for lufe befoirtymes fell 1540 Lynd. Sat. 391.
With siching sair I am bot schent, Without scho cum incontinent, My heauie langour to relent And saif me now fra deid 15.. Clariodus ii. 1374.
Now braiding in his dreime for joy, And now escarting for langour and noy a1568 Bannatyne MS 264 b/51.
Now ȝit my langour for to les My gentill jo gif me a kis a1568 Ib. 265 a/59.
Of hir luve my langour was gane I had provydit ane bonyar ane a1568 Scott xxiii. 1.
Langour to leive, allace! a1568 Ib. xxxiii. 15.
Cupeid … Quhat is thy manrent but … langour but releif Off woundis wan c1500-c1512 Dunb. xlvi. 92 (M).
In fals langar thay so drunkin ar Thair wit is went c1600 Montg. Suppl. ix. 1.
Och, luif, in langour heir I lya1568 Scott vi. 34.
? plur. Suld I presome this sedull schaw, Or lat me [? read: my] langouris be lamentit

4. Longing for or of something or some-one or to do something. Also absol.(1) a1598 Rollock Lect. on Passion 383.
If thou … art afraid to flit, it is a token that thou hast no langour of God 1600-1610 Melvill 84.
We cam to Edinbruche … whare I fand my bern growand in grace … , quhilk eased me sum quhat of the langour of our frinds at Glasgw 1631 Red Bk. Menteith II. 123.
I am almost faynting in langour for word from ȝour lordship tuiching my sone 1644 Baillie II. 241.
Our langour here is great to hear of the crushing of that wicked crew 1645 Ib. 255.
I left your wife and daughter very weell; but, after the old fashion, in great langour for yow and Scotland(2) a1598 Ferg. Prov. (1641) No. 670.
Out of sight, out of langer 1649 Ruthven Corr. 114.
I could newer hawe beleawed it that yow wold hawe bein so lang so forgitfull of yor old freinds, bot, it seims, out of sight out of langer 1685-8 Renwick Serm. 486.
For, it cannot be said of Christ to his spouse, as it was said in another sense, out of sight, out of langure