A Dictionary of the Older Scottish Tongue (up to 1700)
Hide Quotations Hide Etymology
About this entry:
First published 1963 (DOST Vol. III).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
Quotation dates: 1420, 1492-1500, 1577-1596
[0,0,0,0,1,0,0,0,0,0,0,1,1,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,1,1,1,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0]
Lecher(o)us, Lechorus, a. Also: lecherous(s)e, leicher-, leichor-, leacherous. [ME. le(c)cherous (1303), OF. lecheros. Cf. Licherous.] Lecherous. Of a person, his actions or thoughts, etc., and transf.(1) c1420 Wynt. vi. 1119 (C).
Me lecherousse creatur a1500 Henr. Orph. 374 (Ch. & M.).
He was on lyve brukle & lecherouse 1492 Myll Spectakle of Luf 288/27.
This quene was sa lecherus that [etc.](b) 1492 Ib. 274/4.
Ouid sayes that the ȝoung lechorus man synnis bot the ald [etc.](c) a1578 Pitsc. I. 157/27.
Sune efter his deid … scho became leichorous of hir body 1596 Dalr. I. 94/6.
Na men war les diligate than thay, les leicherous, and mair abhored voluptuous plesour(d) c1590 Fowler II. 112/10.
Some chaste, some leacherous(2) 1492 Myll Spectakle of Luf 286/28.
Hir lechorus insasiable desyris(3) transf. 1596 Dalr. I. 152/7.
He sett out sum leicherous lawis, that his flagitious gaird … mycht haue occasione [etc.]
You may wish to vary the format shown below depending on the citation style used.
"Lecherus adj.". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 17 Dec 2025 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/dost/lecherous>
