A Dictionary of the Older Scottish Tongue (up to 1700)
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First published 1963 (DOST Vol. III).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
Quotation dates: 1450-1452
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Lence, n. [? Cf. e.m.Du. (16–17th c.) niet een lens (? = linch-pin), in similar use.] (Not) worth a lence, ? = (not) worth a pin, worth speaking of, in the least, at all. — c1450-2 Howlat 606.
Thir four scheldis … War chenȝeit so cheualrus, that no creatur Of lokis nor lynis [v.r. lynx] mycht lous worth a lence [: presence, offens, differens]
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"Lence n.". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 11 May 2026 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/dost/lence>
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