A Dictionary of the Older Scottish Tongue (up to 1700)
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First published 1971 (DOST Vol. IV).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
Quotation dates: 1641-1687
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Major, n.1 Also: meager. [e.m.E. (1643) and F. major.] A major, the military rank next above captain. Also b. = Toun-major. —1641 Acts V. 369/2. c1650 Spalding I. 279, II. 457. 1651 Fam. Innes 242. 1678 Edinb. B. Rec. X. 431.
The meagers coleresb. 1670–87 Select Biographies II. 340.
The major of the town of Edinburgh
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"Major n.1". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 16 Dec 2025 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/dost/major_n>
