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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.

Man, Maun, v.¹ Also: mane, mann(e, (men). [North. ME. man (a 1400–50), otherwise appar. chiefly Sc.: ON. man var. form of 1 and 3 pres. sing. indic. of munu Mon v.]Unlike mon, this form does not certainly occur earlier than 1487; apparently earlier instances cited below are from later texts.

Auxiliary verb, pres. tense only: Must.Followed by the infin. chiefly without to.

1. Expressing necessity: Am (is, are) obliged or required to; it is necessary that (I, you, he, it etc.) should.Sometimes merely expressing the course of action proposed or desired by the speaker.(a) a1400 Leg. S. iii. 1060.
Sa mane we thane Trew that [etc.] 1487 Thanes of Cawdor 69.
Quharfor thai mane haf licence and be dispensit of … the Pape 1494 Loutfut MS. 44 a.
And all that wald cum man compere … ii dais befor the tournoy a1508 Kennedy Pass. Christ 991.
As he wald say, Now man I gif the gaist c1500-c1512 Dunb. xxxiv. 100. 1506 Glasgow Dioc. Reg. II. 152.
Wther burdis … at mane be sawine with armyt sawis 1511 Antiq. Aberd. & B. III. 107. 1515 Douglas Corr. 70.
And therfore ther man be thocht sum other remed 1525 Selkirk B. Ct. (ed.) 76.
This man be done betueix this and Wytsonday c 1525 Wemyss Corr.67.
We man wis … that he be nocht ane onefreynd to ws c1536 Lynd. Compl. Bagsche 24.
Quhare I … Man in the clois ly lyke ane loun 1544 Corr. M. Lorraine 97. 1551 Hamilton Cat. 5. 15.. Lord Fergus' Gaist 28. a1568 Scott xx. 63. 1567 Crim. Trials I. i. 497. 1568 Maxwell Mem. II. 133.
Ȝe man apardoun me gif [etc.] a1570-86 Arbuthnot Maitl. F. xxix. 36. Ib. 80.
Ofttymes man I lauch suppois I irk 1574 Davidson in Three Reformers 111. 1575 Waus Corr. 102. 1583 Colville Lett. 38. 1584 Waus Corr. 286.
I man recommend Mr. W^m. Hart and his wife, our aynt 1581-1623 James VI Poems I. 70/20. 1587 Aberd. Council Lett. I. 34.
Thairfor ye man do the best ye can thairin to furnes sarks a1585 Polwart Flyt. 734 (T). a1605 Montg. Misc. P. xlii. 17. 1595 Maxwell Mem. II. 180. 1596 Lett. & St. P. Jas. VI 14. 1596 Aberd. Council Lett. I. 65.
For I man pay thame I am adebtet to 1607 Glasgow B. Rec. I. 264.
For releif of sik dept as man of necessitie be payit 1615 Highland P. III. 192.
This man not mak me forȝiett nor omitt my deutie 1624 Antiq. Aberd. & B. IV. 249. 1629 Justiciary Cases I. 135. 1676 Welsh Gospel Summonds 23. 1680 Dunlop P. III. 9. 1683 Sinclair Nat. Phil. 316.
It man be telled you Descartes valued the history of nature — 1544 Corr. M. Lorraine 94.
Thairfore ye man be all menys to help the pure cuntre and repres thevis(b) 1548–9 Corr. M. Lorraine 292.
Your grac maun be vere scherp batht on the Franch men and on the Scottis men or it will nocht be weill 1558-66 Knox II. 326.
Yf I shall geve you any ansuer, ye maun speik moir plane 1573 Davidson Sat. P. xlii. 649.
As the body … At certain tymes … Maun haue refreschement but delay 1615 Old Kirk Chron. 79.
Becaus of the painis quhilk the clerk of the kirk maun take in going … about the toune 1692 Pitcairne Assembly i. iii. 19.

b. Expressing a fixed futurity or inevitable outcome: Am, are, is bound or certain to, must or will inevitably. a1500 Henr. Fab. 594 (H).
Quha fauoris thé [Pride] on force man haif ane fall Id. Deid Pollis 48 (M).
As thus all heidis man ly ?a1500 Remembr. Passion 133. c1500-c1512 Dunb. lxxiii. 6. 1535 Stewart 16251. 1538 Crim. Trials I. i. 207.
My wyf and x barnes … manne peryse for wanting of lyvyse fuyd 1561 Reg. Privy C. I. 180.
Condampnatour man follow conforme to the summondis 1567 Sat. P. iv. 98.
Quhat breist can beir bot man lament my deid? 1567 G. Ball. 28. Ib. 165. 1568 Lyndesay Pref. 9.
He that tuke lytill laubouris on it man inioy the frutes a1570-86 Maitl. F. xlv. 52. 1590-1 R. Bruce Serm. 121.
Having faith, all the creatures of God man laugh on us 1605 Edinb. Test. XL. 14 b.
I man anes depart and flit out of this present warld

2. a. Expressing insistence or determination on the part of the speaker: Assuredly shall or will. a1570-86 Maitl. F. cxxx. 60.
Fair lady … With leif ȝe man abyd 1567 Reg. Privy C. I. 532.
To se oure … sone … in that … estait quhairto he justlie aucht and man succeid to 1568 Anderson Collect. Mary IV. i. 123.
Quhilk gyf scho be deteynit we man and will do of our deutie c1475 Wall. (1570) vii. 968. a1605 Montg. Flyt. 564.
The loun man lik his womeit 1596 James VI Facs. Nat. MSS. III. lxxiv.
I ame and man contineu best freind to you baith 1603 Philotus cxxxix.
That ȝe command, it man be done

b. Expressing insistence imputed to the person(s) in question. a1570-86 Maitl. F. clxxviii. 118.
The women … man be buskit wp lyk bryddis a1585 Maitl. Q. ii. 21. 1587-99 Hume 73/173.
For acts, decreits, they man haue double prise Ib. /179.

3. Expressing the inferred or presumed certainty of something. With present or (rarely) perfect infin.(1) 1533 Gau 54/6.
Veralie He man be God 15.. Clar. iii. 1414.
He man be vailȝeand, For he is cumit of nobill parentell 1561 Reg. Privy C. I. 177.
And in caise thai be tane the awnaris thairof man have na actioun for the samyn 1562-3 Winȝet I. 120/5.
And gif it [the Kirk] wantis toungis [etc.] … as it man want of necessitie gif it be inuisible 1565 Crim. Trials I. i. 465.
[He] can nocht be excusit bot manne be haldin fugityve 1568 Sempill Sat. P. xlviii. 96.
A symple merchant, ȝe man see 1588 King Cat. 231.
It man be beleued that na thing inlaiks thame that ar iustified 1585 James VI Ess. 59. 1588 Aberd. Council Lett. I. 26. 1596–7 Misc. Spald. C. I. 100.
Quhilk men of necessitie be trew in deid 1597 Ib. 166.
Quhilk man of force be accomptit wichecraft 1601 Crim. Trials II. 345. 1601–2 Bk. Old Edinb. C. VI. 103.(2) 1591 Crim. Trials I. ii. 253.
Quhilk visiounis man haif procedit of your dewilisch airt of wichcraft

4. Followed by an adv. or adv. phrase of motion, with ellipsis of the verb of motion.In various prec. senses. ?1438 Alex. ii. 2734.
We man sum tyme to gamming and gle 1535 Stewart 21112.
That rancour … That force it is it man out at the last ? a 1700 Edinb. Biblio. Soc. Trans. III. 293.
John Paterson's mare mann foremost