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

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First published 1983 (DOST Vol. V).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

Our, Oure, Owr(e, possess. pron. Also: ouer, ouir, owir; wr; houre; wour. [ME. our(e, ur(e, e.m.E. our, OE. úre, (1) gen. pl. of the 1st person pron., (2) possess. pron.] Our; possess. of We pron.

1. = Of us: only in our alleris, see Alleris a.

2. In the usual senses of We pron.: Belonging to, pertaining to, or connected with, us.Also serving as an objective genitive in in our succouris, our redemptioun, etc.See also, for examples in certain specific collocations, Enemy n. 2, Fader n. 4 b, Lady n. 4 d, Lord n. 7, 30, 33 b and c, Salviour n., also Our Lady.(1) a1400 Leg. S. xx. 225.
Oure godis ?1438 Alex. ii. 553.
Thay that cumis in our succouris c1420 Wynt. vii. 1783.
Oure Kyng off Scotland 1465 Liber Dryburgh 278.
All and haile our plew of land c1475 Wall. vii. 269.
Our men ar slayne 1477 Maxwell Mem. II. 187.
We na ovre ayeris 1482 Misc. Spald. C. II. 324.
At owr he auter 1495 Charter (Reg. H.) No. 596.
The rankcour of ouir hartis 1531 Bell. Boece (M) I. 170.
Latt ws kyith oure manhede Id. Livy (1822) 401.
Owre 1544 Corr. M. Lorraine 79.
All wder novillis I refar to wour metyng 1552 Ib. 358.
[To] gif ws wr chois 1561 St. A. Kirk S. 81.
Befoir owr ees 1568 Anderson Collect. Mary IV. i. 122.
Ouir a1578 Pitsc. I. 107/8.
Against the Inglismen our awld enemeis 1589-1600 Skipper's Acc. (Morton) 67 a.
Our temermane 1600-1610 Melvill 310.
Our assemblie of Fyff(2) a1400 Leg. S. i. 721.
In our birth Ib. iii. 339.
For our restoringe 1385 Red Bk. Grandtully I. 139*.
The yhere of houre Lorde [1385] a1499 Contempl. Sinn. 342 (Asl.).
Our carnale lust 1490 Irland Mir. I. 6/1.
For oure redempcioune Ib. 44/8.
Oure humyll fadere c1500-c1512 Dunb. lxxxvi. 38.
Lucifer our fa c1520-c1535 Nisbet Matth. vi. 9.
Our fader that art in heuenis 1565 7th Rep. Hist. MSS. App. 724/2.
Throwcht Jesus Christ ouer onely sauiour(3) c1500 Fyve Bestes 204.
Than spak our dame that wes the childis moder

b. Our alone, on our own, by ourselves; cf. Allane 2 b. — 1570-3 Bann. Trans. 507.
We are left our alone

3. a. Applied by the, or a, sovereign to himself, as the royal ‘we’.For some common collocations, see Lege n.¹, Letter n. 6 b, Luvit ppl. a. 2. 1415 Reg. Episc. Brechin. I. 37.
The tyme of our chekar 1417 Acts I. 227/2.
Vnder oure priue seil 1433 Aberd. B. Rec. I. 390.
Rex … it is our will that [etc.] ?a1500 Steel Roy Robert 189.
Fourtie agane fourtie … of our kinryk 1504 Breadalbane Doc. No. 32.
Oure said lieutennand in oure name 1513 Doug. iv. v. 74. 1526 Reg. Privy S. I. 530/2. 1540–1 Ib. II. 581/2; etc. 1562 Dundas Fam. P. ix.
The intervew betuix us and our guid sister the Quene of Ingland 1571 Warrender P. (S.H.S.) I. 106.
Our croun and utheris our royall ornamentis 1624 Justiciary Cases I. 17.
Denuncet our rebell and put to our horne

b. Similarly applied by persons other than the sovereign. 1387–8 Slater Early Sc. Texts No. 12.
Vs Robert Steward Eril of Fyff … haf frely grantyt til wr lufd cosyn [etc.] 1409 Ib. No. 73.
[The Earl of Angus:] the sele of oure lady oure modyr 1431 Reg. Great S. 45/1.
We made our lyffyng les in our tyme for lestand profyt to thaim 1479 Sc. Ant. XV. 142.
We Archibald Erile of Angus … in our naymn be this our present letteres of power 1491 Fam. Rose 153.
Ws George Erle of Huntle … be this owir writ and the fatht in owr body 1507 Grant Chart. 46. 1549 Reg. Cupar A. II. 59.
To be tane vp and inbrocht to our vse 1567 Orkney & Shetl. Rec. 161.
To compeir befoir ws and our deputis 1641 Bk. Carlaverock II. 138.
We … hes furnished our whole tennentis and servantis with [etc.]

4. Also with plur. inflexion. 1454 7th Rep. Hist. MSS. 720/1.
Ovrez will is thairfore [that you] … inquere how the elderis of … Wattis held the said landis of ovrez predecessovris Ib. /2.
Thirz ovrez lettrez … gifyn vnder ovrez signete at Edynburgh Ib.
The predecessouris of ovrez soverane lorde the Kyng and of ovrez lord the King that now is 1525 Selkirk B. Ct. (ed.) 78.
That thai be cheit to oueris bailyeis 1530–1 Ib. 110.
We deput thir vndervryttin to be Ouris Ladeis procuratouris 1551 Corr. M. Lorraine 353.
Als fre as thai war in ony of ouris dayis