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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.

Pace, Pase, Pais, n.¹ Also: pas, pass(e, pais(s)e, paice, pays(s; paiche. [ME. and e.m.E. pas (c 1290), pase, pas (Cursor M.), paas (1382), pace (1398), pasce (1400), F. pas, L. passus step, pace, track, etc., f. pass-, p.p. stem of pandere to stretch. Cf. the cognate Pas n.]

I. (A) pace.

1. A step with the foot, a footstep.Only in verse.(a) 1375 Barb. vii. 203* (C).
Till hym [the King] thai ȝeid a full gret pas [: grace] c1400 Troy-bk. i. 292.
Rytht ewyn pacys thar way thai tuk Ib. ii. 1650. ?1438 Alex. ii. 4215.
Arreste preist furth ane pas(b) ?1438 Alex. ii. 4205.
Togiddir thay ȝeid than pais for pais 1513 Doug. vi. ix. 30.
Deiphobus … About turnyt hys pays Ib. xii. vii. 8.
Lenand ilk pays on a lang poyntit speir 15.. Clar. ii. 580.
And set hir paissis soft That naine sould hir heir

2. As a (rough and ready) measure of distance, also of height.a. The space covered by a single step. b. Corresponding to, or put to render (as in the Bell. Livy quot.), L. passus = 5 Roman feet.Freq. plur. without inflection.infl. plur. c1420 Wynt. iv. 1840.
He bad thame … Fra the se that thai suld fare Ten thowsand pasys Ib. 2243. 1494 Loutfut MS. 2a.
And the listes suld be maid eftir the state of the fechtaris … til a prince of ane hundreth passes, tillane erle of iiii^xx [etc.] c1552 Lynd. Mon. 1733.
Sayand the heycht of this dungeoun Off large pasis of mesure bene [5174] 1611 Reg. Panmure I. xcv.
The space of fourscor passes ?c1675 J. Gordon Hist. III. 87.
To rebuild about twenty paces of a stone walle(b) 1555 Prot. Bk. T. Dalrymple b.
The said corn wes schorn and haid away to the novmer of xxxiiij paysis and of breid foure 1584-9 Maxwall Commonpl. Bk. 2 b.
[980] paisses is ane myilesing. and uninfl. plur. c1420 Wynt. i. 1452.
Babelle, that towre, … off hycht hade foure thowsand pas 1429 Acts II. 18/1.
Within the tym that a man may gang esily xl pays c1515 Asl. MS. I. 161/4.
The mouth of the Red Se is fra the mouth of Egipt bot fyfty thousand pas Ib. 156/2. 1519 Stirling B. Rec. I. .
Ane pece of land contenand xxxii paice of lyntht 1528 Lynd. Dreme 646, 647.
Euerilk myle in aucht stagis … Ilk staige ane hundrith pais twenty and fyue, Ane pais fyue fute 1533 Bell. Livy I. 38/20.
Within j^m pais to Fidena 1533 Boece iv. iii. 128 b. 1596 Dalr. I. 4/19. Ib. 170/17, 222/22.
The lenth [of Britain] extendis … seuin hundir thousand pace lang

3. a. A (specified kind of) gait or manner of walking. c1420 Wynt. v. 3458.
[She] tuk hyr rayk wyth movand pas [: was; C. passe, W. paise] a1500 Henr. Fab. 1362 (Bann.).
He come a sturdy pace [: face] c1475 Wall. iv. 780.
Rycht fast he ȝeide a stour pais and a stout Ib. ix. 1921.
Hys lymmys gret with stalwart pais and sound 1513 Doug. ii. xi. 76.
Lytil Julus … With onmeit pays his fader fast followand Ib. v. xi. 97.
Quhat pays goys scho now? 1566-70 Buch. Comm. on Virgil Georgics iii. 191.
With ane measurit paise 1611-57 Mure Dido & Æneas iii. 335.
With aged pase … She stagg'ring foorth did show her fordward minde 1640 Maidment Balfour Ballads 6. 1663 Alford Rec. 34.
Garments … no wayes beseeming the gravitie of their persounes and paces

b. The rate of progression (of a human being or animal), speed of walking or running.See Huly a. for further examples.Ane pace, ? a fair or reasonable speed. On pace, = Apace adv. (apace, quickly).(1) ?1438 Alex. i. 294.
My steid … Be fallen in the haltand pais Ib. 998.
Quhen Gaderanis saw sa hard ane pais Be held thame [etc.] 1494 Loutfut MS. 19 a.
[The camel] will nocht … suffir to be led out of the pas that he is customyt to gang Ib. 26 b.
The paon … gangis a thevis pas 1513 Doug. iii. ix. 20.
He styntit … And fra hys pays begouth abak to draw Ib. iv. xi. 114.
With slaw pays lyke a trat Ib. viii. viii. 18.
Hundis two That haldis thar lordis pays quhar evir he go 1533 Boece viii. x. 273 b.
Euery ane exhortit his marro he suld mend his pais c1590 J. Stewart II. 32/94.
His ase did tyre Till imitat hir passing paise be speid c1590 Fowler I. 110/188.
I … lyke one who did adwance his fitstepps and his pace [: space] 1668 Aberd. B. Rec. IV. 249.
That no persone ryde vpon the streets at any swift paise(2) ?1438 Alex. i. 2251.
And all thair hors was [sa] weary That few micht of ane pais gang Ib. ii. 6202.
Les than ane pace on brydill he raid(3) a1500 Henr. Fab. 2703 (Ch.).
The uolf … can eit Quhill he wes full and went his way on pace [H. a pace]

II. A passage.

4. A defile; a narrow passage through otherwise obstructed or impassable ground, as broken ground or hills. 1375 Barb. x. 23 (E).
For a schor crag hey and hydwous Raucht to the se doun fra the pas [: was] Ib. 35.
Pais Ib. xiv. 118, 122.
Pas Ib. xviii. 377.
[The English] Went to the peth and tuk the bra … And thocht weill to defend the pas [: has] c1650 Spalding II. 211.
Of ane pass or brig whiche Newcastell behoved to marche by

5. a. A critical position, a predicament. b. A certain position or situation in the course of an affair.Partly e.m.E. passe (1560), F. (en belle) passe, (dans une mauvaise) passe, etc., see Pas n. 2 b. ?1438 Alex. i. 347.
I will abyde with thé, neid-wayis, To helpe thé to pas this pace [: cace] a1578 Pitsc. II. 155/6.
My lord Lyndsay was weill plessit that he had gottin the Duike at this pase Ib. 283/23.
Into thair hairtis … thinking that thay vald have beine at that same pas and proffeit that the vthir syd var at

6. A passage or specific part of a literary text. c1420 Wynt. ii. 1062 (C).
And gif I did as othir wrate In this passe [R. plas] I sulde set thar date c1420 Ratis R. 1098.
Tak gud kep al-wais to this pase 1549 Compl. 90/13.
In diuersis passis of ȝour cronikillis 1556 Prot. Bk. J. Robeson 151 b.
And uther passis contenit in the sad writting 1558 Q. Kennedy Tractive 108. 1565 Reg. Privy S. V. i. 573/2.
And all uthiris pointis, clausis, articlis and pasis contenit within the said gift 1633 Acts V. (1817) 152/1.

7. The pace (of Calies), the Straits of Dover. After F. pas (de Calais).This sense only Sc. 1535 Stewart 19036. Ib. 20328.
Syne [from Brittany] throw the pais thai salit furth … Wnto the yle richt sone of Albione 1545–6 Corr. M. Lorraine 159.
Thar is certane schippis of this toune [Dieppe] and Newhaivin in reddines till pas toart the paiche 1570 Leslie 124. Ib. 113.
The pase betuix Dover and Calleis a1578 Pitsc. I. 368/29.
The King of Scottland … came stoutlie throw the pace of Calies Ib. 378/17.
Paice 1587 Conv. Burghs I. 264.
Scotis schippis passing through the pace to France