Dictionaries of the Scots Language
Dictionars o the Scots Leid

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.

Pac-, Patient, a. and n. [ME. and e.m.E. pacient (c 1370), patient (1580), adj. (c 1370) and noun (Chaucer), OF. pacient, passient (13–14th c.), later patient, L. patiens, pres. p. of patī to suffer. Cf. Pacience,n.]

A. adj. 1. Patient, in the usual senses.Of persons: a. Long-suffering; able to endure. b. Tolerant; not easily angered.Also transf.attrib. c1460 Wisd. Sol. (S.T.S.) 332.
Mar is lowabile to God with a … pacient man na a … sturtand 1490 Irland Mir. I. 56/27.
A werray pacient man sustenis all thingis 1530 Lynd. Test. Pap. 990.
Sic pacient prelatis [as Gregory, Jerome etc.] enterit be the porte [etc.]predic. a1500 Henr. Fab. 535 (Bann.).
Bot rychtuous God … Smytis full soir thocht he be patient ?a1500 Steel Roy Robert 190.
Gif thow be pacient and tholmudie [etc.] c1500-c1512 Dunb. ix. 38 (Arund.).
Nor wes [I] to ask forgevinnes pacient 15.. Dunb. App. v. 4.
Be secreit, trew and pacient 1513 Doug. i. ix. 42. 1533 Boece ii. iii. 61 b.
Ferleig … is … of mynde invincibill, of laubouris maist pacient a1538 Abell 13 a.
Socrates … wes werray patient 1549 Compl. 175/27.
His collig Fabius vas cald, graif and pacient in his bissynes c1550 Rolland Ct. Venus iv. 217. 1551 Hamilton Cat. 9/2.
And to be til our nychtbouris persone pacient [etc.] 1556 Lauder Off. Kings 443.
Thay suld be sober and pacienttransf. 1513 Doug. x. xi. 29.
Now sall he … sched hys gentyll blude sa pacient 1570 Bann. Memor. 74.
As wold haue irritate … the most patient fleshe leving

2. Passive, inactive, inert. 1513 Doug. Comm. i. i. 82.
The ayr and the fyr is actyve, and the watyr and the erth patient c1550-c1580 Art of Music 15 b.
[There are three] kyndis of imperfectible figuris. … The first is allanerly pacient, the secund allanerly agent, the thrid is boith agent & pacient

B. noun. One suffering from a disease or illness. Passing into: b. One receiving (medical) treatment for this at the hands of another. 1513 Doug. iv. Prol. 118.
Lyke as the pacient hes heyt of our gret fors 1531 Bell. Boece I. xv.
No medicine the pacient avalis 1563 Davidson Answer 214.
The leame pote that contenis the medicine dois na thing to the healing of the patient 1568 Skeyne Descr. Pest 14.
The ma of thir signis concurrand the patient is neirer dethe a1605 Montg. Ch. & Slae 477 (W.).
Gif ony patient wald be panssit [etc.] 1590–1 Crim. Trials I. ii. 234.
Agnes Sampsone's prayer to hir patientis for liff or daith 1597 Ib. II. 28.
Saw maid of quick-siluer and rubbit … on the patient 1597 James VI Dæmonol. 49. 1622 Crim. Trials III. 516.
Graipping of the pulses or chaikillbane and breist, quhilk … is the ordiner behauiour vset and practizet be the visitouris of ony patient