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

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First published 2001 (DOST Vol. X).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

Thir, adj. (pron.). Also: thire, thirr(e, thyr(e, ther(e, their, thar(e, thaire, thur. Pl. thirz, thirs. [North. ME þir, þeir, þier (all Cursor M.), þere (a1340), þire (14th c.), ther (c1400); of obscure origin. Cf. ON þeir, þæar, OIcel. þeir, OSw. or ODan. þēr, þair. See also MED Thir pron., adj. for further references.]Extremely common throughout the period, esp. as adj., also in the mod. dial. Cf. Thai pron. (adj.) and Thais adj. (pron.).

A. demonstr. adj. 1. Qualifying a plural noun or singular nouns indicating something physically present or near or something which has already been or is about to be mentioned: These.Also ane of thir. Also pl. in form.(a) 1375 Barb. i 76.
He suld that arbytre disclar Off thir twa that I tauld off ar 1375 Barb. iv 248.
He … said till hyr thir thre wers her, ‘Rex ruet in bello [etc.]’ c1379 MacRae Early Sc. Texts No. 1.
Thir wytnes Sir Macolme of Dromond lard of Strathvrde … & mony vythyr a1400 Leg. S. xii 332.
Thar-for is to be chosyne ane Of thire men that has al tyme gane With ws ?1438 Alex. ii 9941.
Thir thre Jowes … Josua … Dauid … Judas Machabeus c1400 Troy-bk. i 94.
Thyre 1428 Bk. Carlaverock II 429.
The tenor of the qwylk endenture folowis in thyr wordis 1445 Melville Chart. 30.
The saide Johne sal bring to the saide trist ane of thir twa, Thome of Wemys … Johne of Wemys c1450-2 Howlat 31 (A).
Vnder the cerkill solar thir sauorus seidis War nurist be Dame Natur 1473 Treas. Acc. I 74.
Sum totale of all the parcialis of thir expensis befor wirtin a1500 Henr. Fab. 612.
Thir twa sinnis, flatterie and vaneglore, Ar vennomous c1475 Wall. i 442.
Thir Southland hors latt se gif I can ride 1513 Doug. iii iv 4.
In the gret sey standing ilis two … And, in thir ilandis … Dwelt … the cruel Celeno 1532 Acts II 336/1.
And sic vther lordis as sall pleis the kingis grace to enjone to thaim of his gret counsell … and thir lordis to subscriue [etc.] 1535 Stewart 7687.
Oure goddis … Till oure fatheris … gaif all the rycht Of thir landis quhilk that we bruke now a1578 Pitsc. I 361/30.
The king … heirand thir wordis, he braid frome his bede 1592 Edinb. Test. XXV 29a.
I … nominatis … my wellbelouit spous my onlie executour … willing him to fulfill & pay thir legacies left be me 1596 Dalr. I 276/31.
Thirr 1622-6 Bisset II 52/21.
There ar threttene bischopries … everie ane of thir … bischopries had and hes there awin … diocies iudges 1657 Misc. Hist. Soc. VII 14.
Thursday … Craigebuii, John Ramsay [etc.] … keeped a rant in Hawthornden. Fryday: those gentlemen and my selfe went to the howse of Moore … Setterday: thirre gentlemen went from Hawthornden to there owen homes ?c1675 J. Gordon Hist. I 37.
Thir thinges I mention now(b) c1400 Troy-bk. ii 2194.
All there liegis … With meike hartis … Resaued thame in thare kynryke a1500 Lanc. 1860.
Who that red ther old bukis, wat [etc.] 1490 Irland Mir. III 163/8.
The king suld nocht wse the counsale of synnaris and euill lyffaris … for commonly ther persounis ar full of fraude and decepcioun(c) ?1438 Alex. ii 2553.
Fra thare fallonis that dois luffaris Mony noyis on sere maneris c1409-1436 Kingis Q. § 117 (see Wis(e n. d).
Thaire c1475 Wall. i 16.
Of thar [pr. thair (Moir); 1570 thir] parablys as now I say no morpl. 1454 Southesk MSS 720/2.
This inquisicione of knavlage made at Forfare … be thirz personeis vndervryttyn

b. Freq. with a definite or indefinite expression of time referring to a period in the immediate past or immediate future. c. Thir dayis, thir tymys, etc., these days, the present time, also, the time being described.b. 1375 Barb. vii 305.
Thai trow we so scalit ar … That we sall nocht thir dayis thre All to-giddir assemblit be c1456 Edinb. B. Rec. MS (Reg. H.) 2a.
Gilbert Welch oblist him to content and pay to Issabell Broune … the some of xl s. within thir xij moneth nixt tocum a1500 Rauf C. 231.
With my lady the quene In office maist haue I bene All thir ȝeiris fyftene c1475 Wall. i 6.
In thir tymys bywent a1500 Seven S. 1143.
Thir forty ȝeris … I lay with na woman bot thé 1533 Boece 209b.
Towart thir tymez cunnyng men … war liffand 1540 Lynd. Sat. 25 (B).
Misrewill hes rung thir mony ȝeiris 1562–3 Reg. Privy C. I 228.
Thir thre yeris bigane 1588 Crim. Trials I ii 162.
Thir diuers ȝeiris bypast 1618 M. Works Acc. (ed.) II 94.
For paper and ink thir xx weikis xl s. 1633 Innes Sketches 370.
I intended to heave gone … to Inuerraray, bot I had ane letter within thir two or three days … desyring me to be in Edinburgh 1664 Pitcairn Spiritual Sacrifice 264.
We know not … that now in thir last days the Lord [etc.] 1680 Kirkcaldy B. Rec. MS 21 June.
Uthr. publict debts … is not bein reveised and reckified thir severall yeirsc. a1470 Liber Aberbr. II 108.
The … landis callit Caulte quhilkis our predecessoris has iosyt and brukyt peceabile ii hundreth yeirys befor thir days 1492 Myll Spect. 294/10.
God knawys gyf thar be mony in thire tymes that entrys in the habit of relegioun for sic causis 1549 Lamb Resonyng 3/8.
Do ȝe nocht eschame to be callit ane Scott thir dayis? 1560 Rolland Seven S. 53.
Lang tyme befoir thir dayis Ane empreour was … hecht … Pontianus a1586 Maitland Geneal. Setoun 13.
Thair fathers name was ay thair surname, as Johne Makwilliame, or Williamsone … as ȝit in thir dayis is the wse of the hie lands of Scotland 1570 Leslie 268.
Elizabethe was proclamed Quene of Inglande, quha joyses the same to thir dais 1574 Hist. Kinloss A. 96.
Teind lambis, woll, and utheris dewities, quhilk payis nathing in thir dayis c1590 Fowler I 193/3.
All thir cold nights I gant, I glow, and burne 1608 Reg. Privy C. VIII 172.
In thir dayis quhen blindnes and ignorance haith taikin so grite hald 1638 Henderson in Kerr Covenants (1896) 54.
More is it required of ws now in thir days 1650 Blairs P. 20.
F. Seaton … hath made some secret voiage, uhich I uish be secret and he circumspect thir doges dayes, this to yourself til I knou more

d. With singular noun, erroneous for This adj. (pron.). 1515 Douglas Corr. 71.
Wyth my hand, in hast, at Perth, thyr xxj day of Januar 1597 S. Leith Rec. 2/1.
William Fourd (being ane of the kirk deokins for thir present ȝeir) wes put aff the sessioun, for consulting with a warlow

2. Thir (..) letteris, indenturis, etc. the present document(s). Freq. in quasi-pl. use, also sometimes followed by a possess. pron.Chiefly as thir present letteris and in the later period as thir presentis. Also in the mod. dial. See Present adj. and adv. 3 and Present n.² 1 for further examples. Cf. Thais adj. (pron.) 1385 quot. in A (1) (b), and B b.(1) 1385 Slater Early Sc. Texts No. 7.
Tyl al that thir lettrys herys or seys … gretyng 1385 Slater Early Sc. Texts No. 7.
In thir endentyt lettrys 1395 Menzies Charters 10 Feb.
Thyr c1405 Slater Early Sc. Texts No. 59.
I with al gudly hast sende yhour lettres til him of the quhilkis at the makynge of thir letteris I hade nane answer 1425 (1426) Reg. Great S. 11/1.
Be it kend tel al men throwch thir present letteris ws [etc.] 1473 Edinb. B. Rec. I 26.
The day of the making of thir present lettres 1498 Fam. Rose 167.
That the said James … at the seilling … of thir indentoris sall … hanfast the said Alyn 1561 St. A. Kirk S. 129.
Maister Johan Wynram … to my lovittis, minister or reader … wyth execucion of thir presentis, grace, mercy and peace 1564 Grey Friars II 146.
We hes permittet … and be thir presents permitts and licencis thaim … to bury thair deid in that place 1637 House Gordon II 458.
Be it kende till all men by thir present letters 1665 Forbes Baron Ct. 258.
[They] inacctes them be thir presentties to leiv christane lyk in good nighbourheid(b) 1655 Annandale Corr. 302.
I doe request yow to keip thur letters(2) 1415 Reg. Episc. Brechin. I 37.
Til thir our letteris … we haf gart put the grit seil of our office 1473 Holyrood Chart. 153.
Till all and sindre oure liegis and subditis to quhais knaulagis thir oure lettres salcum greting 1486 Maxwell Mem. I 198.
The quhilk to ȝou to do … I commytte my fulle power irreuocabylye be thir my present letters 1518 Glenartney Doc.
Committis to ȝow our power be thir our lettres 1526 Reg. Privy S. I 511/2.
That nane of ȝow … attempt to do onything in contrar or breking of thir our lettres 1548 Ayr Chart. 41.
Be thir our letres delivering thame be you dewlie execute and indorsate agane to the berar 1558-66 Knox II 163.
Beseiking your honouris, with uprycht jugement and indifferencie, to luyk upone thir oure few articles c1590 Fowler II 10/20.
My houpe … incressis that thir my laubours salbe … acceptit be ȝour lordschip 1596 Highland P. I 155.
We chairge you straitly … that incontenent their owre letters sene ȝe pas [etc.]

b. With singular noun, erroneous for This adj. (pron.). 1525 Soc. Ant. XVI 192.
Be it kend till all men be thir present writ 1622-6 Bisset I 113/26.
The foirsaidis persones clamand the said vacand place, beand present all the tymes of the ressoning thairof salbe haldin as be thir present act

B. demonstr. pron. Referring to persons or things physically near or which have already been mentioned or are about to be mentioned; also as an antecedent followed by a defining phrase introduced by a relative clause: These. Also pl. in form. Also thir ar to say.(1) 1375 Barb. x 48.
Schyr Alysander Fraser … Wylȝam Wysman [etc.] … Thir with thar mengne held thar way a1400 Leg. S. Prol. 139.
Disciplis ȝet had he may, Forowtin thir [sc. twelve], sewinty and twa, That ware with hym in gret distres a1400 Leg. S. xxiii 68.
Malcus & Maxymyane, Johnne [etc.] … Ther drew ful ewine in a lyne 14.. Acts I 299/3.
The cro of the newow of a than or of ane ogethearn is xliiii … al thir that ar lawer than thir in kyn ar callit carlis c1439 Antiq. Aberd. & B. IV 190.
Thir ar the personys sal be consallowrris … in al thir materis … Sir Jhon of Cokbwrne Thomas of Wemys [etc.] 1456 Hay I 203/2. a1500 Henr. Practysis 35.
Lawrean and linget seid and the luffage, The hair of the hurcheon [etc.] … Put all thir in ane pan 1494 Treas. Acc. I 245.
Thir ar the expensis maid apone the byggen of the kyngis rowbarge … In the fyrst [etc.] c1500-c1512 Dunb. (OUP) 17/70.
Plane I revoik in thir quhair I myswent Befor thé … I cry the marcy and laser to repent 1513 Doug. v vii 90.
Thir sammyn wapynnys Erix, thi broder germane, Was wont to bair 1540 Lynd. Sat. 2495 (Ch.).
Thir [sc. Covetice and Sensualitie] is my grainter and my chalmerlaine c1568 Lauder Minor P. i 56.
In Christ tha byde nocht … The quhilk … Dois nocht imbrace his wourd most louynglie … Thir bydis nocht in Christ, the Scripture saith 1581-1623 James VI Poems I 43/27, 28.
Then fra I sau … Hou men complaind for thingis quhilk micht amend Hou Dauid Lyndsay did complaine … His papingo hir deith … All thir [1584 these] hes moued me … to tell Ane tragedie in greifis thir to excell 1635 Wodrow in Hay Geneal. 88.
To thir wer also added 1649 Lamont Diary 5.
Mr. Jho. Moncriefe, … Mr. Fredricke Carmichaell [etc.] … thire werre chosen commissionerspl. 1473 Reg. Cupar A. I 166.
He sal put the sad land til al polici efter his pouar in biggyn and plantatioun of treys that is to sa eschis ozaris and sauch with hanyngis and defens of thirs forsad(2) 1520 Grant Chart. 64.
It is finaly appointit, endit, and concordit betux vyrchyfull men thir ar to say, Johne the Grant … James Grant [etc.]