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

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First published 1990 (DOST Vol. VII).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

Race, Raice, Rais, n. Also: rease. [e.m.E. rase (1520) a species, race (1547), OF race, rasse (1512), rache (? f. It. razza), late L. ratio a sort, kind (of animals or fruits) (Larousse), L. ratio calculation; reasoning, etc.; also, rarely, a quality, kind.] A group of persons connected by common descent or origin.

1. The stock from which a person is descended; a family or house; one's ancestry or lineage; one's progenitors, collectively.(1) 1572 Sat. P. xxxiii 136.
Lord Deddy … Cum of ane race of men to me [Lady Scotland] maist kynd Ib. xxxv 25.
Ȝour quene had pruif that Mortounis race To covatice wes hoill inclynde a1585 Maitl. Q. 222/2.
That race To quhome thow dois pertene a1585 Polwart Flyt. 699 (T).
I raknit first thy race 1598 James VI Basil. Doron 108/11.
That uertu or uyce uill oftymes … be transferrid from the parentis to the posteritie … the seiknessis of the mynde becumming als kyndlie to sum racis as these sicnessis of the boddie(b) a1570-86 Hudson Maitl. F. 448/1.
Thy surname Maitland schawis thy ancient raice a1585 Maitl. Q. 145/105.
Ȝour raice … Quhais … prowes can not be exprest Mair luftie linage neuer had a lord 1590 Conv. Burghs I 321.
And be sa far as his maiesties fre burch [Aberdeen] hes bene thrallit to serue ane raice of pepill as it war ane burch of baronaye neuer haiving ony prouest … changit … except it war be death and in that caice ane of the same rais as it war ane stait of inheritance succeiding thairto Ib. 326.
Sum hes bene prouestis … thay and thair predecessouris of ane rais, surname and bluid be the spaice of thrie scoir yeris 1591-2 Rob Stene 5.
Bot ȝe sowld cheifly mene his caice To quhalpis ar of his nobill raice 1597 Sumburgh Papers (Shetland Archives) D.8/3/1.
That four markis of land quhilk our said umquhile father airit efter his barne and rais of the stok of Brind(2) 1570 Sat. P. x 154.
Cum of royall race c1615 Chron. Kings 9.
The nobillittie not willing to chainge the rease of the bluid royall ellectit Euenus cussing to the said Druscus

b. A nation or people regarded as descended from a common ancestor or as belonging to a common stock. c. A clan.b. 1606 Birnie Kirk-b. xix.
What tombe could intumulate any entyre race of folks? c1615 Chron. Kings 24.
This historie of Carantius as recountit be the Scottis historeyis hes the gritter appeirance seing he wes of thair raisc. 1594 Acts IV 73/1.
All of thair races clannis and names duelland within the boundis of the hielandis and bordouris 1599 Reg. Privy C. VI 839.
To … persew thame, thair haill clannis and races, wyiffis and barnis, with fyir, sword [etc.] 1613 Denmylne MSS in Highland P. III 127.
The generale greif … maid the exterminioun of this damnable raice of people [sc. Clan Macgregor] to be resolueit wpone 1615 Ib. 268.
My race [sc. Macdonald of Dunyveg] hes bene tenne hundreth yeeris kyndlie Scottis men vnder the kinges of Scotland

2. A person's offspring, collectively; a set of children or descendants.? Sometimes including other living relatives as members of the larger kin group. 1568 Lyndesay Pref. (S.T.S.) 402.
Quhen ane pure man with his haill raice and offspring hes laubourit out thair lyfis on ane lytill peice of ground 1581 Acts III 237/2.
As being discendit ather of the male raice and blude of Murdo sumtyme duke of Albanye 1591-2 Rob Stene 6.
Sa dois he stand … To saw discord & baneis paice, Betuix the Lyoun and his raice 1596 Dalr. I 88/11.
Quhen the Peychtis doubted quha suld succeid to the kingdome lawfullie, to wit, conforme to the manis geneologie, the womanis race and line thay suld seik out c1615 Chron. Kings 23.
Incontinent he sakit the heill race of the saidis Donaldus, the last of that name [etc.]

3. a. ? A sort or kind. b. A class of persons having some characteristic in common. c1500-c1512 Dunb. (O.U.P.) 151/50.
Bakbyttaris of sindry racis — 1570 Sat. P. xx 33.
A wickit race of grumis but grace Of Kedȝochis curst clan 1591-2 Rob Stene 7.
O Janus with a dowble face Of Symon [? for Sinon] and Ȝebaris [sic] raice 1639 Drummond Wks. (1711) 187.
That the church-race marry only among themselves, ministers sons upon ministers daughters