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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.

Revert, -vart, v. Also: ra- and -verte; -wert, -wairt, -wart(e. ? P.t. (or p.p.) also revert. [ME and e.m.E. reuert (1340), OF revertir (c1120 in Wartburg), L. revertere, f. vertere to turn.]

1. intr. To improve in condition; to recover; to return to an earlier and better condition.Chiefly without const.(1) 1456 Hay II 132/34.
With syk gude governaunce mannis nature begynnis agayn to revert a1500 Henr. Orph. 365 (Bann.).
War scho at hame … Scho wald rewert full sone in [fax] and face a1568 Bannatyne Bann. MS 234a/23.
ȝour fawour … gif I do obtene, I sall revert as dois the reid roseir 1589 Maxwell in Paisley Mag. (1828) 383.
Gif that hart will not rewairt I must depairt a1605 Montg. Sonn. lviii 13.
Love, … my melancholie remove, Revenge, revert, revive [etc.] … My hurt, my hairt, my hope [etc.](2) a1568 Bann. MS 257b/69.
Fra wo to ioy I will rewairt

b. Of a sinner: To return to virtue; to repent. c1515 Asl. MS I 303/10.
The dow … figuris of men falling in syn and reuertis be confessioun 1567 G. Ball. 77.
All sinnaris that will reuart, And fra thair sinfull lyfe will fle

c. Of a plant: To sprout or flower again. 1501 Doug. Pal. Hon. 77.
The knoppit syonis with leuis aggreabill For till reuert and burgione ar maid abill c1500-c1512 Dunb. (O.U.P.) 4/42.
Now spring up flouris fra the rute, Revert ȝow upwart naturaly 1513 Doug. xii Prol. 230.
Throu kynd ilk thyng spryngis and revertis a1568 Scott v 5.
And every thing in May revartis 1587-99 Hume 38/137.
As … flowres reverts that withered were and gon

d. Of a person: To recover one's health or vitality; to revive. 1531 Bell. 1531 Boece II 206.
The medcinaris … knawing na remeid … [said] he suld revert at the spring of the yeir, quhen every thing … convalescis c1550 Rolland Ct. Venus i 686.
ȝit for faintnes … was at his hart, The quhile befoir fra time he did reuert [etc.]

e. To return to (in) another state or condition. c1500-c1512 Dunb. (O.U.P.) 174/7 (M).
Remember that thow art bot as And sall in as revert agane 1632 Lithgow Trav. i 5.
I … strain'd to assume … A dying life, revert in living death

f. To return to a place. 1558-66 Knox I 50.
Gif feare … had moved me to departe, I wold not so pleasandlie reverte

2. Of property or annual rent: To return to a former possessor or his heirs. 14.. Burgh Laws c. 90 (A).
The landis … gottyn in the tym of his other wif sall reuert & turn to the tother childer & the ayris of that wif [etc.] 1481–2 Ayr B. Ct. 11 Feb.
The said tenement lande & annuell rentis reuertande & aganturnande to the … ayris of the saide Robert 1492 Douglas Chart. 133.
The saidis landis … sall frely rewart to the aier of the said Cuthbert, mediat or immediat

b. ? To return as revenue; ? to accrue from (of). 1536–7 (c1580) Edinb. B. Rec. II 84.
Thair culd nocht be sa mony [parts of the boroughmuir] fund vacand to geve proportionally for thame as efferis to the said sovme revartand thairof as wantis of the saidis pairtis

3. To return to a person after estrangement. 1567 G. Ball. 126.
The sinfull than to thé reuart Sall in to gudlie haist a1568 Fethy Bann. MS 235a/18.
O Cupeid, … caus hir so that scho to me rewarte [: smarte]

b. To have recourse to a thing as an expedient. 1564 Cochran-Patrick Coinage I 92.
Qwhen the prynce had to do and to rawert thairto agane qwhen trobles war done vpoun the pryce thay war gewin fwrtht for

4. To turn away; to withdraw. b. To go (back), retire. a1568 Scott xiii 25.
& ȝe start, adew all warldly weill; Will ȝe rewart, my cairis ar compleit c1590 J. Stewart 31/38.
Bayard … rauer[r]ts bakuart quhan he suld persew

5. tr. To restore to (in) a better condition; to cause to revive.(1) c1475 Wall. ix 22.
[Jupiter] Bath erb and tre reuertis in plesance(2) 1531 Bell. 1531 Boece I xii.
As precius balme revertis thingis sare, And makis thaim of rot impacient c1590 J. Stewart 54/50.
Zephir suawe vith bonie bousum blast Reuerts againe the blomit branchis greine 15.. Edinb. Univ. MS La. iv 6.
Quha sould me saiff … bot ȝe … rewart my liff agane

6. To cause to return; to send back. 15.. Clar. iv 2758.
The king alswyth did him revert … to the cardinall famous, And gart him handfast thame a1568 Scott ix 44.
Thairfoir sueit hairt … ȝour hairt to my hairt rewert

7. To withdraw, take back again. a1568 Scott xxiii 31.
I sall in tyme rewairt My luve frome hir agane

8. To issue again and again; to go on repeating. 1621 Crim. Trials III 503.
That God … wald iustifie his pairt, in that uniust challange quhilk was revertit vpone him, he acceptit and vndertuik the challange