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

Revis, Ravis, Revis(c)h, Ravis(c)h, v. Also: rew-, raw- and -ise, -ys, -e(i)s, -ese; -issh, -ische, -ysch, -esh, -eish; reaffeace. [ME rauis, raiuis (Cursor M.), rauys (Manning), ME and e.m.E. ravishe (Rolle), rauysshe, rauisch (Trevisa), ravish (1560), OF raviss-, lengthened stem of ravir (c1112 in Larousse) to seize, take away, pop. L. *rapīre, L. rapere.] tr.

1. a. To seize and carry off (a woman); to take by force.Some quots. are ambiguous between a and b.(a) c1420 Wynt. vi 819.
Quharfore this kyng Rewysyd hyr Ib. 872. 1513 Doug. viii x 93.
Sabyne virgynys revyst by Romanys 1521 Fife Sheriff Ct. 278.
[They] Reft revest & tuke the said Margaret 15.. King Berdok 20.
The king Berdok he fure our se and land To reveis Mayok, the golk of Maryland 1567 Reg. Privy C. I 522.
He umbeset hir majesteis way, tuke and reveist hir maist nobill persoun 1568 Hosack Mary Q. of Scots I 546.
That tyran quha sa presumptuouslie had interprisit to reveis and marie hir [sc. the queen] 1572-5 Diurn. Occurr. 116. 1594 Crim. Trials I ii 345.
[They] did quhat in thame lay to haue revissed hir and to haue caryed hir with thame quhair thay pleisit(b) 1567 Sat. P. vii 115.
Bothwell Hes … The quene syne rauyssit to him sell 1570 St. A. Kirk S. 343.
Sche was ravissed and violentlie reft fra hir fathir and mother 1609 Skene Reg. Maj. ii 30.
Gif ane woman is ravised together with her husbands gudes [etc.](c) 1501 Doug. Pal. Hon. 1615.
In Grece he [sc. Paris] reuischit [1553 reuest] Quene Helene 15.. Clar. ii 101.
Fra him how scho was revischit be ane knicht 1568 Anderson Collect. Mary IV ii 65.
Revische 1579 Reg. Privy C. III 201.
[Adame Creychtoun] rewischit and tuke away [her eldest daughter] c1590 Fowler I 34/213.
And Pluto that Proserpina did revish to the hell Ib. 74/204.
Rewishit(d) 1572 Buch. Detect. (1727) 34.
That Bothwell suld ravische and tak away the quene be force 1592 Lothian and Tweeddale Synod 40.
The said Maistres Dorothea … had declarit to him that she was not ravisched bot with her awin consent cam away with him a1605 Birrel Diary 9.
Raveshett(e) c1615 Chron. Kings 112.
The erle … makis ane fassone as gif he wald reaffeace hir and caireyis hir to Dumbarfig. 1542 Misc. Bann. C. I 8.
The Erll of Argyll … is ravisshide onelye from the opinioun of the rest be the cardinall [etc.] … becaus [etc.]

Passing into: b. To rape or violate (a woman).(a) a1400 Leg. S. xxviii 130.
The hardar was he wet … With hyr fleschly for to syne Than ware handis wyolent Layd on that Cristis innocent … Lukand about on ilke syd, Quha fyrst suld rewis hir that tyd 1533 Boece 168b.
He wald planelie revis and defoul wemen at his plessour a1538 Abell 64a.
Quhat ewir he wes at rewist a wirgin bot gife sche askit him to hir husband he suld be hedit 1556 Digest Justiciary Proc. B 128.
Alexander Symsone … be force and way of deid reveissit and defoulit hir persone 16.. Hist. Kennedy 14.
Reweissis(b) c1600 Montg. Suppl. xv 8.
For feir that folkis suld raveis me(c) 1617 Sutherland Bk. II 131.
Scho vas kepit tva nichtis and revischit be Jhone Bovy

2. To carry off (a person) from earth up to heaven or out of sight.Also, fig., to transport spiritually. a1400 Leg. S. x 210.
It hapnyt the kingis son be ded … Thai tald the kynge that goddis had Rawist hyme c1420 Wynt. ii 1036.
How Jupitere Gert the egyle … Rawys [W. Revise, C. Rewis] the barne Ganemede 1513 Doug. i i 50.
Ganymedes revist abuf the skyfig. a1400 Leg. S. ii 947.
Paule … thocht that he was rewyst ewine … to the thred hewyne c1552 Lynd. Mon. 6076.
Quhen Paull wes reuyst, in the spreit, Tyll the thrid Heuin 1573-1600 King Cat. in Cath. Tr. 187.
Elias … was reweseit to the hewenis in ane chariot of fyre(b) c1590 Fowler I 184/7.
Thow, fair saule, … Hes revisht me above ten heu[n]lye spheres a1605 Montg. Sonn. lii 10.
My spreit … to the heuins … Quyt ravisht throu the region of the air 1622-6 Bisset II 125/7.
Revysched

3. To transport or carry away (a person's spirit or mind) with the force of a feeling, etc.; to fill with rapture, shame, etc.; to entrance.(a) a1499 Contempl. Sinn. 1135 (Asl.).
Revis my spreit be cleire inspectioun In hart to prent thi passioun 1513 Doug. vii iii 88.
Quham, revist for his luf, throu vennomys seir, hys spous smate Ib. viii i 9.
Now for this purpos now for that providis, Now heir now thar ryvest [? erron. for revyst; Sm. revist] in syndry partis 1531 Bell. 1531 Boece II 381.
Ane haly heremite … revist in spreit be hevinly contemplation, saw [etc.] 1533 Bell. Livy I 22/27.
Cacus … was sa revist with the bewtie of thir kye that [etc.] 1560 Rolland Seven S. 1175.
This rude ribald wald reueis me with schame 1562-3 Winȝet II 53/18.
Now … be suddane erroure ar thai reueist 1558-66 Knox I 59.
At which wordis he suddandlie being as one ravissed platt him self upoun his knees a1585 Maitl. Q. 160/16.
Ȝe weild me holie at ȝour will And ravis my affectioun 1580-92 James VI Lusus Reg. 7.
Quhou ame I rauist nou, A heauinlie goddess is cum doun … Oure sensis to delude 1587-99 Hume 17/1.
My saull is reueist vp fra me, my reson is bereft 1603 Philotus 896.
Sa barbair-lyke lo sa scho lyis, As raueist in a trance(b) a1500 Henr. Test. Cress. 142.
Doun in ane extasie, Rauischit in spreit, intill ane dreame scho fell 1554 Knox III 148.
We ar ravischeit and reft up to the contemplatioun of our God a1578 Pitsc. (1728) 99.
Lord David … was so ravished [S.T.S. reioyssit] at his brother …, of his labours, that [etc.] c1590 J. Stewart 224 § 96.
Veritie … raweishit vith inwart ȝaill c1590 Fowler II 132/5.
[They] remayned revished and astoneshed be the consideratioun of his verteues 1604 Acts IV 264/1.
The present age is ravisched in admiratioun [etc.] 1611-57 Mure Early Misc. P. xx 3.
And often ravischt his harmonious ear With straynes fitt 1650 Misc. Maitl. C. II 487.
Ther appeared intill his countenance so mutch beutie and gravitye, as ravished the beholderis

4. To carry off as plunder; to take away by force, to seize. Also const. fra. Also fig. or in fig. context, with non-material object.Common in Nisbet, after Purvey.(a) c1520-c1535 Nisbet John x 28.
My schepe heres my voce, and I knaw thame … and naan sal ravise [Wyclif rauysche] thame fra my hand Ib. 12. c1575 Balfour Pract. 609.
Gudis ravest as unlauchful recept aganis the peace(b) 1562-3 Winȝet I 14/15.
The reularis … ar lyke woulfis rauisching thair prayfig. c1520-c1535 Nisbet Matth. xiii 19.
Ilkman that heris the word … and vndirstandis nocht, the euile spirit cummis, and rauysis [Wyclif rauyschith] that that is sawne in his hart 1562-3 Winȝet II 16/16, 17.
Be ressoun all manlie thingis ar reuissit [L. rapiantur] be it [sc. time], we also … sum thing suld reuis fra it c1590 J. Stewart 26/414.
For dolor deip almaist he raidgeing deis Because ane maidin raueist hes his gloir

b. To plunder (a place); to search for what one wants to take. 1674 Elgin Rec. I 319.
The baillies … to revise the toune … for aill and aquavytie