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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.

Owther, Owder, a., pron. and adv. (conj.). Also: owthir(e, -yr(e, -air, uwther, outher(e, -ir(e, -yr(e; owdir, -yr, ouder, -yr; older, -yr. [ME. and e.m.E. owwþerr (Orm), owðer, owther, ouþer, outher, OE. *ówðer, óhwæðer, f. ó ever:Cf. also ME. (14th c.) auþer, OE. áwðer, áhwæðer, and Authir conj.Cf. also Other, Aither, Ether a., Ether adv. and Nowther.After the 15th c. appar. chiefly or only Sc. and north., and so also in the mod. Sc. and north. Eng. dialects.]

Either.

1. One or other (of two); either. a. adj. 1386 Rot. Sc. II. 86/1.
That nane of outher syde … sal … be recettit in others bondys 1425 Liber Melros 544.
Lely and trewly bute fraude or fauour tyle owthyre party 1440 Antiq. Aberd. & B. IV. 192. 1571 Sat. P. xxvi. 78.
Bot puneis all the quhilk ye knaw vnclene Of outher blude

b. pron.(1) 1386 Rot. Sc. II. 85/2.
Gyf ony gretter or smaller of outher of the reaumes 1475 Edinb. B. Rec. I. 32.
Gif ony of the craftismen of outher of the craftis decesis 1496 Acta Conc. II. 28.
Be owther of the sadis partiis a1500 Henr. Fab. 2898 (Bann.).
Or owthir of thame wist(b) 1491 Lennox Mun. 143.
For herschipis, spolȝeis or skathis done be owdyr of the parteis … till othiris 1524 Carneath Baron Ct. MS. 19.(2) 1480 Acta Conc. I. 57/1.
That bathe the partijs … summond vther witnes gife ony be for outher thaim

2. adv. Used to introduce the first of a pair or series of alternatives, in the sequence outher … or, = either … or.In some contexts serving to emphasise the exclusiveness or exhaustiveness of the pair or series of alternatives specified.Chiefly placed directly before the alternative words, phrases or clauses, but also sometimes at another, normally earlier, position in the sentence.(1) 1379 Douglas Chart. 29.
Fra all maner of rycht … folowing, outhir to possession or proprete 1400 Maxwell Mem. I. 138.
Owther throw the taylȝe or othir way c1400 Troy-bk. i. 499. 1409 Red Bk. Menteith II. 279. c1420 Wynt. vi. 2054. 1456 Hay I. 175/24. Ib. II. 95/5.
That he be in perile to be maid outhir crepill … or to dee utterly 1458 Antiq. Aberd. & B. III. 325. c1460 Wisd. Sol. (S.T.S.) 127.
Al the werkis and polesy … that I owthir couth or mycht study c1460 Thewis Gud Women 168. 1490 Irland Mir. II. 95/23.
Owthir God is or nocht a1570-86 Merser Maitl. F. clxiii. 18.
Or quhy that eird will for eird owthir swet or swynk 1529 Selkirk B. Ct. (ed.) I. 103. 1545 Reg. Privy C. I. 7.
Uwther 1547 Ib. 69.
Owthair 1556 Lanark B. Rec. 31.
Owther aittis, beir, peis … or ony wther stuf quhatsumevir it be 1562 Digest Justiciary Proc. D. 41.
That he … wald speik the Queine outher with hir will or againes hir will 1567 Sempill Sat. P. viii. 6.
Outher thow art ane papist loun, Hepburne or Hoitbag Hamiltoun 1568–9 Anderson Collect. Mary IV. ii. 193.
Outhir the yin or the uthir of us 1575 Reg. Soltre 231.
He had ressauit outher fouretene or fyftene pundis 1572 Buch. Detect. (1727) 43.
Quhy did scho not outher foirwarne him of the danger or [etc.] 1577 Kirkcudbr. B. Rec. I. 58. 1579 Black Bk. Taymouth 142.
Owthyr a1605 Montg. Ch. & Slae 820 (L). 1593 Bk. Univ. Kirk III. 812. 1602 Elgin Rec. II. 98. 1614 Crim. Trials III. 300.
All these who joyned Robert, outheir subscryvit, or, yf thay could not subscryve, swoir [etc.] 1622-6 Bisset I. 84/30.(b) 1471 Acta Aud. 23/1.
Owder in his persoun landis or gudis 1475 Acts II. 112/2.
The inquest fyndis that he was ouder fule or furious c1475 Wall. iv. 593.
Here is no chos, bot owdir do or de 1481 Prestwick B. Rec. 29.
Na outtin scheip … owdir mylk or ȝelde 1513 Doug. ii. xii. 22.
But owder rest or resson, as I war woyd Ib. i. vi. 159, etc. 1518 Armstrong Hist. Liddesdale 211.
Bot thai sall owdir entir plegis as the cuntre dois, or I sall hald thame out of Liddisdale 1533 Bell. Livy II. 54/30. 1533 Boece ii. xii. 84b, xvi. vi. 620. 1536 Glasgow Hammermen App. 252.
Without he be oudyr his prenteis or feyt servand 1574–5 Prestwick B. Rec. 75.
Owder(c) 1519 Wigtown B. Ct. 89 a.
Befor older spirituall or temporall law 1521 Liber Melros II. 630.
Without oldyr favour or feid 1558 Q. Kennedy Tractive 125.
As deir as older bischop, abbot, prior or pape Id. Compendious Ressonyng (ed.) 153/20.
Older in worde or wryte Ib. 159/38.(2) c1420 Wynt. v. 1208.
Owthire Trajanys saule to leys Or ellis [etc.] 1456 Hay I. 45/16.
That outhir the consules suld be put doune and the senatouris, or ellis thare suld be chosyn a chiftane to defend the citee Ib. 225/28.
Outhir clething, or bukis, or ellis gold or silver 1490 Irland Mir. I. 94/10.
We are punyst … outhire be oure self ore ellis ane vthire of oure linage for us Ib. 34/14. a1500 Bk. Chess 1302. 1509 Montgomery Mem. 74. 1560 Rolland Seven S. 1864. 1576 Crim. Trials I. ii. 53.
And baid hir owthir seith … it or ellis dry it 1622-6 Bisset I. 34/25.(b) 1515 Selkirk B. Ct. (ed.) 32.
Coltert owder sall deliver … agayne the wob or ellis [etc.] 1533 Boece viii. iv. 254 b.
Owdir be his convoyance or ellis never Ib. x. 271 b.
Owdir to contract mariage with Saxouns or ellis be marthirit [etc.](3) a1499 Contempl. Sinn. 599.
Outher leif in stait of innocence Or than but fraud 1513 Doug. ii. 74 (C).
Owder [E. other] his wit was thyn Or than [etc.](4) c1400 Troy-bk. i. 435.
Thai walde trawaile … Outhyre be land or yhit be see 1533 Bell. Livy I. 263/22.
Ony thing that was owther wourthy to haue grete glore, or ȝit grete haterent(5) 1583 Wemyss Corr. 81.
I sall owther gar schwit it till ane vther day, or vtherwayis it salbe in Faikland(6) 1513 Doug. xiii. Prol. 50.
Owder best, byrd, fysch, fowle, by land or sey

b. With inversion of the normal word order of the sentence, for additional emphasis.(1) c1500-c1512 Dunb. lxiii. 81.
For owther man my hart to-breik, Or with my pen I man me wreik 1567 Sat. P. v. 80.
Outher man ye die or stand(b) 1533 Boece iii. xx. 120.
Owder suld Romanis be defait Or Scottis suld all de atanis(2) 1533 Bell. Livy II. 148/21.
Owthir sal thai depone thare king … or ellis the king … sal depone him self(3) 1513 Doug. xii. i. 35.
For owdyr sall I … Or than [etc.]

3. conj. = Or.Common only in Nisbet, after ether in Purvey.(1) c1520-c1535 Nisbet Matth. vi. 24.
For outhir [P. ethir] he sal … , outhir [P. ethir] he sal … Id. 1 Cor. iii. 22, Rom. xii. 6, 7.(b) a1538 Abell 113 b.
He ȝeid ay owdir in caip oudir kirtill or fut mantill with abbot huid(2) c1520-c1535 Nisbet 1 Cor. i. 13.
Quhethir Paule was crucifijt for you, outhir [P. ether.] ye ar baptizit in the name of Paule?(3) 1533 Boece ii. ix. 74.
Thare hedis schavin and nocht beld owder bare or lichtlie coverit c1520-c1535 Nisbet Matth. xviii. 7.
It is bettir to thee to entir into lijf febile outhir [P. ethir] crukit than [etc.] Ib. ix. 5. 1567 G. Ball. 103.
O Lord, quhat euer in heuin ordand for me, Outhir in eird, compair I not to thé