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

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First published 1937 (DOST Vol. I).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

Bide, Byde, v. Also: bid, byd, byid(e; p.t. bade, bad, baid(e, bayd, bead, bed, bode; p.p. bidden, -in, -ine, -yn, byddyn; bidin, bydyn, -une. [ME. bide(n, byde(n, ONhb. bída, OE. bídan. Cf. Abide v.]

1. intr. To remain or stay (esp. temporarily), to continue to be, in a place.(a) a1400 Leg. S. v. 549.
Thou sal stil byd here c1400 Troy-bk. ii. 1632.
The Grekes that was bydand At Troye Ib. 2542.
Thai bad him byde with thaim still c1420 Wynt. v. 2830.
Sylvestyr, That prewaly is bydand nere Ib. vi. 614.
Sum into the Ile of May Chesyd to byde 1456 Hay I. 114/28.
That na knychtis … suld byde behynd in castellis Ib. 116/23.
The chiftane bydand in felde c1475 Wall. iii. 429.
Quhar I pas dayly, thou bid with me 1497 Treas. Acc. I. 348.
To bide in Edinburgh with the Kingis halkis c1500-c1512 Dunb. xxix. 22.
Thair will na cors byd it within 1513 Doug. ix. iv. 22.
At euery corner quha … suld byde 1549 Irvine Mun. I. 49.
To remane and byid at hame fra our oist 1567 G. Ball. 12.
In thy kinrik with thé to byde 1602 Elphinstone Mem. 166.
Thair is nevir ane servand that will byid with him 1614 Crim. Trials III. 292.
I have no pleasour to byde heir 1650 Elgin Rec. II. 272.
Scho had ane seik bairnie whilk mad hir byd at hame(b) a1400 Leg. S. xii. 296.
Mene [= men] … that in erd bad Ib. xxxvi. 107.
Scho bad at hame c1420 Wynt. iii. 747.
Innys he tuk, and bad rycht thare Ib. v. 5290.
Sevyn howrys … he bade therein 1456 Hay II. 8/12.
I … bade behynd my company c1475 Wall. v. 166.
A gret power at Dipplyn still thar baid a1500 Bk. Chess 556.
Thair he bad all nicht a1500 Seven S. 2125.
Herod baide aye in the cite 1544–5 Acts & Decr. II. 15.
The saidis … remanit and bayd at hame c1550 Rolland C. Venus ii. 399.
Swa he baid … Vpon that hill 1594 Battle of Balrinnes xiv. in Dalyell Sc. Poems 16th Cent. I. 350.
To Cabrach … Whair they bed all that night(c) c1420 Wynt. iv. 468.
The Cytykys … that in the hicht Had byddyn all the day c1475 Wall. ix. 1721.
In Atryk wode … Bydyn he had c1552 Lynd. Mon. 2660.
Far better had bene tyll haif biddin at hame 1570-3 Bann. Trans. 490.
So mony as [had] biddin in the hall 1622-6 Bisset II. 247/34.
Gif he had biddin in the schip

b. With away, furth, fra, or equivalents. 1436 Coll. Aberd. & B. 394.
The quhilk … assise … bade furth lang space 1484 Edinb. B. Rec. I. 50.
Quha at bydes away the hail day … sal pay xij d. c1500 Interl. Droich 170.
I will nocht lang byd ȝow fro 1531 Acta Conc. MS. XLIII. 63.
He absentis him and bides away a1568 Scott xxvii. 34.
I byd on beich 1570 Leslie 254.
As the tod can not byd furth of his hoill 1613 Misc. Spald. C. V. 217.
All men that baid avay fra the stain c1650 Spalding II. 101.
Who had bidden out of the countrie

2. To remain in a state or condition. 1375 Barb. v. 113.
In sic afray thai baid that nycht c1400 Troy-bk. ii. 3017.
Quhar he thre dayis liffand baid c1420 Wynt. vi. 1540.
He bade noucht lang in wedowhede Ib. vii. 438.
To byd ay in possessyown 1456 Hay II. 23/35.
Thai byde apon thair craftis and labouragis c1475 Wall. i. 260.
His modyr bade in till a gret dispar Ib. x. 643.
In to harnes [thai] had biddyn all that nycht 1506 Treas. Acc. III. 412.
To byd at post before the king 1513 Doug. ix. iii. 114.
The hie curage … Baid onamovyt in Turnus stowt entent c1550 Rolland C. Venus I. 270.
I byid heir at constance 1569-73 Bann. Memor. 262.
Mr Archibald baid styfe

b. To bide at (later by), to stand by, adhere to, submit to. Also absol. 1459 Rep. Hist. MSS., Var. Coll. V. 82.
Thai sal byd at the terminacion of thair midmen 1467 Peebles B. Rec. 156.
That thai wald byd at the consell of the dwsan of the town 1472 Bamff Chart. 28.
The said partiis [being] … sworn to byde afaldly at our decret 1516 Edinb. B. Rec. I. 159.
Anthone held vp his hand to byd at the townis will 1546 Reg. Cupar A. II. 34.
To hald ony oppinniones of heresijs and byde thairat obstinatlie 1553 Prot. Bk. W. Corbet 20.
He wald byid at his contract quhateuer it beris 16.. Hist. Kennedy 29.
And he byd be that deid. he suld repent the same 1661 Decis. Lords G. 4.
The Earl … answered, that he would bide-by the same qualificate 1684 Ib. F. 54.
The witnesses … behoved either to bide-by, or be lyable for damnage

c. To bide at, to maintain (a statement). 1544 Maxwell in Bk. Carlaverock II. 29.
Geyff hanny Scottis man … wyll bid at it that I hayff fallyt in my lawteye 1573 Davidson Sat. P. xl. 99.
Iohne Knox. … Quhome I dar bauldly byde at till have bene Ane maist trew preichour

3. To await, to delay departure or action, esp. in expectation of some event. Freq. with quhill or till. a1400 Leg. S. xvi. 19.
Thou bidis & sufferis, til that we Thru repentance wil turne to thé c1420 Wynt. i. 455.
Cam … wald noucht byde Hys fadrys membrys for tyll hyde Ib. v. 1990.
To byd gyff … Jupytere Wald rewenge hym 1456 Hay I. 83/6.
Nocht to byde quhill thai assailit thame Ib. 132/17.
And I byde quhill I be culit c1450-2 Howlat 87.
I … bade to behald 1484 Edinb. B. Rec. I. 50.
Quha at bydes ower the ceissing of the bell … sal pay vj d. c1490 Irland Asl. MS. I. 5/28.
Sa will thow ȝit [defer it], bydand quhill thow be hale c1500-c1512 Dunb. xc. 68.
Till byde till age is mony perrell sene 1513 Doug. i. viii. 40.
To spy thai baid Quhou it stude with thar ferys 1535 Stewart 16215.
So he baid lang waittand on his tyme c1552 Lynd. Mon. 5475.
With lowde allace … That euer thay baid to se that day a1598 Ferg. Prov. 108.
Weill bydes, weill betydes

b. To wait on or upon (= for) a person or persons. 1535 Stewart 16532.
With small power thair byding on this oist 1609 Skene Reg. Maj. 124.
In that case, he salbe bidden vpon … be the space of fourtie dayes

4. tr. To await, wait for (an event, time, person, etc.). a1400 Leg. S. x. 445.
The clergy … [bad] byde Goddis wrake c1400 Troy-bk. ii. 788.
He lay … the dede bydand c1420 Wynt. i. 283.
Bydand the Antecrystys come Ib. iv. 230.
Quhill the oist … swagyng of the wattyr bade 1456 Hay I. 61/15.
Pompee … fled nocht. bot bade him stoutly in felde Ib. 234/6.
Sittand in a busk hyd, bydand the venysoun c1450 Cr. Deyng 34.
He that baide the cummyne of his frend 1498 Halyb. 133.
Laid for hym bydand the salle [= sale] c1500-c1512 Dunb. lxvi. 82.
Sa done tyrsum it is to byd it 1535 Stewart 57752.
With speir in hand bydand the heraldis cry a1540 Freiris Berw. 132.
Thus … I leif him still Bydand his time 1570 Leslie 19.
Bydand ane better tyme and change of court 1589 Douglas Chart. 296.
Biding wind and wadder to mak saill 1638 Rothes Affairs Kirk 62.
It wold byd ane longer tyme 1661 Red Bk. Grandtully II. 153.
I hop ther is as good byding ȝow

b. In p.p. in the legal phrase lawful time bidden, or variants of this. 1461 Peebles B. Rec. 142.
Pat Kello, efter lang lentht of tym bydin … gaif that for dom 1532 Ex. Processes (Reg. H.) Betoun v. Melville 5.
James Prestoun … oft tymes callit, detfull tyme of court byding, nocht comperand [etc.] 1557 Inverness B. Rec. I. 11.
Efter lang proces … , lauchfull tyme of day bydune, the said Necoll Kar beand present 1563 St. A. Kirk S. 154.
Jhon Gyl called and nocht compeyrand, lawfull tym byddyn, Margret … allegis [etc.] 1574 Antiq. Aberd. & B. II. 433.
The saids defenderis oft tymes callit and nocht compeirand, lauchtfull tyme of day biddine [etc.] 1596 Paisley B. Rec. 174.
The said Andro … oftymes callit, lawfull tyme bidden, compeirit not

5. To await the effect or result of; hence, to submit to, endure, tolerate. 1424 Acts II. 4/2.
The whilkis sall byde knowledge befor the king c1420 Wynt. iv. 412.
Yhoure lattyre day yhit mon yhe byde 1456 Hay I. 191/36.
I sall nocht byde lawe … tharefore a1500 Henr. Fab. 2681.
I sall byde ane vnsuspect assyis 1490 Treas. Acc. I. 170.
Quhen Lord Drummondis folkis bayd the law a1500 Bk. Chess 1491.
To byd of poverte the pane 1533 Gau 99/13.
Quhay cane ramane or byd thy punissione 1560 Rolland Seven S. 57/17.
Outher [to] fle, or ells to bide the deid 1570 Sat. P. xiii. 62.
The bischoppis micht nocht byde him a1605 Montg. Misc. P. xlvi. 14.
My hairt has bidden sic rebute 1600-1610 Melvill 253.
Nather … was the grathe haill … to byd the wound [= wind] 1676 Brodie Diary 351.
[A] vessel … of iron that can bide a fal