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.
Quotation dates: 1420, 1581
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Abortive, a. (-ywe, -yffe, -if.) [ME. abortif, -ive (14th c.), L. abortīvus.] Prematurely born; premature. — c1420 Wynt. v. 628.
Lang it mycht noucht lest in lywe For causse that it fell abortywe [v.rr. -if, -yffe] c1420 Ib. 4095.
Barnys abortywe [v.r. -ive] 1581 Hamilton Cath. Tract. 67 b.
He apperit to me as to ane abortiue
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"Abortive adj.". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 14 Dec 2025 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/dost/abortive>
