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, 1475, 1550, 1666
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Be-eft, prep. and adv. Also: be-efft. [Early ME. bieften, biaften (later befte, bafte), OE. beæftan. In Sc. perhaps formed afresh.]
a. prep. After, behind. b. adv. Afterwards. c1420 Wynt. v. 94.
Be-efft hys byrth the thretten day c1475 Acts of Schir William Wallace x. 831.
Befor ws vii. and vi be eft ws [v.r. he] kend c1550 Rolland Court of Venus iii. 686.
Beeft scho was in vertewis aboundant 1666 Glasgow Chart. II. 93.
Befoir the mast and … beeft the mast
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"Be-eft prep., adv.". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 12 Dec 2025 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/dost/be_eft>
