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: 1375, 1438-1640
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Brede, Breid, v. Also: bread(e. P.t. and p.p. bred (brede). [ME. brede, OE. brédan, f. bród Brude n.]
1. intr. To come into being; to spring forth or up; to originate. Freq. fig.1375 Barb. xvi. 68 (blomys bredis). ?1438 Alex. ii. Prol. 9 (as burgeons of thare branchis bredis). a1499 Contemplacioun of Synnaris 541 (quhar bestis breidis). a1500 Doug. King Hart (the flesche that bred vpone his ene). a1568 Gyre-carling 35 (scho bred of ane accorne). 1596 Dalr. I. 14/1 (fisch that brede amang stanes).fig. a1500 Henr. Bludy Serk 108 (all syn that in our breistis bred). c1515 Kennedy Asloan MS II. 273/10 (the … bosome that our blis in bred). 1570 Satirical Poems xii. 45 (in quhome this barret breidis). a1570-86 Maitland Folio MS lxxxix. 2 (as fantasie breidis in thair breistis). c1614 Mure Dido ii. 351 (fame, which by moving breads).
2. tr. To bring forth; to bring up; to rear, nurture, educate. Freq. in p.p. c1475 Acts of Schir William Wallace v. 25.
In Gyllisland thar was that brachell bred a1500 Buke of the Sevyne Sagis 1501.
My brest … that bred thi banys c1500-c1512 Dunb. Flyt. 237.
Baith fed and bred of bichis syd c1500-c1512 Kennedy c1500-c1512 Ib. 307.
Baith gottin, borne, and bred with tressoun 1513 Doug. iii. iv. 122.
That land quhilk bred the cruel Vlixes 1531 Bell. Boece I. p. xliv.
Thir mussillis … bredis the perle a1568 Scott xxx. 46.
So is the woman born to breid The fruct of man a1578 Pitsc. I. 320/13.
The hardiest man that ewer was brede in Scottland a1605 Montg. Flyt. 484.
Blacke botch fall … the bellie that bred itProv. 1535 Stewart 40204; 1535 Ib. 31774.
Rycht hard it is … Bring fra the flesche that is bred in the bane
b. fig. To give rise to, originate.c1500-c1512 Dunb. ix. 125 (fals inventionis breiding). c1500-c1512 Ib. lv. 10 (breid the pockis). 1513 Doug. iv. Prol. 230 (quhat pane lufe bredis). c1568 Lauder Minor P. iii. 39 (euer breding wylis). 1573 Reg. Privy C. II. 257 (to breid contentioun). 1589 Ib. IV. 426 (thingis that may breade troubill). 1623 Elgin Rec. II. 178 (breidding ane evill example to wtheris). 1640 Misc. Hist. Soc. I. 114 (sould breid offense).
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"Brede v.". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 14 Dec 2025 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/dost/brede_v>
