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: 1456-1656
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Breking, Brekking, vbl. n. Also: brekyng, -inge, -ang; brekin, -yn, -en; brekkin, -yn, brecking. Also anglicized variant (common after 1600): breaking. [ME. breking(e, -yng(e, OE. brecung, f. Brek v.]
1. The act of breaking, in various senses of the verb.(a) 1456 Hay I. 110/6.
In the … breking of his commandementis 1459 Ayr Chart. 31.
In breking and lessing of the saide fare c1460 Wisdom of Solomon 502.
Tyme of bygine, tyme of brekinge 1471 Acts Lords Auditors 19/1.
Vpoun the breking of the decrete 1507 Edinb. Chart. 191.
Violacione and breking of the halidayis 1517 Reg. Privy S. I. 448/1.
The breking up of ane kist 1529 Edinb. B. Rec. II. 13.
Wnder the pane of breking of thair messouris 1529 Ib. 15.
For … breking of the statutis 1531 Bell. Boece II. 53.
In the breking of the day 1540 Elgin Rec. I. 49.
The … breking of Katerine Falconeris heid c1552 Lynd. Mon. 47.
For the brekyng of the Lordis command 1554 Edinb. B. Rec. II. 188.
For the breking of the ground of the croft 1560 Rolland Seven Sages 53/33.
Breiking of speiris 1563-1570 Buch. Wr. 25.
Breking of promesse(b) 1462 Peebles B. Rec. 148.
The … brekyn of pryssis 1466 Acts Lords Auditors 4/1.
In … brekin of his saide priuilege 1494 Treasurer's Accounts I. 250.
For breken of erne [= iron] 1506 Peebles B. Rec. 33.
The wrangwis brekin of the ground tharof 1520 Stirling B. Rec. I. 7.
The … brekin of the young treis 1527 Reg. Privy S. I. 546/2.
For brekyn of the assouerance 1560 Edinb. Old Acc. I. 306.
Be feir of brekin with the Frenchemen(c) 1503 Dunferm. B. Rec. 127.
Tveching the … brekkin of his pip 1511 Antiq. Aberd. & B. III. 108.
For … brekking of restis be the tenandis 1571 St. A. Kirk S. 349.
For brekking and selling of flesche 1569-73 Bann. Memor. 104.
About the brecking of the day 1595 Edinb. B. Rec. V. 152.
The brekking, bayking, and using of mayne floure 1609 Melrose R. Rec. I. 82.
For brecking of the act maid 1626 Stirling's Royal Lett. I. 88.
For brecking of thair ground 1637 Elgin Rec. I. 258.
For brecking of the statutis 1656 Ayr Charters 198.
Under the pane of ten pundis besyd the brekking of thair chyres(d)1593 Elgin Rec. II. 34.
Jhone Tailȝeour confessit the breaking of a scheipe on Sondaye but he is accusit of slayand a scheipe that tyme
b. Apportioning, assigning. (Cf. Brek v. 3 a.) 1582 Edinburgh Testaments XI. 146.
As anentis the gudis that sall fall to my barnes throuch my deceis, I ordine my barnes … to stand at the brekking of my freindis
2. Attrib. with meill (meal). 1576 Edinburgh Testaments IV. 347.
In the housis xij bollis quheit maid in mayne meill, breking meill, stryking meill, & quhyte meill
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"Breking vbl. n.". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 15 Dec 2025 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/dost/breking>
