A Dictionary of the Older Scottish Tongue (up to 1700)
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First published 1951 (DOST Vol. II).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
Quotation dates: 1375, 1438-1456, 1513-1614
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Egirly, Egerly, adv. Also: egyrly, egeir-, egarlie. [ME. egreli (1330), egerly, f. Egiradj.] Eagerly, impetuously, fiercely; promptly. 1375 Barb. vi. 421.
Thai that saw sa suddandly That folk sa egirly cum prikand 1375 Ib. 642.
He met the first sa egyrly, … The arm he fra the body bare ?1438 Alex. ii. 3848.
Schir, wraith ȝow nocht sa egarly ?1438 Ib. 7251.
Thai assailȝeit hardely, And encountered egerly 1456 Hay II. 124/13.
Gif it hapnis thé ony hert wamblyng, egirly tak a vomyt of water and vinager 1513 Doug. i. vii. 130.
Amyd the thowsandis egyrly feghtis sche 1513 Ib. iii. iii. 113.
The marineris euery man Egirly rollis our the fomy flude c1550 Lynd. Meldrum 502.
Thay twa campiounis egeirlie … spurrit thair hors c1590 J. Stewart 95/555.
He … in his hand the bluidie boulk vold tak And at ane vther egarlie it suak c1614 Mure Dido i. 635.
The goddes egerly the chace doth follow
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"Egirly adv.". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 14 Dec 2025 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/dost/egirly>
