A Dictionary of the Older Scottish Tongue (up to 1700)
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First published 1963 (DOST Vol. III).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
Quotation dates: 1375, 1438-1617
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Lance, Lans, v.1 [ME. lance, launce (14th c.) to fling, hurl, etc., also (a 1338–1481) intr., to spring, shoot, etc., OF. lancier, F. lancer: cf. Lanch(e v. In Sc. only in the intrans. sense, and only in verse.The intrans. sense ‘to leap, bound’ also occurs in some mod. Eng. writings and in the dial. of Hampshire.]
intr. To bound, spring, leap. Chiefly with complements, but also absol. Also transf.Freq. said of a horse and his rider.(1) 1375 Barb. iii. 122.
[He] strak with spuris the stede in hy And he lansyt furth delyuerly ?1438 Alex. i. 1904.
As falcone that wald haue fude ful fain Come lansand to the lure agane ?1438 Ib. 2323.
Aganis him lansit Tholomeir ?1438 Ib. ii. 5832.
With that word, He lansit lichtly our the burd ?1438 Ib. 8885. c1450-2 Howlat 560.
The lyon lansand on loft a1500 Henr. Fab. 833.
Ane unicorne come lansand ouer ane law a1500 Ib. 1404.
Ane trip of myis … ouer the lioun lansit twyis or thryis a1500 Golagros and Gawane 901.
He lansit out our ane land1513 Doug. ix. ix. 74. 1513 Ib. xi. xii. 92.
The steid … lansys vp on hycht als fers as flynt 1528 Lynd. Dreme 74. 1530 Id. Test. Pap. 353.
So, ȝe, that now bene lansyng vpe the ledder, Tak tent in tyme 1540 Id. Sat. 645.
Heir is my brydill, and my spurris, To gar him lans our feild and furis c1590 J. Stewart 209/36.
Ane serpent louse agains me lansit fell c 1617 Melvill lxxiii.
To Cedar lance, To Netherlandis goe doune c 1617 Ib.
He is lanceit befoir tham to the Holy Land(2) absol. ?1438 Alex. i. 1454, Ib. 2506.
With spurris tit straik he the steid, And he come lansand wale gude speid 15.. Christis Kirk 38 (B).
Thome Lular wes thair menstrall meit; O lord, as he cowd lans(3) transf. c1475 Acts of Schir William Wallace vii. 429.
The lemand low sone lanssyt apon hycht
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"Lance v.1". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 14 Dec 2025 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/dost/lance_v_1>
