A Dictionary of the Older Scottish Tongue (up to 1700)
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First published 1971 (DOST Vol. IV).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
Quotation dates: 1375-1568
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Ma, v. Also: may, mai. Inflected mais, mays, mayis. [North. and north midl. ME. ma (a 1300), inflected mas(e, mace (a 1300–c 1485), reduced f. Mak, Make v.Only in verse (as appar. also in ME.) and chiefly early.]
To make, in various uses of Mak v.(1) 1375 Barb. i. 33.
Off thaim I thynk this buk to ma 1375 Ib. iv. 561, x. 360. a1400 Legends of the Saints xxix. 143.
Licht & merknes I can ma a1400 Ib. ii. 1140, xix. 523, xxxix. 339. c1400 Troy-bk. ii. 1163. c1420 Wynt. iv. 89.
The Capytole he fyrst gert ma c1420 Ib. V. 410.(b) 1375 Barb. iv. 570 (E).
Certane day to mai [C. may] The fyr(c) 1375 Barb. xi. 368.
Ane vax-cayme that beis mais [:vas (= was)] ?1438 Alex. ii. 2186. c1420 Ratis Raving (S.T.S.) 176/1.
In waist natur na-thinge mais [: hais (= has)](2) 1375 Barb. v. 9.
Quhen … the treis begouth to ma Burgeonys 1375 Ib. vi. 234.
He … strikand, rowm about him mais [:rais p.t. (= rose)] 1375 Ib. xiii. 603.
Wattir for to ma a1400 Legends of the Saints iii. 282.
The fend … a tempeste son cane may a1400 Ib. xxi. 226. a1500 Henr. Fab. 1338. a1500 King Hart 372.
Now I traist gret melody to ma(3) 1375 Barb. ii. 330; 1535 Stewart 7065.
Multitud mais na victory ?1438 Alex. ii. 2367.
Quhilk of thir tua maist ioy ȝow mais [:fais (= face)] ?1438 Ib. 3137.
Mais freinship with gude hart and will! c1420 Wynt. viii. 5430.
How man may his awyne fortowne ma c1420 Ratis Raving 189.
The taist … mais defferens and departing Betuex suetnes and vthir thinge c1460 Alex. (Taym.) 2498.
The erd remanis and na profit ws mais c1460 Thewis Wysmen 16. a1500 King Hart 655.(4) a1400 Legends of the Saints x. 337.
Yrtacus … A congregacioun has gert ma ?1438 Alex. ii. 380.(5) c1420 Wynt. v. 3891.
Yhoure purpure may noucht preystys ma c1420 Ib. 4062. c1460 Alex. (Taym.) 841.(6) 1375 Barb. xvi. 594.
The king aucht weill to ma Of ȝow ?1438 Alex. ii. 5680. c1460 Consail Vys Man 100. a1500 Prestis of Peblis 1281.(7) 1375 Barb. xi. 340.
He said the rerward he wald ma a1400 Legends of the Saints xxxii. 50.
Crystofer & Theodera To this a verra prowe ma may ?1438 Alex. ii. 7722.
Quhen luffaris … haue laser thame allane … bot ane quhyle mais ane day(8) 1375 Barb. xii. 250.
Thai … Mais thaim to fycht c1420 Wynt. iii. 608.
He slew … all tha That he couth trow that wald thaim ma For tyll succede tyll hym as kyng c1420 Ib. v. 3797.
Thow mays [W. mayis] thé agayne God to wede(9) 1375 Barb. i. 510.
Rycht mays oft the feble wycht 1375 Ib. xix. 434. a1400 Legends of the Saints i. 642, xviii. 84, etc. c1400 Troy-bk. ii. 1667.
[Winter] the waleis mais All wete c1420 Wynt. v. 594.
He … bade wyth barne thai suld hym ma c1420 Ib. i. 1042, 1730, vi. 1754.(10) 1375 Barb. i. 226.
Fredome mays man to haiff liking c1420 Wynt. Prol. 75. c1420 Ib. iv. 1986.
Quhen wantones mays thame to rys(11) a1400 Legends of the Saints xix. 61. ?1438 Alex. i. 294.
My steid, that now sic steiring mais [: pais (= pace)] ?1438 Ib. ii. 1449.(12) 1375 Barb. ii. 6.
That he ma till his men gud cher 1375 Ib. 469, etc. 1375 Ib. xi. 482.
The King bad thame thai suld ma Na contynans that it war swa a1400 Legends of the Saints ii. 475.
For-thi suld thu [sc. Rome] gret joy may Of sic hirdis a1400 Ib. xxxi. 240, etc. ?1438 Alex. i. 3034, etc. a1500 Henr. Fab. 510. a1500 Golagros and Gawane 796. c1475 Acts of Schir William Wallace x. 598.
On kneis he fell, far contenans can him ma a1568 Bannatyne MS 77 a/46.
Thocht thow grit murnyng may a1568 Ib. 225 b/11. a1568 Ib. 227 a/3.
I may no mirthis ma(13) 1375 Barb. i. 249.
Than mays clerkis questioun … That [etc.] a1400 Legends of the Saints i. 697, ii. 422, xxi. 164, xxxvi. 352. c1400 Troy-bk. ii. 2977. c1420 Wynt. iv. 371.
Bot throuch thame quhen that he is swa Trawalyd that he mon ansure ma The ansuere that he to thame mayis Offt dowbyll wnderstandyn hayis c1420 Ib. i. 1664.
May c1475 Acts of Schir William Wallace i. 105. a1568 Scott xiii. 33.
Sum anss[we]r ma(14) a1400 Legends of the Saints xxxviii. 570.
In honeste sic band to ma c1400 Troy-bk. ii. 2048. ?1438 Alex. ii. 160, etc.(15) 1375 Barb. xvi. 303.
The Kingis … thair manrent till him can ma 1375 Ib. xix. 232. a1400 Legends of the Saints x. 512, xlviii. 244. ?1438 Alex. ii. 9545.
Na sheild helping micht ma c1420 Wynt. v. 2764. c1460 Regimine Principum 21. a1500 Lancelot of the Laik 953. c1530-40 Stewart Bannatyne MS 36 a/86.(16) 1375 Barb. vi. 397.
He … fand [E. send] a few a trayn to ma 1375 Ib. vii. 63.
That he arest rycht thair vald ma 1375 Ib. 385, x. 163, xiii. 75, xviii. 316, xx. 154, etc. a1400 Legends of the Saints ii. 495.
Haly kirk … Of his [Paul's] conuersione mais feste a1400 Ib. iii. 272, xxi. 473, xxxiii. 797, 916, etc. ?1438 Alex. i. 430, 1110, etc. c1420 Wynt. i. 768 (see Mak v. 33 a). c1420 Wynt. v. 3786.
Wyth-in the kyrk he durst noucht ga Bot wythoute hys bad to ma He set hym c1420 Ib. 4940.
Hys schryfft to ma c1420 Ib. vi. 2151, etc. c1460 Alex. (Taym.) 2536, etc. c1460 Regimine Principum 21.
As thai caus ma c1475 Acts of Schir William Wallace vi. 890.
Frendschipe to thaim na liknes wald he ma c1475 Ib. 220, etc. c1500-c1512 Dunb. xlix. 43.
The murtherer ay mvrthour mais [: slais, hais (= has)](17) a1400 Legends of the Saints xviii. 506.
Qvhene scho was coniuryt sa, Sik spek furth cane scho ma
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"Ma v.". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 5 Dec 2025 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/dost/ma_v>
