A Dictionary of the Older Scottish Tongue (up to 1700)
Hide Quotations Hide Etymology
About this entry:
First published 1971 (DOST Vol. IV).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
Mal-, Malecontent, a. and n. Also: mall-, mala-, mailacontent. Plur. also -contens. [e.m.E. male(1586), e.m.E. (1581) and F. malcontent.] a. adj. Discontented, dissatisfied; disaffected. b. absol. as n. A disaffected or rebellious person. c. n. (A) discontentment. (Cf. Miscontent.)a. 1583–84 Cal. Sc. P. VII. 42.
The hoill cuntre is mervelus malcontent c1615 Chron. Kings 97.
He becumis malacontent Ib. 136.
The Erll of Gowrie, quha wes mailacontent, that the office of thesaurerschip wes takin fra him 1639 Baillie I. 205.
All Huntley's friends were malecontent of their chieff's captivitie 1649 Sel. Biog. I. 391.
You may remember how malcontent you were at a sharp letter [etc.]b. 1587 Reg. Privy C. IV. 167.
It wald bot trouble the Catholickis and malcontentis 1590 Misc. Wodrow Soc. 507.
Our common peace is so highly indangered … by the domesticque male-contens and conspirators 1643 Baillie II. 58.
The marqueisses … intim familiaritie keeped down the malcontents from anie stirringc. 1632 Lithgow Trav. i. 6.
The intractable passage of my malecontents past a1689 Cleland 57.
Or if it be from kingdoms greening Or mall contents
You may wish to vary the format shown below depending on the citation style used.
"Malcontent adj., n.". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 3 May 2024 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/dost/malecontent>