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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.

Matin(e, n. Also: matyn(e, -ing, -yng; -en(e, -eyn; mattyn(g; mathing, -eine; maytin, -yn, -en; metyn. [ME. plur. matines (c 1250), -yns, -ins (14th c.), attrib. sing. matyn- (c 1315), F. matines fem. pl., med. L. matinae.] Chiefly in plur.: Matins.

1. The midnight or (see sense 4) early morning office of the Roman Catholic Church, one of the canonical hours. a1400 Leg. S. xxvi. 674, 675.
Thai [monks] sang with deuocione Of ewinsang & eftyr syne In houre of mydnycht & matyne & quhen thai matynis had don Agane thai went to slepe alsone c1420 Wynt. v. 5256.
Quhill Saynt Serffe in till a stede Lay efftyre maytynis in hys bede c1500-c1512 Dunb. xxxiii. 54.
Thocht he [the friar] come hame a new maid channoun He had dispensit with matynnis channoun

2. The name given to the public morning service preceding high mass. (Also Matutine n.) b. Also fig.plur. (a) c1420 Wynt. v. 3585.
The antemys ordanyd he [St. Ambrose] Amang the psalmys sayd to be At matynys and at ewynsang 1447 Cart. S. Giles 78. 1453 Aberd. B. Rec. I. 20.
Al and sindri chaplanys … sal cum daili and do divyne service, that is to say, matynis, hiemesse and evinsang 1491 Cart. S. Nich. Aberd. I. 255.
Matyngis 1525 Aberd. B. Rec. I. xli.
That Sir Johne … be pardonit fra matingis one feriall dayis quhane he is teiching the sang scuil 1525 St. A. Formulare I. 271. 1530 Lynd. Test. Pap. 704.
And we sall syng, about ȝour sepulture, Sanct Mongois matynis, and the mekle creid c 1530 Reg. Soltre 213.
After matynis, hye-mes, ewinsang and complene 1533 Soc. Ant. II. 397.
In matins, howrs, he mes and ewynsang a1568 Scott i. 97. 1573 Davidson Sat. P. xlii. 538.(b) 1528–9 Cart. S. Nich. Aberd. II. 361.
Singaris baith of matenis, hey mes, ewinsang 1535 Stewart 51636. 1544 Reg. Soltre iii. 1546 Lynd. Trag. Card. 385.
[To] mummyll ouer ane pair of maglit matenis 1560 Inverness Rec. I. 46. a1570-86 Maitl. F. xxii. 20.
Mateynis(c) 1529 Linlithgow B. Ct. 5 Nov.
Mattyngis 1532 Ecclesia Antiqua 314.
Mattynis(d) 1520 Stirling B. Rec. I. 5.
At mes, matheines [pr. -emes] and ewinsang with surples on him 1524 Ib. 19.
Mathingis(e) 1518 (c 1580) Edinb. B. Rec. I. 177.
Maytenis, maytinis(f) 1500 Rankin St. A. Ch. 128.
Thain all sall … begyn metynis with not within the said queirsing. 1525 Aberd. B. Rec. I. xl.
All the singaris … sall … keip … dayle mes, mating, and ewing sangb. c1490 Porteous Noblenes 171/11.
Heir followis the wertuis of nobilnes … callit the portuus and matynnis of the samyn Ib. 184/24.
Nobles report ȝour matinnis in this buke

3. Applied to the Little Office of Our Lady. 1531 Bell. Boece II. 287.
The houris & matynis of the blissit virgyne Mary to be said dayly a1538 Abell 79 a.
Wrbane sicund institut Our Lady matenis Ib. 119 b.
Thai rise in the nycht hes the bredir dois & singis Our Lady matenis and howris be thare self

4. Comb. (in sense 1) in the sing. in matine hour, offyce. a1400 Leg. S. xvi. 905.
In sammyne tyme that wont war thay [sc. monks] In matyne offyce for to ryse a1570-86 Kennedy Maitl. F. lxxi. 1.
At matine hour in middis of the nicht Waiknit of sleip Id. Pass. Christ 393. 1513 Doug. xiii. Prol. 36.
The lark discendis … Syngand hir complyng sang … To tak hir rest, at matyn hour to rys