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: 1490-1533, 1606
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Militant, a. Also: mylitant. [Late ME. and e.m.E. militant (1413), mylytant, F. militant.] Warring, striving. Freq. in kirk militant, see also Kirk n. 4 (1).(1) 1490 Irland Mir. I. 22/5.
This Kyrk, now militant and seruand him in erd, to hevin aboue 1490 Ib. 46/9.
We are channounis of His Kyrk militant 1490 Ib. 83/8. 1533 Boece iii. xii. 110.
The apostill Petir … began the origin of the Kirk militant(2) c1500-c1512 Dunb. lxx. 19.
Thow, that art of mercy militant, Thy vengeance seis on us 1606 Birnie Kirk-b. xii.
Brunies … were spirits employed for the benefite of our militant mortality heere 1606 Ib. xix.
This militant life
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"Militant adj.". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 17 Dec 2025 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/dost/militant>
