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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.

Mortalite(e, n. Also: -yté, -itie, -ity, mortallitie. [ME. (Rolle) and e.m.E. mortalite(e, -itie, -ity, F. mortalité (12th c.), L. mortālitas.] Mortality.

1. The condition of being mortal or subject to death. c1420 Wynt. i. 116.
He sulde in lyf ay lestand be, But seknes or mortalyte Ib. v. 3682.
Oure nature, certys, ay suld be Knawyn, and owre mortalyte a1499 Contempl. Sinn. 1230.
O dedly lyf full of mortalite 1490 Irland Mir. I. 64/29.
Sene the gift and wertu of originale justice repugnyt to mortalite [etc.]

2. The death of many, loss of life on a large scale, as by war or pestilence. b. An instance or occasion of this. c. spec. A visitation of plague.(1) c1420 Wynt. ii. 583.
All thare ayrys deyde hale Be so fers mortal[it]e That nane in to that lande wes fre Ib. iv. 1224.
And sa was sauffyde the cyte Fra stynk than and mortalite 1490 Irland Mir. I. 13/2. 1535 Stewart 7573.
Of this battle the greit mortalitie a1538 Abell 77 a.
Dauid wes punist for his pride … be mortalite in his pepill Ib. 110 b.
The ȝere eftir … wes cwnȝet the blak copir quhar throw rais gret darth and mortalite in the realm 1549 Compl. 1/18.
The vniuersal pestilens ande mortalite that hes occurit mercyles amang the pepil(2) c1420 Wynt. v. 5383.
For stynk the ayre movyd thaire-efft Sa gret a mortalyte That [etc.] Ib. 4820. 1456 Hay I. 57/18. Ib. 46/4.
Off the quhilk cruel mortalitee it was sa grete pitee to here the crye … that in Rome was maid 1533 Bell. Livy II. 85/27.
Dredand throw this mortalite that the … lauboraris of thare landis suld peris be hunger 1600 Elgin Rec. II. 85.
Euerilk Sonday appointit to be a day of fast during the tyme of this mortalitie a1658 Durham Comm. Rev. 356.
By death may be understood the pestilence, called the mortalitie because so many ordinarily die by it 1700 Cramond Kirk S. IV. 28 Mar.
The great & unusuall sicknes and mortality of late throw all the land(3) c1420 Wynt. ii. 513.
Eftyre gret mortalyteis Yhet men thus growys in sere cuntreis