A Dictionary of the Older Scottish Tongue (up to 1700)
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First published 1986 (DOST Vol. VI).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
Quotation dates: 1456-1494, 1609
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Provour, Prowour, Prover, n. [ME provar (c1400), late ME and e.m.E. provour (1444), e.m.E. prover, in following sense, AN provur (1275), prov-, pruvour (1292), OF prouveur, med. L. (Eng.) probator (1235–6); cf. ME and e.m.E. prover(e (Wyclif), one who tries, tests or puts to the proof, OF proveor (12th c. in Godef.), prouveur.] A person who has undertaken to establish a claim or accusation in a court of law, chiefly in a trial by combat. — 1456 Hay I 264/35.
For as jugement is done before a juge be a provour and a defendour and witnes, sa is the bataill in listis 1456 Ib. 265/31.
For the provour sueris that he traistis that he has rychtwis caus 1456 Ib. 270/13.
Rycht sa suld … the demandour, that is provour, first stryke 1456 Ib. 266/20, 271/3, 4, etc. 1494 Loutfut MS 2a.
Quhilkis sal call the parteis on this maner; ȝhe provour cum to ȝour iornay … befor the juge aganis sic a man 1494 Ib. 2b.
I the provour [Lindsay MS prowour] sueris [etc.] 1494 Ib. 110a.
The souerte suld be takin eftir the quantite of the crime of baith the partiis als weil on the provour as on the defendour for & the provour faill of his preif he suld wndirly the samyn pane that the defendour suld 1609 Skene Reg. Maj. ii 7 (see Appel(l)our n.).
Prover
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"Provour n.". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 14 Dec 2025 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/dost/provour>
