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: 1499-1513, 1567-1578
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Quhitlie, adj. Also: quhitt-, quhyt- and -ly. [ME and e.m.E. whitly (Trevisa), whitely (c1410), whytly (1528).] a. White, whitish, or light in colour. Cf. Quhite adj. 1. b. Fair or pale of complexion; pallid; delicate. c. Absol. in superl. Cf. Quhite adj. 2.a. a1500 Henr. Test. Cress. 214.
Four ȝokkit steidis full different of hew … The first was soyr … The secund … Quhitlie and paill 1501 Doug. Pal. Hon. 1895.
With birneist euir … the quhitlie blanschit bone 1513 Id. Æn. xii ii 96.
And schynand rychely Of fynast gold and quhitly alcomyb. 1513 Doug. xii ii 34.
So that the natural heit the blude dyd chace Our all the partis of hir quhitly [Sm. quhytly] face a1578 Pitsc. II 17/21.
The Earle Bothwell … was fair and quhittlie and sumthing hingand schoulderitc. a1568 Scott iv 93.
The quhytliest will quhipit And nocht hir hurdeis hane
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"Quhitlie adj.". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 14 Dec 2025 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/dost/quhitlie>
