A Dictionary of the Older Scottish Tongue (up to 1700)
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First published 1990 (DOST Vol. VII).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
Quotation dates: 1515
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(Quis,) Qwis, v. [ME quysse to whistle to, echoic: cf. also e.m.E. whiss, whyss (1555) to hiss, whistle, and Quheis n., mod. Orkney and Shetl. dial. kwis, whiss to whisper, OIcel. kvisa to whisper, Icel. hvissa ‘to run with a hissing sound’.] intr. To hiss. — c1515 Asloan MS I 165/21.
In that ile of Tratota men spekis nocht bot qwissis lyke edderis
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"Quis v.". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 14 Dec 2025 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/dost/quis>
