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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.

Regular, -are, -air, -er adj. and n. [ME and e.m.E. reguler adj. (1387) only in sense 1 below till 1584, also noun (1563), OF reguler (12th c. in Hatz.-Darm.), L. rēgulāris, f. rēgula rule.]

A. adj. 1. Subject to, or bound by, a religious rule; monastic as opposed to secular.In pre- and post-positional use, also with pl. inflection.(1) c1420 Wynt. 1 Prol. 87.
Off Sanctandrowys a chanowne Regulare Ib. vi 57.
And fere ma prelatis regulare, Wyth mony a gret clerk seculare 14.. Reg. Maj. c. 123.
Abbotis & priouris of chanonnys regular 1528 Lynd. Dreme 179.
Regulare channonis 1535 Stewart 42993.
Channonis regularis of Sanct Augustyne 1596 Dalr. I 331/6.
The rest of his lyfe he led amang the regular channounis of the haly croce in Edinburghe(2) c1420 Wynt. vii661.
Chanownys he browcht, to be serwand God, … regulare In till Saynt Awstynys ordyr thare

2. In other senses. a. Taking place or recurring at regular intervals. b. ? Well-ordered and well-behaved. c. ? Well-qualified; properly trained. Cf. 18th c. Eng. in this sense (1755).a. 1528 Lynd. Dreme 433.
[Phebus'] regulare mouyng in the hewin Is juste vnder the Zodiack, full ewinb., c. 1688 Dunkeld Presb. I 502.
[Asked] if the heritours and members of session wer regular, … the minister approvd them … as dewtifull in their places 1689 Ib. II 496.
Mr George Hay, minister att Coupar, a most regular minister, readie to preach

B. noun. a. A member of a monastic order. Cf. A 1 above. b. A regulating power or principle; a rule or standard.a. c1420 Wynt. v 2516 (W).
That nane suld draw Befor iugis seculare Persone of kirk, or regulareb. 1513 Doug. i Prol. 340.
Venerabill Chauser, principal poet but peir, Hevynly trumpat, orlege, and reguler a1538 Abell 82b.
He maid a collegion of the obseruance of regulair of channonis in a buke quhilk … is callit the ordur buke