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A Dictionary of the Older Scottish Tongue (up to 1700)

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First published 2000 (DOST Vol. VIII).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

Sclander, -ir(e, Slander, v. Also: sclandyre, sklander, -ir; sclannder; sclaunder, -ir, sclawnder, -yre. P.t. and p.p. also sclandr-, sklandr-, sclaundrit. [ME and e.m.E. sclander, sklaunder (both Cursor M.), slaundir (c1425), slander (1603), OF esclandrer (also -rir), f. esclandre Sclander n.¹]

1. tr. To bring shame or disgrace upon (a person or thing); to bring into disrepute. Also proverb.(a) a1400 Leg. S. xxxii 430.
The feynde … Thocht to fyle hyre gud name, & sclandir hyr, & gere thol scham Ib. xl 331.
Ȝet wes he noyt neuire-the-les That haly kirk suld sclaunderit be Or prestede in sic degre c1420 Wynt. viii 396.
He sawffyd ill kyngis honeste, Swa to sclandyre a kynryk fre 1456 Hay II 43/2.
And thus is the squyer … dissavit of his ordre, and all chevalrye sclanderit 1545 Douglas Corr. 155.
I am sore sklanderit for my spayking with ȝow, bothe with the queyne and guvernour 1561 Reg. Privy S. V i 217/1.
Sindrie … officiaris … hes usit sic manifest oppressioun aganis the liegis of hir realme sua that nocht onlie is the said office sclanderit and evill spokin of, bot als oure soverane lady … dishonorit 1569 Sc. Hist. Rev. I 41.
My good fame & estimation hath heirin bene moste vniustlye sclawnderit 1607 Crim. Trials II 526.
Heiring hir name to be sklanderit, and scho to be namit a witche 1609 Glasgow Weavers 53.
Be thair knaiferie the craft is sclanderit(b) 1558–9 Reg. Episc. Aberd. I lxiv.
That his lordschip wald … schew … edificative example; in speciale in … dischargeing himself of company of the gentillwoman be quhom he is gretlie slanderit 1575 Bk. Univ. Kirk I 335.
That the good word of God be them and thair immoderatenes be not slanderitproverb. a1628 Carmichael Prov. No. 1326.
Sa faine as Makein wald be sclanderit. Sa like the laird the ladie was 1684 Cramond Kirk S. II 7 Sept.
What needed she ly on him, or slander herself, if it was not true

2. To defame (a person) by spreading untrue or malicious reports about him or her; to calumniate, slander, traduce.Also, with clause (see also quot. 1613 under 3 (a) below) or infin. compl.(1) pres. 1471 Peebles B. Rec. I 167.
Quhat women at flytis, fechtis, sklanderis [pr. skanderis] ony gud menys wyffis dochterris … sal be led to the four yetis of the town [etc.] ?c1500 Rathen Manual 27/1.
We cursis … all thai that for invye sclanderis man or voman opynly quairthrov thai tynne thair gude naime or thair gudis bodelye or gaistlye 1522 Dundee B. Ct. I fol. 91b (3 June).
And ony of thaim prouok on vtheris in tym to cum reballiand or sklanderand vtheris the faltar [etc.] a1568 Scott xxvi 46.
Thay [sc. women] sklander saikles, & thay suspectit 1581 Hamilton Cath. Tr. in 1573-1600 Cath. Tr. (STS) 83/17.
Gif they … sklander and blasphame lauful magistrats 1592–3 Prestwick B. Rec. 82.
Quhatsumeuir persone … sclanderis vtheris or invadis vtheris in bluid, the offendar, being tryit [etc.] 1597 Misc. Maitl. C. I 89.
Quhosoever sall sclandir the ministerie salbe put in the brankis at the jugis will 1612 Orkney & Shetl. Ct. Bk. (ed.) 22.
Thair is diveris and sindrie persones quha … detractis, sclanderis and defames thair nichtbouris 1624 St. A. Baxter Bks. 86.
If ever … ony brother of craft sall sclandir, calumniat, molest, offend, or iniure the deacon [etc.] 1654 Cullen Kirk S. 27 May.
Delated that Allex^r Hay did miscall & sclander Isobell Robertsone … in calling hir old witch harlot carlenp.t. and p.p. a1400 Leg. S. xxv 711.
Ȝone Julyane … has sclanderyt myn sone & me Thru his pride & iniquite 1390 Slater Early Sc. Texts No. 18.
We fynd that the forsaid Robert hes sclanderit the forsaid abbot … and … hes gert skaith the said abbot 1456 Hay I 276/2.
He aw amendis, and to pay the costis to the party that he sa sclanderit 1577 Inverness Rec. I 259.
In ane fensit court chargit Allane … as he that rebuikit, blasphemit wyth injurious wourdis and ignomeneous sclanderit the said prowest [etc.] 1591 St. A. B. Ct. 18 Sept.
Confessit that he had maist hyonouslie offendit sclanderit and iniurit the said Maister Robert 1596 Dalr. II 417/15.
That the aduersaris may think shame, him sa manifestlie to haue sklandirit, and sa esilie the king and quene of him to haue beleuiet the aduersaris Ib. I 187/10.
Sklandiret 1598 Elgin Rec. II 64.
Certane vitnesses quha all deponit that [she] … sclanderit him and said he wes ane auld doitit dyvour 1603 Shetland Sheriff Ct. (ed.) 85.
Elesoun Betoun hes sclanderit Malcum Rettray calling him ane theife … without ony liklines or probatioun 1642 Dundonald Par. Rec. 501.
[She] had sclandered her by such speichis as follow, that shoe was a witch kitling(b) a1570-86 Maitland Maitl. F. 325/20.
Repent ȝe ralaris and restoir To thame thair fame quhome ȝe sklandrit befoir 1584–5 Inverness Rec. I 297.
[He] publiclie defamit me, sclandrit me and callit me commoun theiff … I nocht being present(c) 1670 Kingarth Par. Rec. 64.
Katrine N‘Ilmertin, her neibor, had most … vilely … slandered her in saying that she did eat lice(2) 1561 Misc. Maitl. C. III 281.
[She] sclanderit Janat Bowman … in calling of the same Janat ane hwyr and at sche wes hwyr to hyr awyn servand and hyirman 1572 Bann. Trans. 415.
Jhone Knox, alsweill publict in his sermondis as vtherwayis, he sclanderit me as ane atheist … that I have planelie spocken … that thair is neather heawin nor hell [etc.](3) 1603 Shetland Sheriff Ct. (ed.) 85.
Alexander Fidlair is tryit to have sclanderit Grigerous in Lie to be ane bud takar

b. In reduced sense: To speak (or think) evil of (a person); to censure, criticise harshly. a1400 Leg. S. xviii 370.
Fadir, quhat thinge assaileis thé That thou in t[h]ocht sa sclanderis me Ib. xxxviii 361.
The emperoure hyme moneste than That he suld nocht his godis bane Na thame sclaundir na missay c1490 Irland Asl. MS 71/5.
Blasphlemand and sclanderand be ire of my hert God or my nychtbouris c1500-c1512 Dunb. (OUP) 215/39.
In court rewaird gif purches I, Than … secreitlie on me thai lie And dois me sklandir privaly 1567 G. Ball. 66.
Gif me Thy grace … To lufe my ennemeis … Howbeit thay trubill me alway, And for Thy cause do sclander me a1578 Pitsc. II 186/24.
The king was maid knicht of the cockill … at ane mes, quhair foir he was grettumlie murmured and sclanderit

3. To accuse (a person) of (with, for) a crime or offence, but not by process of law; to suspect of wrongdoing (and to make public one's suspicions); to condemn by popular consensus.(a) 1454 Aberd. B. Rec. MS V ii p. 782 (11 Nov.).
Men and women the quhilkis ar sclaunderit of spillyng of the mercate sal … cum noght in the mercate 1466 Newburgh B. Ct. fol. 7b.
Schir Johne Bane sclanderit hym of his sisteris ded in the wysage of the hail curt 1478 Acts II 119/1.
The realme [is] gretly sklanderit be strangeris … that byis salmond of the mynising of vesschiall & barellis that the salmond is pakit in 1504 Treas. Acc. II 436.
To Duncane Riche, passand to Kilwynnyn with lettrez on men that wes sclanderit with finding of ane hurd 1558-66 Knox II 280.
Whare the sclander me of magick … or of any other arte forbidden of God, I have witnesses … what I spake 1581 Lanark B. Rec. 80.
Quhasumevir burges … beis flytand with wther, and sklanderis ane ane uther with ony thyft in speceall [etc.] 1609 Skene Reg. Maj. ii 132a.
Gif any person is sklandered, or suspect of treason [etc.] 1613 Elgin Rec. II 135.
The said Janet had sklanderit her of witchcraft and that scho hed witched Androw Wanes 1621 Melrose P. 415.
He roughlie inveyed against those, who treasonable sclandered your maiestie with intention to introduce all Englishe ceremonies 1649 Lamont Diary 10.
The businesse of a gentelman … wha was sclandered for adulterie. … Att lenth his busines was referred backe to the presbetrey(b) 1697 Penninghame Par. Rec. I 6.
[She] made complaint that Jean Vernochan … had slandered her of adultery with James Ronald

4. To publish (a rumour); to spread abroad. c1475 Wall. vii 919.
Tharfor I will bot lychtly ryn that cace, Bot it be thing that playnly sclanderit is 1561 Inverness Rec. I 71.
The inqueist … hes fundin Dauid Rag our minister … innocent of the brute opynlie and queatlie sklandrit be Arthour Byrnaye

5. To speak or write evil of (a thing); to misrepresent. c1420 Wynt. vii 912.
Set hys will war to do sic Almows, perchawns his successoure Wald thame retrete … And sclawndyre, as gyvyn wrangwsly a1500 Seven S. 269.
And our enemys mycht knawe That ane suld de withoutin law Thai suld sclander the richt of Rome 1549 Compl. 183/30.
Thir freuole sophistaris that marthirs and sklandirs the text of Aristotel 1605 Glasgow Merchants House 93.
Sundrie malicious and deboschit personnis of this toune sclanderis and blasphemis the guid establischit ordour of the letter of gildrie

6. To be the cause of the weakening of a person's faith, spiritual life or moral standards. In passive: To be thus weakened in consequence of the behaviour or example of another.In active, chiefly in Nisbet, after Purvey.active c1520-c1535 Nisbet Matth. v 29.
Gif thi richte e sclandir thee, pul him out, and cast fra thee Ib. xvii 27.
Jesus said … Bot that we sclaundir tham nocht, ga thou [etc.] Id. Mark ix 41.
Quha euir sal sclandire aan of thir litil that beleues in me [etc.] Ib. 46.
Sclannder 1581 Hamilton Cath. Tr. 135b.
Quhasumeuer dois fast vpon the Sonday sclanderis the hail kirkpassive c1520-c1535 Nisbet Matth. xxiv 10.
And than mony salbe sclaundrit, and betraise ilk vthir 1562-3 Winȝet I 67/2.
That the waik and infirm be nocht sclanderit be our vngodly silence in tyme of persequutioun Ib. II 82/14.
This I eik, Christiane reidar, that thow be nocht temerouslie sclanderit 1570 Leslie 40.
The secularis and temporall men beand sklanderit with thair evill example, fell fra all devocioun and godlynes to the warkis of wikednes

7. intr. or absol. To utter slanders; to spread false or malicious accusations. ?a1500 Remembr. Passion 610.
Think … how thow hes failȝeit … in thy toung: lieand, sklanderand [etc.] c1500-c1512 Dunb. (OUP) 38/22.
Be nevir he to sklander nor defame 1596 Dalr. I 109/16.
Now mischieuous persounes feir nathing to rail out against that estait and quhat thay can sklander and bakbyte