Dictionaries of the Scots Language
Dictionars o the Scots Leid

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

Hide Quotations Hide Etymology

Abbreviations Cite this entry

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

Secular(e, Seculer(e, adj. and n. Also: seculair(e, saicular, sycular(e, sæcular, seclere. [ME and e.m.E. seculer (c1290), -ere (Manning), -ar (1402), seculier (Caxton), (OF seculer (1190 in Larousse), L. sǽlār-is.

A. adj. 1. Belonging to the world, lay, civil, as opposed to religious or ecclesiastical.(1) 1400 Slater Early Sc. Texts No. 49.
Be any maner of seculer lauch cevile or canone 1456 Hay I 93/34.
Quhethir kirk men suld pay tailles … to seclere kingis or princis 1456 Hay I 284/32.
Seculere c1490 Irland Asl. MS 42/23.
It war better to … pas to sum other gud werk … in a seculer persone 1504–5 Liber Melros II 601.
And the said abbot producit his register that the said landis ar gevin to thame without secular seruice 1548 Knox III 26.
No bishope should mixt him selfe with temporall or seculer busines(b) 14.. Acts I 381/2.
All thai that kirk law and secular law prononcis infames 14.. Reg. Maj. c. 91.
In the Cristen court or in the secular court c1450-2 Howlat 284 (A).
The spirituale staite and the secular consait 1530 Lynd. Test. Pap. 1061.
Ȝe seculare folks hes of our cace no curis 1535 Stewart 60439.
Of ilk bischop and euirilk secular lord 1597 Skene Verb. S. s.v. Curia.
Vnto the ane perteinis the ecclesiasticall and to the vther the temporall or secular jurisdiction 1606 Birnie Kirk-b. iii.
For as in Eccl. 12 the graues periphrase (beth gnolam) signifies the secular house a1639 Spotsw. Hist. (1655) 60.(c) a1570-86 Dunb. Maitl. F. 211/11.
So mony preistis cled vp in seculair weid a1538 Abell 26b.
Paip Auerist … ordanit that a bischop mycht nocht be accusit be seculair men a1538 Abell 113b.
It is aganis the law of natur at ane seculaire man in secular abat ma be ordurlie a abbot of religios men a1538 Abell 120 (bis) a.
Be our bredir & als be the seculair stait(d) 1581 Hamilton Cath. Tr. in Cath. Tr. (STS) 84/21.
Na man seruing in the kirk of God … mellis him self vith sæcular and vardlie affairs 1637 Baillie I 2.
Immersion in saicular affaires, was the bane of the Romish prelats(e) 1402 Alnwick Castle Deed.
Jugis of the kyrk or sycular jugis(2) 1375 Barb. iv 12.
For thai sparyt off na degre Thaim that … his [sc. King Robert's] freynd wer Nother off the kyrk na seculer 1427 Charter (Reg. H.) C.O. No. 40.
Foroutyn lefe of ony jugis lerit or seculere 1456 Hay I 236/24.
Seculeris(b) c1420 Wynt. v 2477 (C).
That nane sulde draw Clerkis for to suffyr law Befor iugis secular [R., W. -are] c1420 Wynt. vi 1078 (R).
Sparand na condytyown, Seculare, na off religyown c1420 Wynt. viii 1769 (W).
Al hail the Scottis nacion Off all conditioun … Als wele lerit as seculare 1423–4 Wemyss Chart. 48.
Al owre gudis … withowtyn leif of ony iugge of the kirk or seculare … to be distrenȝit away led, and sald a1650 Row 197.
It may be easilie answered, that it is not the destruction of the policie to be simplie managed by politick men and seculare(c) 1389 Wemyss Chart. 24.
Before ony iuge, syculare or ecclesiastyc [pr. -yr] 1431–2 Newbattle Coll. (Somervill e).
But lef of ony jugis sycular or spiritual

b. Of a grave: Unconsecrated. a1538 Abell 66b.
He … spulȝet him of his abet pontificall and syne dishonorit his body cuttit his handis fra him & gart cast in Tibir and his body in ane seculair graif

2. Of a member of the pre-Reformation clergy: Living ‘in the world’, unenclosed, non-monastic, as distinct from the regular clergy of the enclosed monastic orders. Also freq. secular prest (freir), and prest secular.Also of a benefice occupied by such a clergyman.(1) 1402 MacRae Early Sc. Texts No. 9.
The forsaide religeouse men oblis thaim & thair abbay [sc. of Scone] for to find a preste chanoun or secular for the saul of the excellent prince Robert … quhilom king of Scotland [etc.] c1420 Wynt. v 5825.
Rosmarkyne … a place cathedrale … Quhare chanownys ar seculare Wndyr Saynt Bonyface lyvand thare c1420 Wynt. vi 56.
And fere ma prelatis regulare, Wyth mony a gret clerk seculare c1420 Wynt. vi 512.
The byschape and chanownys thare [sc. in Dunkeld cathedral] Serwys God and Saynct Colme, seculare 1528 Lynd. Dreme 180.
Curious clerkis and preistis seculeris a1538 Abell 114a.
The paip sais at it is aganis the law of God at ane secular prest suld be chosin to be ane habbet thotht he tak the habet c1552 Lynd. Mon. 2509.
Aschame ȝe nocht, ȝe seculare prestis and freris, Tyll so gret superstitioun to consent? c1552 Lynd. Mon. 4299.
Legionis of preistis seculeris, Personis, uicaris, monkis and freris(2) 1466 Acts II 86/1.
That na Inglis man haue na benefice seculare nor religous within the realme of Scotlande

B. absol. as noun, and noun. One who belongs to the world, as opposed to a religious; a layman.(a) 1398 Acts I 212/1.
That it ryn nocht to the … hurtyng of fredome of halykyrk and it [sc. a contribution] be raysit be ministeris of halykyrke sua that … na seculeris entromet thaim in the raysyng of it 1398–9 Liber Melros II 489.
For ovten lefe of ony man or ony minister of haly kirke or seculere 1400 Maxwell Mem. I 141 (see Minister n. 3 (1)). 1414 Bk. Carlaverock II 419.
Al the proffitis in his vse to be [uptaken] but oni leve of seculer or of hali kyrk 1456 Hay I 285/11.
Clerkis … ferrar can se in the ground of a mater na seculeris 1528 Lynd. Dreme 984.
Lordis of religioun, thay go lyke seculeris(b) c1420 Wynt. v 3920 (W).
[The Emperor] Haldand within the queire that place That neuer to seculare ordanit was c1420 Wynt. vii 1340 (R).
Off cownte and charge he suld be, That secularys oysyd, all tyme fre 1456 Hay I 66/16.
Temporale men and secularis 1456 Hay I 285/12. 1466 Acts II 86/1.
That clerkis … salcum before thare ordinar [etc.] … ande that secularis salcum befor the kingis depute to be lymmit at ilk havin 1491 Cart. S. Nich. Aberd. I 257.
The College … sal bringe furtht secularis resauit in the confraternite on ther expens 1529–30 Stirling B. Rec. I 39.
To dispone thair perroche clerkschip … to the maist cunning chaiplane that can be had … and to na secular 1535 Stewart 34061.
That no secular suld haif power to caw Ane preist or clerk befoir him to thole law c1552 Lynd. Mon. 4704.
Sum man wald thynk ane lustye lyfe Ay quhen he lyst, to chenge his wyfe … Bot secularis wantis that lyberte, The quhilk ar bound in mariage 1562-3 Winȝet II 42/8.
For lat ws nocht vse, as for demonstratioun, the exemplis of secularis, and of the Manicheis 1572-5 Diurn. Occurr. 5.
Thair wes tane James Betoun … be sum secularis 1596 Dalr. I 119 marg.
The seculars of the realme in Scotland ar gouerned be the burgesse lawis(c) 1501 Doug. Pal. Hon. 696.
And mairatouir I am na seculair, A spirituall man … Cleipit I am