Dictionaries of the Scots Language
Dictionars o the Scots Leid

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.

Sententious, adj. Also: sententiouse, -tios, -tius, -ci(o)us, -cyus. [Late ME and e.m.E. sentencyowse (Prompt. Parv.), sentencyous (1503), sentencious (1509), sententious (1579), OF sentencieux (13th c. in Larousse), L. sententiōs- full of meaning, pithy, sententious.] a. Of discourse: Full of meaning, pithy. b. Of an author: Sound in content or utterance, uttering wisdom or sound morality.a. 1513 Doug. i Prol. 296.
A ragment twys als curyus, Bot nocht be twenty part so sentencyus [Ruddim. sentencius] 1531 Bell. Boece I cviii.
With mony grave and prignant orisoun … To make thy mater more sententius 1531 Bell. Boece II 483.
He … maid sa flowand and sententious [M. sentencious] versis, that apperit weil he was ane naturall and borne poete 1590-1 R. Bruce Serm. 229.
The words that he speaketh … are few; but they are verie sententious 1598 James VI Basil. Doron 179/7.
In youre langage be plaine, honest naturall, cumlie, clene, shorte & sententiouse 1598 James VI Minor Prose 58/4.
This pamphlet … if it be not sententious, at least it is short 1600-1610 Melvill 117.
He keipit the sam countenance, gestour, and schort sententius form of langage upon the skaffalde, quhilk he usit in his princlie governmentb. 1513 Doug. vi Prol. 75.
He is ane hie theolog sentencyus 1533 Boece 161b.
As writis Tacitus, becaus nane may be mare elegant nor mare sententios