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First published 2002 (DOST Vol. XI).
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Violence, -ens, n. Also: violance, -ans, -enss, wiolence, -ens, vyolence, -ens, wyolence, -ens, vialence, veo-, weolence, viholence, violent(e. [ME and e.m.E. violence (c1290), vyolence (Manning), violens (1435), OF violence, L. violentia.]

1. Violence, (the use of) physical force, chiefly, by a person or persons against others or against property, with the intention or effect of causing injury, submission, damage, etc.; the resultant damage, injury or harm. Chiefly, const. be, with, thruch, etc. violence, to do, mak violence. b. Without wiolence, as an aspect of a person's character, lacking the tendency to be violent. c. An act of violence, a case of severe or harsh treatment.(1) a1400 Leg. S. xxii 637.
Thre housis … & a ȝard … With falset [had] he wonnyne ȝet, & hadine thame with violence Fra haly kyrk, in fawt of fence 14.. Acts I 11/2.
Fra thaim be the quhilkis thai ar herberyt nouthir met na othir thyng thruch violence thai sal tak 1479 Acta Aud. 89/1.
Thai war throw violence & mastry of Andro Gray … causit to remofe with ther gudis & lefe his said landis 1531 Bell. Boece I 194.
Efter that scho had aggreit thaim [sc. feuding brothers], mair be violence than ony gud luf 1626 Garden Worthies 91.
Thy hopefull heyre to end when thow was old And nepot be by violence prevented a1633 Hope Major Pract. II 95.
Ane exception of voluntar removeing fund relevant to be proven conforme to ane instruction of voluntar removeing, notwithstanding it wes repleyed upon violence 1650 Strathbogie Presb. 130.
Neither vas his hyrmen ane scholler vho secondit his sonne with all violence, as the witnessis can declair 1681 Stair Inst. iv xl § 21.
The buyer is not to consider how the seller purchased, unless it were by theft or violence(b) a1500 Henr. Prayer 46.
Haif rewth, Lord … Pvnis with pety and nocht with violens 1490 Irland Mir. II 68/23.
Jhesus sais that the innemeis of hell be all thar force temptacioun and wiolens sall neuir ourcum na haue victorie aboue the halykyrk 1494 Deidis of Armorie 3.
Certan rebaldis, glotonys, be thar peruerst will throw violens and be fors wald haue dishonorit and violet the said madenys 1596 Dalr. I 239/20.
He … cruellie put hand in him selfe, and vehementlie with violens reft his awne lyfe(c) a1578 Pitsc. I 276/23.
The airmes defendis the heid quhene it is persewit be weolence(d) 1562-3 Winȝet II 5/3.
I think that our new citie of Jerusalem suld be sa strang an hald, that al the enimeis thairof … suld nocht mak thame be force and plane violente to sact it(2) c1400 Troy-bk. i 107.
We come neuir in purpos here Ȝour kingis lande to stroye no stere, Ne to do wrange ne wiolence c1420 Wynt. viii 6417 h. of ch. (C).
Of the fyrst pestilence In Scotlande that did wyolence [R. was wyolent] Dietary in c1500 Makc. MS xiv 19.
To puyr folk do no vialence [Barb. violans] a1500 Lanc. 2660.
Thar strong assay hath don sich vyolens a1500 Henr. Fab. 422.
Ane foxe … Quhilk to this wedow did grit violence In pyking off pultrie baith day and nicht 1490 Irland Mir. II 31/21.
Sathanas did gret iniur violence and iniustice agane this iust man and innocent Jhesus 1513 Doug. x ii 42.
Thinkis thou lesum is at Troianys infeir Violens to make with brandis of mortall weir Agane Latynys 1535 Stewart 34613.
To preist or clerk no violence to mak 1609 Skene Reg. Maj. ii 42.
The kings way … sould conteine in brede fourtene foote; in the quhilk na damnage nor violence sould be done to any man 1626 Garden Worthies 36.
Infineit hurts … wrong & violence Done to my countrie(3) 14.. Reg. Maj. c. 67.
The ayris may giff mistar be recyst the violens of thar lordis c1409-1436 Kingis Q. § 99.
Hye quene of lufe! sterre of beneuolence! … Appesare of malice and violence! a1500 Henr. Fab. 773.
The hird him [sc. the fox] hynt, and out he drew his flane, And for his kid, and vther violence, He tuke his skyn, and maid ane recompence 1533 Boece 154b.
Sum, eschaping violence of inemyis, planely in thare awne persoun put handis 1549 Prot. Bk. Sir A. Gaw 6.
[Elizabeth protested] for nullite of al maner of violance [in time past] 1549 Compl. 3/33.
Ȝour grace is discendit of them, quhilkis be ther vertu ande be ther victoreus actis hes kepit ande deffendit the liberte of ther subiectis … ande hes repulsit vailȝeantly al externe violens 1549 Compl. 141/5.
Scheip, doggis, voluis, lyons … deffend there auen natur contrar the violens of vthir beystis 1582–3 Perth B. Ct. 11 Jan.
Thairthrow they may haue or intent ony actioun of veolence 1665 Inverness Rec. II 225.
Ane troup of horse … to ly at this place … as ane garisone … to mantayne & defend the samen against the violence of ther enimies 1681 Stair Inst. iv xl § 26.
Violence upon the chastity infers just fear, as when men are abused with sodomy, or women with rape or sodomy a1689 Cleland 45.
Innocence proves no defence, Against this spait of violenceb. 1490 Irland Mir. I 26/27.
Consider … quhat thou art, quhais sone, … thou suld be prudent, hardy and stark in all gud werkis; thou suld be wis … liberale, curtas, meik, without wiolence ore ony wrang ore wilanyc. sing. a1400 Leg. S. xxxiv 234.
The feynde … can cry, … 'Alace! I thole but defence Of hyme this ald gret wyolence' 1456 Hay I 248/11.
The law sais that a violence bydis ane othir 1497–8 Acta Conc. II 152.
Wilyeam Forbas and uther twa persons … cruelly dang and strak him and spulȝeit him of x s. of his gere … the Lordis of Consale … understandis that the sadis vyolence and injure was done be Wilyeam Forbas and uther twa persons … and tharefore ordanis [etc.] c1500-c1512 Dunb. G. Targe 159.
Curage in thame was noucht begonne to spring, Full sore thay dred to done a violence 1517 Treas. Acc. V 158.
A letter of summondis rasit apoun my lord Drummond for the violence committit apoun Androu Toschaw 1533 Bell. Livy II 154/4.
To stop the violence of inemyis be trenschis and bastelȝeis 1623 Edinb. B. Rec. VI 243.
A verie greate barbaritie and violence committed … be a number of rude rascall and mischeant people 1639 Spalding I 222.
Our freindis and countrymen not onlie in Ireland, bot evin now in England, ar … cast in prissoun for thair modest refuseing to tak othes contrair to thair othe and covenant, whiche thay haue suorne in thair owne countrie; a violens not vsit befoir the treattie of peacepl. 1557 Ayr Chart. 42.
The punischement of slauchteris mutilationis bluidis thiftis spulȝeis and uthiris violentis and crymis a1639 Spotsw. Hist. (1655) 175.
The violences committed at this time, were coloured with the warrant of publick authority

2. Force, strength, severity or intensity. a. Of an illness. b. Of war, a mode of behaviour, etc. c. Of a natural phenomenon.a. c1420 Wynt. viii 6432.
In Scotland the fyrst pestilens Begouth, off sa gret wyolens [W. violens], That, it wes sayd, off lywand men The thryd part it dystroyid … Efftyr that … A yhere, or mare, it wes wedandb. c1475 Wall. i 170.
Thai wald no kyrkis forber, Bot gryppyt all be wiolence of wer a1500 Bernardus 344.
Seldyne … besy diligence Folowis with wanfortonys violence 1533 Bell. Livy I 17/4.
The preis and violence of tyranny 1533 Bell. Livy I 93/15.
Ȝit he could nocht brek be witt and engyne of man the necessite and violence of fortoun(b) a1605 Birrel Diary 21.
Ther wes a verey grate slaughter amongst the English canoniers, sundries of them having ther legges and armes torne from ther bodies in the aire by the viholence of the grate shotec. 1533 Boece 75b.
Thai … be violence of storme war cassin fra the schip apon the land, and the schip ouresett be seyis and sonkin 1533 Boece 279b.
Certane marcheandis saling fra the Firth of Forth … be violence of weddir, had thare salis, maist … and vthir gere … bristit and brokin 1533 Bell. Livy I 71/26.
As … the round hailstanis … drevin be violence of wyndis in the erde c1552 Lynd. Mon. 1680.
Quhov we maye make one strang defence Aganis sick walteris violence [sc. Noah's flood] 1588 Prot. Bk. J. Inglis 103a.
Violence of vindis c1650 Spalding I 242.
Four wark men about the schoir … be violenss of speat water, ar careit out at the water mouth of Die, quhair thay all pitifullie drount

d. The efficacy or potency of medicine. c1520-c1535 Nisbet Prol. Rom. 318/15.
Anne ewill skabbe or anne poke cann not alwayis be keipit in with the violence of medicynne

3. In weakened sense: Any kind of mishandling, maltreatment or misbehaviour. Also fig. 1490 Irland Mir. I 156/15.
As the froit without wiolence and with all plesaunce cummys of the land, the tre, the erd, sa come blist Jhesus … of this haly ladyfig. 1490 Irland Mir. III 102/26, 27.
He that dois wiolence to the takin and signe he dois wiolence to the thing that is signifiit be it 1567 G. Ball. 100.
To set thair nettis with cloikit craftines, With sic deuice as it war halynes, That na man suld thair violence espye c1600 Montg. Suppl. x 30.
Ȝour word, as suord, is sair; My breist is persit with uyolence