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 2002 (DOST Vol. XII).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

Wastyng, Waisting, vbl. n. Also: wasting, vasting, vaisting, weisting. [ME and e.m.E. wasting (Cursor M.), wastyng (a1425).]

1. The act of squandering, lavish spending, extravagance. Also attrib. (Wast(e v. 2.)(a) 1523 Fam. Innes 97.
His friends tak him and put him in fermance for eschewin of ony forther waisting of his saidis landis and gudis a1570-86 Arbuthnot in Maitl. F. 57/71.
Waisting is comptit liberalitie And gredeynes is thocht ane gudlie gayne 1585 Reg. Privy C. III 756.
The said Alexander … pretendis libertie to proceid in his prodigall dilapidatioun and vaisting of the rentis of the same [deanery], as in verry deid thay ar alreddy sa consumit … be his doings that [etc.](b) 1634 St. A. Baxter Bks. 97.
The evill weisting of the common guid of the craftis of Saintandroisattrib. 1633 Lithgow Poet. Remains 94.
[They] care not for … wiues, nor friends Kinred nor bairnes, saue their owne wasting ends

2. The act of laying waste, the destruction of property through violence, neglect or bad working practices; damage. (Wast(e v. 5, 6.)(a) 1423 Haddington Corr. II 229.
[If the said tenement fail through common war] or ony vthir wastyng 1475 Tracts Peerage 53.
To answer … for the … burning, slaying, vasting and destroying of our soveraine's lord's leiges and lands of the Iyll of Butte 1616 M. Works Acc. (ed.) II 17.
To Thomas Young fermorar … in consideratioun of his lossis be wasting of his grund in wining the stanes in the querrell(b) 1498 Acta Conc. II 238.
For the wrangus waisting selling, hewing, and distruccione of his woddis … extending to his dammage be gude estimatioun to iij^c li. 1515 Montgomery Mem. 84.
Gif the said Robert … haldis or imputtis nolt, cattall, or vtheris gudis, for the waisting and distroying of the said ile 1549 Lamb Resonyng 51/18.
Ane guidlie garnesoun to mak raiddis and waisting in Scotland as a preparatiue befor weir 1596 Dalr. II 83/30.
He had left taknes quhair he had beine in robrie, spoylȝie, and waisting of the kirkes 1600 Reg. Privy C. VI 170.
[To cease from all] forder waisting or melling with the said coll 1616 M. Works Acc. (ed.) II 54.
To Jhonne Thomesone maisoun in consyderatioun of his gryit panes in harling about of the haill auld wark and in waisting and wyring of his clothes … xxii lib. a1633 Hope Major Pract. I 65.
The acts mad of befoir against waisting of the forrests, shootting with guns, etc.