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

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

Werrayour, Warrayour, Wer(r)iour, n. Also: werreyour, werryour(e, werioure, -your, -eoure, -yer, verio(u)r, weirreour, weiriour, warreyour, warriour, variour, varrior. [ME and e.m.E. worreour (1297), werrayure (Cursor M.), werreyoure, weorriour (both 14th c.), werriour (Wyclif), weryour (1448-9), warryour (a1513), warriour (1551), north-east. OF werreieor, werrieur f. werreier Werra(y v.] One who practises warfare, a fighting man; a valiant man of war. b. Prelate werryoure, a churchman who involves himself in matters of secular warfare. c. fig.d. ? transf.? A rival or fellow-combatant in some activity.(a) 1375 Barb. v 85.
Werrayour [C. veriour] na fors suld ma Quhether he mycht ourcum his fa Throw strenth or throw sutelte 1375 Barb. xx 416 (C).
Werriours a1400 Leg. S. xxxiii 709.
George wes the trewest knycht To Crist … O happy & wicht wereoure Of Godis name ?1438 Alex. ii 2930.
Weriouris [F. guerrier] 1456 Hay I 5/10.
Kingis and princis and temporal lordis … men that wont was to be werreyouris to defend the kirk rycht ar now rysyn [etc.] 1456 Hay I 299/27.
A king that will be ane worthy werryoure, he sulde be wis, faire and curageus 1460 Hay Alex. 3309.
Thair was na defalt … Bot anerly of men and weriouris a1500 Rauf C. 766.
Weryouris a1500 Gol. & Gaw. 7.
Thai walit out werryouris with wapinnis to wald a1500 Gol. & Gaw. 413.
Weryer a1500 Bk. Chess 719.
Werioure 1513 Doug. vii xiii 57.
The stowt wench Camylla … Com ledand armyt ostis … Forsuyth ane worthy weriour [Ruddim. weryour] was sche 1533 Boece 260a.
Inemyis that war dispitefull and cruell murdrissaris erare than robust and curtes weriouris c1552 Lynd. Mon. 2944.
Except tryumphand Julyus [etc.] … I fynd no gretter werioure c1590 J. Stewart 71/55.
Ane inferior … no valȝant vordie verior To beir the croune of laurell on his heed(b) ?1438 Alex. ii 1293.
The gudeman raid as gude warriour [F. guerriere] Besyde him Betys faucht in stour 1456 Hay I 162/11.
Quhen the weris ar jugit … tobe rychtwis, … than may the warrayouris, with all force and power, wyn all that thai may … get a1568 Bann. MS 157b/21.
He is als hie in his hart as ane warriour And he & prowd as ane vane woustour a1582 Sir Colling 13.
Variour 1639 Fugitive Poetry II xvii 2/38.
With six hundreth thousand warriours of might(c) 1535 Stewart 12020.
Thir weirreouris into thair weirlie weid … He gart thame enter in the thickest thrang c1550 Lynd. Test. Meldrum 202.
The maist inuincibill weiriour heir lyis 1596 Dalr. I 131/10.
For his armes he vsed the rid lyone, in sygne … a wichte weiriourb. 1456 Hay I 237/26.
Gif thare war ane uncheritable prelate quhilk war … a counsailour to mak were … Bot and the king had gert tak only sik prelate werryoure and he gert send him to the pape to punys [etc.]c. 1456 Hay I 17/9.
Thir ar the campiouns that faucht dayly … agayn thir fals heretykis, that is to say, Sanct Augustyne, Sanct Jerome [etc.] … with mony othir quhilkis warrayd the inymyes of the faith … And thus quhen the devill sawe that he mycht nocht bak the Cristyn faith throu that maner of temptacioun agaynis thai noble pillaris and warreyouris of the faith [etc.] 1581 Hamilton Cath. Tr. 153b.
The antichristian Calvinists may … scraip auay the former scripturis … becaus thaj ar certane of thair victorie … Thir stout and hardie varriors may accuse S. Paull [etc.]d. 1513 Doug. v iv 51.
So that Pistrys hyr weryour [Sm., Ruddim. weriour; L. aemula] all the way Hyr forstam by hir mydschip haldys ay