A Dictionary of the Older Scottish Tongue (up to 1700)
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First published 1937 (DOST Vol. I).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
Quotation dates: 1375-1456, 1507-1596
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Conspire, Conspyr(e, v. Also: consp(a)yir. [ME. conspire (late 14th c.), OF. conspirer, L. conspīrāre.]
1. intr. To form, or take part in, a conspiracy. 1375 Barb. i. 573.
He … swour that he suld wengeance ta Off that Brwys, that presumyt swa Aganys him … to conspyr on sic a wys a1400 Legends of the Saints xxvi. 440.
Quhy has thu … To felone ded of innocent Conspyrit, & gyfine thi consent? c1400 Troy-bk. ii. 2188.
To mak on thaim fell martyre, That so agane thaim gan conspyre c1420 Wynt. v. 5623.
Thai thoucht that land wald conspyre Agayne the state off the empyre a1508 Kennedy Flyt. 531.
Thir ar the cansis that I conspire 1533 Boece ii. v. 65 b.
Dowall … conspirit with certane nobillis c 1570 Satirical Poems xxxvi. 155.
Thow sall not chaip mischeif, … Nor thay, that in that blok with the conspyrit a1578 Pitsc. I. 78/23.
The Duke of Ȝork … conspayirit against King Henrie the Sext a1578 Ib. I. 207/11.
Syne came the haill lordis that conspyirit aganis the king 1596 Dalr. I. 181/23.
Of thair counsel quha had conspyret against him
2. tr. To plan (one's death) by conspiracy. 1456 Hay I. 63/11.
Within the ȝere … thai twa conspirit his dede 1563-1570 Buch. Wr. 47.
He fenyeit that the erll of Mortoun had conspyrit his deid a1578 Pitsc. II. 192/3.
The bruit rais … that it was the erle Bothwell that did conspyre his death 1596 Dalr. I. 271/3.
Sum for his dissolut maneris … conspyret his deith
3. To frame (a conspiracy). 1564 Inverness B. Rec. I. 110.
Nocht knawand of thair wickit purpos nor conspiracie conspyrit in his contrar
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"Conspire v.". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 15 Dec 2025 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/dost/conspire>


