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.
Cowartnes, Cowardnes, n. Also: kowartnes. [ME. cowardnes (a 1400).] Cowardice.(a) a1500 Doug. K. Hart 487.
This cowartnes sall nocht betyde (1553) Doug. xi. Prol. 58.
How may curage and cowartnes agree? a1586 Lindesay MS. 57.
To be full of cowartnes to his innemy 1596 Dalr. I. 293/3.
The blaitnes of the men of weir and thair cowartnes Ib. II. 194/20.
To Surrie he obiected his waik hairt and kowartnes(b) 1535 Stewart 2392.
He and his men all cowardnes forsuik a1570-86 Maitl. F. xxx. 44.
Patience is comptit cowardnes 1596 Dalr. I. 100/1.
To be ouircum war a takne of cowardnes
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"Cowartnes n.". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 26 Apr 2024 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/dost/cowartnes>
