A Dictionary of the Older Scottish Tongue (up to 1700)
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First published 1963 (DOST Vol. III).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
Quotation dates: 1490, 1569-1628
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Happin, adv. [Happin v., in pres. subj.; also in mod. north. Eng. dialect.] Mayhap, perhaps. — 1490 Irland Mir. I. 15/16.
Sum that happin has mynd of pryd c1490 Id. Asl. MS. I. 34/26.
Happin the mete and drink … may nocht helpe the persone a1570-86 Maitland Folio MS xlv. 19.
Ane woman that is fayr may happin be [B. is nocht happin] gude a1628 Carmichael Prov. No. 621.
Hald your hands fra your taile ye may happin be som honest man a1628 Ib. No. 151.
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"Happin adv.". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 12 Dec 2025 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/dost/happin_adv>
