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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 but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

Honour, Honor, n. Also: honoure, -owre, honnour, honure; honore, honnor; honer. [ME. honour(e, -owre, honure (c 1275), hon(n)or, AF. honour, OF. honur, honor, L. honor.]

1. Personal distinction based on position, conduct, or character.(a) 1375 Barb. i. 177.
Degradyt syne wes he Off honour Ib. xii. 316.
Conteyn ȝow tharfor on sic wis, That ȝour honour ay savit be ?1438 Alex. i. 1020.
He … held gude lordschip and honour Ib. ii. 1500.
The riche Empriour That aucht all Grece and that honour 1456 Hay II. 35/3.
A squyer but nobles is nocht worthy to sa hye honour as to the worthy honour of knychthede 1490 Irland Mir. fol. 240.
A takin of honour … as giltyn spurris in knychtheid c1500-c1512 Dunb. Flyt. 20.
It is … tinsale baith of honour and of fame 1531 Bell. Boece (M) I. 73.
Before quhom was borne ane birnand gleibe of fyre, in signe of his honour and divinite c1550 Lynd. Meldrum 682.
He did remane in France, … Weill estimit in greit honour a1585 Maitl. Q. lxi. 91.
Wald ȝe doe for ȝour countrie man As for our honouris caus we wald a1578 Pitsc. I. 19/8.
Be the contrare to ws we have gret honnour 1596 Dalr. I. 169/17.
To win honour and gloir throuch martial deides Ib. 277/27.
This lyfe deuotly he departes, with al honour 1606 Rep. Southesk MSS. 13.
To be in readynes … as ȝe tender our honnour 1627 Reg. Privy C. 2 Ser. II. 10.
Bands of religioun, honnour, … and saulfetie(b) a1400 Leg. S. i. 155.
Or he [sc. Peter] the honowre tuk In Antioche c1400 Troy-bk. II. 967.
Cassandra, of rytht gret honoure To hym they graunted haue frely c1420 Wynt. iv. 2490.
He wes … Regnand in tyll … Honoure, state, and majeste Ib. v. 3398.
He yharnyt tyll have bene emprioure, And ay anelyd to that honowre a1500 Gol. & Gaw. 1102.
I sall thi kyndnes quyte, And sauf thyn honoure 1531 Bell. Boece I. 42.
We se oft times … gret princis deieckit fra thaire honoure a1578 Pitsc. I. 33/24.
To comit his lyfe and honoure in the binding wp of bandis(c) c1420 Wynt. v. 3936.
To be kynd till yhoure creature That has yhow put in that honure c1500-c1512 Dunb. xv. 39 (M).
He tynis bayth eirand and honure [: cure](d) ?1438 Alex. II. 286.
Quho best will do, sall haue honore 1456 Hay II. 151/23.
Pure men has barnis that cummys to grete perfectioun and honor c1460 Thewis Gud Women 302.
Of wysmen that … has … mekil honor knawin & sen 1513 Doug. xi. xiii. 133.
Quhamto this wyndy glore … The honor … grantis

b. Distinction, reputation, of places or things. c1420 Wynt. v. 1049.
Steddys fayr, off gret honowre, He ordanyt for thare sepulture Ib. vii. 560.
Ingland, That in honowre and ryches … abowndand wes 1456 Hay I. 83/24.
The thing that is of mare pris, and of mare honoure … , is mare vertuous 1539 Soc. Ant. II. 394.
For honor, eyis, weill and profit of the town

c. Swerd or sword of honour: see Swerd.

d. Good reputation (of a woman). c1550 Lynd. Meldrum 925.
Wald God I micht, with my honour, Haue him to be my paramour

e.  madyn of honnour, see Maidin n. 5. a.

2. Honour or respect shown to a person. 1375 Barb. iv. 255.
The king … sall fale honor of erding a1400 Leg. S. xxviii. 307.
I wil nocht … honoure gyf to thi flatryng Ib. xli. 171.
Gyf he ȝalde dettyt honoure Til God c1420 Wynt. vi. 1525.
Wyth gret honure Thai mad hym halowyd sepulture Ib. vii. 3134.
Swa trowyd thai … Quhat honoure till hyr lord scho bare c1460 Thewis Wysmen 116.
Honore is nocht gevyne for claithis 1513 Doug. v. ii. 33.
Lat ws all … Perform this honour blithly 1535 Stewart 16449.
With all honour [he] syne grauit wes in his graif

b. In various phrases with verbs or preps.(1) a1400 Leg. S. ii. 660.
That it ganyt nocht the empriour Til do till ony man honoure c1420 Wynt. v. 1450.
Antone … Alway to gud men dyd honoure 1456 Hay II. 69/10.
In that that thai do honour to thair ordre, thai do honour to thame self c1490 Irland Asl. MS. I. 24/19.
All thing throu the quhilk God is adornit and done honour to c1500-c1512 Dunb. lxxvii. 67.
This nobill toun, That for to do thé honour did not spair(2) a1400 Leg. S. xxvii. 1207.
Thare … with honoure Thai grathit for it a sepulture c1400 Troy-bk. ii. 2300.
Oucht that mycht plesand be … He gart him haue with honour grete c1420 Wynt. vi. 2432.
The empryoure Ressayvyd the lettrys with honowre a1500 Gol. & Gaw. 399.
Our souerane Arthour Gretis thé with honour(3) a1400 Leg. S. xxii. 578.
To byge … A kyrk, mad in honoure Of this martyr c1400 Troy-bk. i. 573.
Ane alter maid he … In the honour of … god wnkende c1420 Wynt. ii. 762.
He … Scotland gert call that ile, For honowre off hys modyr Ib. v. 4882.
Abowte the cyte for to gain honowre off Dame Februa 1505 Edinb. B. Rec. I. 102.
For the … honour of oure souerane lord and all his liegis Ib.
In the honour of God and Sanct Mongow 1533 Boece xv. xiv. 601 b.
The day dedicat in honoure of our lady callit the purificacioun(4) c1420 Wynt. v. 1054.
That befor all other thai Suld prestys hald in honour ay 1456 Hay II. 29/26.
For honoure of thair ordre, to hald it ever in honour and worschip

3. (Usually in pl.) A place or position of eminence or distinction; a recognition of this. c1450-2 Howlat 687.
Erllis of honouris, … Prowestis and priouris 1456 Hay II. 85/5.
To extolle folk that ar worthy to hye honouris a1500 Bernardus 52.
Tyl honouris throw festyn few ascendis c1500-c1512 Dunb. Tua Mar. W. 378.
Quhen he wes heryit out of hand to hie vp my honoris 1519 Lennox Mun. 217.
Ane … that luffis bayth the saidis erlis welis and honvris 1531 Bell. Boece II. 160.
Mony nobill clerkis and doctouris, clothit … with prelacyis and honouris 1560 Rolland Seven S. 559.
The lordis of counsall and ambassadouris War than depeschit with plesure & honouris a1578 Pitsc. II. 184/1.
My lord Gordoun was restorit agane to his honouris and landis

b. The honours (of Scotland), the regalia of the Scottish kings. 1569-73 Bann. Memor. 61.
The captane of the castle was desyred to delyuer the honouris, to wit, the sword, the chepter, and the crown a1651 Calderwood VII. 38.
The last day, all the bisbops raid betwixt the honours and the erles 1641 Acts V. 495/1.
The vther inventor sall be layd vp ather with the honnors or some vther lockfast place 1660 Honours Scotl. (S.H.S., XXVI.) 125.
Giving out that his father was the only preserver of the honours of Scotland

c. A heraldic device indicating a (deceased) person of distinction. 1647 Aberd. B. Rec. IV. 77.
Abuses in … affixting of honers and armes, and suchlyke scandalous monuments in the kirk have crept in 1695 Soc. Ant. II. 234.
[Funeral expenses.] For making the box to cary the honours in

d. In honouris, ? in their most distinguished attire as for ceremonial or festive occasions. - 1572-5 Diurn. Occurr. 27.
The same day [13 March, 1542-3, day of Parliament] the communitie of Edinburgh and Leith wes in honouris on the calsay

e. (Corresp. to OF. honur and late ME. (1439) and e.m.E. honour in the same use.) A seigniory or domain. = Lordschip n. - ?1438 Alex. i. 1020 (read grete lordschip and honour), ii. 1500 (see sense 1 (a)). Ib. ii. 628, 2126. c1450-2 Howlat 687. (And perh. some other later quots. given as sense 3).

f. As a complimentary mode of address to a king. - 1405 Slater Early Sc. Texts No. 59.
For nocht displece yhour honour, learys sulde be lytille alowit wyth ony sic worschipfull kynge as ȝhe ar