A Dictionary of the Older Scottish Tongue (up to 1700)
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First published 1983 (DOST Vol. V).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
Quotation dates: 1375, 1552-1699
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Outing, Outting, vbl. n. Also: -yng, -yne, owt(t)ing. [Late ME. owtynge (Prompt. Parv.), e.m.E. outing (1639), in sense 1 (1) below; Out v.]
1. The action of putting out, in tr. senses of Out v.: Expelling; issuing, uttering, venting.(1) 1649 Kirkcaldy Presb. 338.
For owting and delateing all such in the armie as ar scandelous 1650 Comm. Gen. Assembly III. 178.
As it shall putt power in the hands of ill affected … men for outting of such … as are in trust in judicatories and in the armie c1680 Mackenzie Affairs 113.
Design'd to make him thesaurer by outing of Crawford 1692 Misc. B. Rec. 60.(2) 1609 Acts IV. 437/1.
And agane steilling geir … out of the boundis of these middle shyres and outting and selling the same in the incountries 1637 Rutherford Lett. (1891) 536.
That Christ may find outing and sale of His wares in the like of me(3) 1552 Old Dundee II. 309.
That Margret Melyne is innocent of the reset of Henry Wynd and owting of his false cunȝie 1584 Reg. Privy C. III. 706.
Outting and fenyeing of fals … cunyie 1599 Criminal Trials II. 99.
Outing 1601 Ib. 353. 1604 Acts IV. 267/2.
Outting 1639 Justiciary Cases 371.(4) 1644 Hibbert Shetland Islands (1891) 282.
Ye by your said wicked … airt of witch craftand for outting of your malice … did kill ane of his best warke hors
2. In intr. use. a. A going out or abroad, an expedition. b. In outting(is, in going or being abroad or away from home, while abroad or away from home. c. To be in outing, to be away from home, to be occupied with affairs other than personal or domestic ones.a. 1375 Barb. xix. 620.
The erll sperit at hym tithing How he had farn in his outyng [E. owting] 1375 Ib. iv. 513 (C).
Outyne [E. huntyn, 1571 outtyne]b. 1600-1610 Melvill 141.
Whill he is a bissie bischope about thir things in outting, as the cours was layed, they war nocht ydle at hame 1602 Rec. Convention of Royal Burghs II. 137.
Gif ony within schip dar rais in outting vproare … quha dois the samyn to be pvnischit 16.. Hist. Kennedy 25.
He was … sik ane nobill spendar in owttingis, with the best halding hous at hamec. 1664 Reg. Privy C. 3 Ser. I. 693.
The Lord … is now taking an essay of us what we can make out of God in more secreet … duties of His worship. We have bein muche in outing
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"Outing vbl. n.". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 12 Dec 2025 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/dost/outing>
