A Dictionary of the Older Scottish Tongue (up to 1700)
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First published 1986 (DOST Vol. VI).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
Quotation dates: <1375, 1375, 1493-1622, 1676-1685
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Porch, n. Also: porche, portch(e. Also metathetic variants: proch, proche. [e.m.E. and ME porche (c 1290), por(t)ch porch or vestibule, portico, also (north., 1522–) side-chapel or transept of a church, F. porche, L. porticus colonnade, porch.]
1. In translations from L. texts. a. A fore-court or ‘vestibule’. (Rendering L. atrium or vestibulum). b. plur. (Rendering L. portici plur.) A portico or colonnade. c. plur. (Rendering L. porta sing.) A gate or entrance-way. 1513 Doug. ii viii 54.
And first of al befor the porch inran Hard to the entre [L. Vestibulum ante ipsum primoque in limine] … Pyrrus 1513 Ib. vi iv 77.
Befor the porch [E. port, R. portis; L. vestibulum] and fyrst iawys of hell, Lamentatioun and wraikfull thochtis fell Thar lugyng had 1513 Ib. xii viii 77.
Now into gowsty porchis [L. alta atria] doith scho [the swallow] fle c1520-c1535 Nisbet Mark xv 16.
And knychtis ledde him [Jesus] furth into the porche [P. porche] of the tolbuthe 1566-70 Buch. Comm. on Virgil Æn. vi 273.
Vestibulum: portch(b) 1513 Doug. ii xii 3.
At the porchis [L. porticibus; Ruddim. portis] or clostir of Iuno(c) 1533 Bell. Livy II 10/15.
Virgineus … was savit fra all persute, quhil he was cummyn to the vtir porchis [v.r. prochis; L. ad portam] of the courte
2. A porch or vestibule; also appar. = Portal(l n. 1. Also attrib. with -dure. b. Also applied to a structure resembling a porch. 1493 Comm. Univ. III (St. A.) App. 352.
In the hall, ane falding burd, ane langsadill, ane porch, and ane fut burd 1587 Reg. Privy C. IV 205.
In the portche or throwgang of the said west kirk dure [they] invadit … him 1606 Red Bk. Grandtully I 108.
Fra the kirk portche of Dunkeld 1676 Proceedings of Society of Antiquaries XIV 336 (see Nakit n.).(b) 1542 Proceedings of Society of Antiquaries III 163.
In the southe wall … to be biggit ane honest dur with ane plain procheattrib. 1553 Banff Ann. I 31.
The gauyll of the porche duyr 1560 Guide to St. Andrews (1953) 20.
The consistory hows abone the porche dur of the paroche kirk of Sanctandrois 1590 Edinb. D. Guild Acc. MS 402. 1622 Elgin Rec. II 168.b. 1326 Exchequer Rolls I 56.
Et in vno porche pro torali facto de nouo xj d. 1685 Cramond Ch. Cullen 165.
The said Thomas is to vork ane porch at the entrie of the said pewes
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"Porch n.". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 18 Dec 2025 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/dost/porch>
