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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.

Pousté, Powsté, -ie, n. Also: powesté; posté, poistee, -ie; pausty. [ME and e.m.E. pouste (Cursor M.), poweste (c 1460), poste (Cursor M.), -(e)y, pausty (Cursor M., Fairfax MS), poeste (Caxton), OF poesté (980 in Greimas), L. potestās power. Cf. Pouster n.Chiefly early. In Eng. appar. obsol. after 1570. In the mod. Sc. and Ir. dial.]

Power.

1. Authority, dominion, as an attribute of a person, or over someone or something; command, control, charge; government, rule; also, delegated authority, liberty (to do something).(1) 1375 Barb. ii 100.
Ȝe se How Inglis men, throw thar powste, Dysherysys me off my land Ib. IV 4.
Throw thar mycht and thar powste Ib. IX 4. a1400 Leg. S. vi 314.
Thai that ȝarnis for to be In hewyne & thare-in hafe pouste Ib. xxix 69.
That wes man of gret pouste Of warldis gudis and dingnite Ib. xxxi 135.
Sen vsurpyt pouste Has mad me ȝoure lady be Ib. xxxiii 660. c1420 Wynt. ii 1368.
To ger thame bowe tyll his pouste Ib. vi 109.
Pryncys to ken how thare powste Thai had, and thare awtoryte(2) a1400 Leg. S. vii 220.
Fore hym that al had in pouste ?1438 Alex. i 806.
Than haue all France in his pouste c1420 Wynt. ii 326.
Thare he become the kyngys man, That helde hym in tyll gret daynte, And put hys gud in hys powste Ib. v 4280.
And all the ilys … Subject ware till hys powste 14.. Reg. Maj. c. 47.
& fra he be manumittyt he is deliueryt & fra the hand & the pouste of his lorde 1513 Doug. iii viii 43.
Goddis haldis in pouste Weddir and stormys a1568 Bann. MS. 77 a/26.
Thy gud … God … Quhill thow art heir puttis thame in thy powste(3) 1375 Barb. xvi 358.
Of the marchis than had he The gouernale and the pouste 14.. Edinb. Univ. MS. La. 318/Div. II.
I sal … tel thé On quhilk men the feynd has pouste(4) c1420 Wynt. v 328.
Sa fell that wndyre his [Pilate's] powste Cryst tholyd thare passiowne Ib. 3432. 14.. Acts I 11/2.
Undir his riole pouste a1497, 15.. Gray MS. iv 16.
My werk … I pat vndir thin awne pouste c1575 Balfour Pract. 163.
And the law sayis, that scho beand under the powstie of hir husband, hir voic in law hes na richt(5) a1400 Leg. S. xxxvii 36.
A president that … had fra princis pouste tane Al Cristine man fore to sla c1420 Wynt. v 1386.
And als that nane suld handyll it … Bot thai that mynystryd in thare gre And ordanyt ware and had powste

b. On or apon one's (awin) pouste, at one's own command, at liberty. 1375 Barb. ix 757 (C).
Quhar that he all a quhill [E. he allane] suld be Nocht all apon his awn pouste [E. his powste fre] c1420 Wynt. iv 2260.
Bot that kyng, fra he wes fre And all set in his awyn pouste … for the were all halle hym sette

c. As a form of address to the supreme deity. 1513 Doug. x i 40.
O thou [sc. Jupiter], quod sche [sc. Venus], Fader of all, O eternal powste, Regnand abufe all men

2. Ability to do or effect something, capacity, might.Also const. to do something.(1) a1400 Leg. S. xix 79.
The feyndis name … That vaittis ws … To wryk in ws his wekit pouste Ib. xx 342.
Lord Jhesu, for thi gret powste, My bowne I pray thu grant to me That [etc.] Ib. xli 197.
[The feind] In til hyme did his pouste & weryit hyme Ib. xliii 559.
For sic poweste is tacht me til That I ma do quhat-say I wil Ib. xxxii 156, xliii 532. ?1438 Alex. ii 3201.
Gif God grantis throw his pouste, We sall richt wele accordit be Ib. 9948.
Josua … That was ane man of great pouste c1420 Wynt. viii 198.
In till swylk thryllage thame held he, That he oure-come wyth his powste(2) 1375 Barb. i 131.
But God that is off maist poweste Reserwyt till His maieste For to knaw [etc.] a1400 Leg. S. iii 888.
To sik man … That till assolȝe hyr had pouste Ib. iii 360.

b. Military strength. 1375 Barb. viii 236.
How ȝon men throu thar gret pouste Wald … Slay vs c1400 Troy-bk. ii 494 (D).
The tokyne [sc. taking; L. capcionem] for to signyfie … for [sic] the cite Thruth the Gregeois & thar pouste

3. Physical capacity or strength of a person.Const. to do something, and in some respect. a1508 Kennedy Pass. Christ 1089.
In sa gret pyne On ground to stand that sche had na powstie 1606 Birnie Kirk-b. Ep. 1.
These personal parts of such vigorous talnes … so dexterously kythed by a peereles pausty in all campestrial prowes and pas-tyming exployts

b. The state of sound physical health. = Lege-pouste(e n. 1375 Barb. x 447 (E).
Till folk that ar in-to pouste a1400 Leg. S. xiii 56.
& did sa wele thare that he Wes lifand in gud pouste Ib. xliv 81.
For-thi, till thu has powste, Gif, & [etc.] ?1438 Alex. ii 385.
Ane man suld that war in pouste Make him luiffit in his countre

c. The physical capacity or ‘use’ of a limb or part of the body. 1533 Bell. Livy I 192/17.
For this Latyne (quhilk was brocht to the court … but ony pouste of his membris) was sa suddanlie convalescit [etc.] a1538 Abell 86 a.
This barnis … ta hand wes deid without poste 1588 Crim. Trials I ii 162.
Quhan hir poistee and power wes tane fra hir hand and fute Ib. 163.
Quhilk tuke all the poistie of hir car syde fra hir