A Dictionary of the Older Scottish Tongue (up to 1700)
Hide Quotations Hide Etymology
About this entry:
First published 1986 (DOST Vol. VI).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
Quotation dates: 1483, 1538-1699
[0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,1,0,0,0,0,0,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1]
Principalité, -itie, n. Also: -yté. [ME (Wyclif, etc.) and e.m.E. principalite, -itie, OF principalite (mod. F. principalité headship of a college), late and med. L. principalitat-.ME also principalte (14th c.), OF and AF principalte (mod. F. principauté territory of a prince).]
1. A state or region held or governed by a prince.
a. In principalite, as pertaining to the Prince of Scotland. 1483 Acts Lords of Council II cxxxii.
The lordschip and landis pertening to umquhile Robert Lord Boid … quhilkis war gevin of befor to … James Duc of Rothisay … in properte principalite and heretage and thairefter to our said soverane lady … quhil the age of our said lord the Prince
b. Applied to those lands, espec. in the shire of Ayr, Renfrew and Ross, which formed the appanage of the eldest son of the King of Scotland as Prince of Scotland. 1538–39 Acta Conc. Publ. Aff. 480.
And als becaus the saidis landis are ane part of the principalite or at lest annexit tharto 1540 Acts II 357/2.
We revoik all alienationis of any rentis landis and heretagis annext to the principalite c1575 Balfour Pract. 134.
Landis pertening to the Prince of Scotland and beand annext to the principalite may not be set in few ferme nor annalȝeit without consent of the Prince 1587 Acts III 439/2.
Principalitie a1633 Hope Major Pract. I 45.
The annexed propertie of the principalitie (that is, perteining to the Prince as Prince and Stewart of Scotland) may not be disponed be the King bot as Prince a1633 Ib. 50, etc. 1633 Acts V 105/2.
Fra his hienes crowne and patrimonie thairof and frome the principalitie of this kingdome 16.. Macfarlane's Geog. Coll. III 78.
c. A princedom or princely state, in general. c1590 Fowler II 91/5.
Off the ecclesiastic principalyteis
2. The office of principal of a College of a University. 1621 Marischal Coll. Rec. 187.
Mr. Willeame Forbes … quha wes principall of the college of this burghe … hes dimittit his office of principalitie in the handis of the earle marshall 1649 Aberd. B. Rec. IV 97.
Presented to the office of principalitie in the said colledge
You may wish to vary the format shown below depending on the citation style used.
"Principalité n.". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 10 Dec 2025 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/dost/principalite>
