Dictionaries of the Scots Language
Dictionars o the Scots Leid

A Dictionary of the Older Scottish Tongue (up to 1700)

Hide Quotations Hide Etymology

Abbreviations Cite this entry

About this entry:
First published 2001 (DOST Vol. IX).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

Sib, adj. and n. Also: sibb(e, sibe, syb(e, seib. Superl. also subbest. [ME and e.m.E. sibb (Orm), sibbe (c1200), sib (c1250), sibe (Cursor M.), OE sib(b, cf. Fris. sib, MDu. sib(be, zibbe. Also in the later dial.]

A. adj. 1. Related by blood or descent, also by marriage. Attrib. and predic.attrib. 1456 Hay I 191/29.
Suppos he war nocht of blude syb cousingage, ȝit suld be herd … as frende for frende c1475 Wall. v 872.
Sib sister sone he wes to gud Wallace a1500 Seven S. 742.
And slewe that saikles sib ȝoung man c1490 Irland Asl. MS I 73/8.
Madinnis, mennis wyffis, … or other women sib or fremmyt a1578 Pitsc. II 1/10 (I).
[King Harie … said, ‘Allace] … I will nevir get so sib ane king [agane to me]' 1622-6 Bisset I 205/9.
There boyis or servandis sib of consanguinitie affinitie or uthirwyse 1666 Argyll-Lauderdale Lett. 36.
Some thinkes a sib child the best foolesuperl. 1631 Monteith Stewartry Ct. 11 Nov.
That the said Patrik Grahame is narrest agnate that is narrest and siblest [? erron. for sibbest] kinsman on the father syd baith of the saidis Marie and Margaret Grahamespredic. c1450-2 Howlat 603 (A).
It semyt that thai sib war a1487 Gud Wyf & D. 89.
All be thai neuir so syb no tendir a1578 Pitsc. I 299/12.
[He] intendit to marie hir gif he might haue had the popis lecence because hir husband befoir and hie was sibe a1605 Montg. Misc. P. xlviii 230.
Syndrie wes sibbe, bot ay ȝour grace wes nar 1610 Crim. Trials III 96.
Declairit thai war sib, bot knawis nocht how neir of kyn thai war 1680 Cloud of Witnesses 53.
Your relations and mine are sib

b. Related by blood or marriage to another, also const. dative pron.Also, in early use, ner (fer) sib, closely (distantly) related.(1) 1375 Barb. xiii 511 (C).
Till hym neir syb wes he a1400 Leg. S. xv 184.
Nere sib to the emprioure ?1438 Alex. i 138.
He was neir sib to Otessorie c1400 Troy-bk. ii 2071.
He of fer lyne Was and fer sib to Orestes c1420 Wynt. vii 1962 (W).
The king weddit a lady Neire sib [C. cusynge, R. cusyne] to this King Henry —1375 Barb. xvii 318 (E) (see Sibman n.).(2) a1400 Leg. S. xxxvi 1217.
Hou sibe to Jhesu this Johnn wes … as be lyne of flesche ?1525 Glasgow Dioc. Reg. I 55.
The barnis moder was sib to Andro Clerkson 1535 Stewart 9473.
Of thair wemen wyffis for till haif, So that thair blude mycht mixit be togither, Within schort quhile thai wald graw sib till vther 1560 Rolland Seven S. 7262.
Syb c1575 Balfour Pract. 123.
Kinnismen, sum … sib to him on the motheris side, and sum on the fatheris side, to be his curatouris c1584 Maxwell Mem. II 155.
Ȝowr parte is als seib to me as ȝe ar 1591-2 Rob Stene 7.
Ane wyis maister will sairest snib The scollaris that to him ar sib 1593 Maxwell Mem. II 170.
For I thocht my hous verie sib to ȝow bot far sibber now as maters ar fallin owt 1597 Skene Verb. S. s.v. Bastardvs.
Ane bastard, quhais father is incertaine, be the law is vnderstand, be reason of bluid, to be sib to na man a1633 Hope Major Pract. II 2.
The judge is als sibb in degries of affinitie to the persewer as he is in consanguinitie to his wyfe, and als sibb in consanguinitie to him as in affinitie to his wyffe 1642 Aberd. B. Rec. III 292.
Sibb 1694 M. P. Brown Suppl. Decis. IV 228.
She being in a degree equally sib to the defunctcompar. 1568 Breadalbane Lett. 1 Nov.
I am sibbar to his lordship nor ony of thame gif kyndnes war kepit 1593 Maxwell Mem. II 170 (see (2) above).superl. c1610 Melville Mem. 68.
His awen sister sonne, sibbest of bluid vnto hym a1597-1617 Hist. Jas. VI (1825) 378.
He sould be … proclamit … King of Ingland, Scotland, France and Ireland, as narrest and sibbest to hir of the blood royall of Ingland 1649 Red Bk. Grandtully II 143.
Subbest(3) 1598 James VI Basil. Doron 125/7.
As for the reuairde of my continencie youre self & sibbe folkis to you are … sufficient uitnessis

c. specif. Applied to the relationship of Eve to (till) Adam. c1420 Wynt. i 82.
Out of hys syde wes tane a ryb Thar of tyll [him] bathe lyke and sybe That woman wes made

d. specif. Applied to the relationship between Christ and man, viewed as a blood tie in the literal sense. c1515 Kennedy Asl. MS II 274/53.
Blist be thi sydis and wame that maid ws sib To Crist a1680 Blair Autob. 26.
His human nature wherein he was sib to us 1611-57 Mure True Crucifixe 2153.
Christ Jesus … to thee twice sibbe … Twice brother's Hee become 1635 Dickson Wr. 117.
He is the Son of God and Son of man, and so a fit man, being sib both to God and us 1638 Henderson Serm. 392.
He has tane on our nature and we ar his brethern … so we are als sib to him as David was

2. Close (to another) because of friendship, shared experience, etc. Also in attrib. use.predic. 1596 Dalr. II 246/3.
James Hammiltoune … was sa sibb to the king that appeirinlie na cause of feir was betueine thame vtterlie 1598 James VI Basil. Doron 115/30.
Outwarde flatterers who are nothing so sib to you, as youre selfe is 1616 Haigs of Bemersyde 141.
I esteem the king's majesty sibber to me nor all the brother and sons I have in the world 1637 Rutherford Lett. (1894) 415.
We are so much the sibber to Christ that we suffer 1639 Remonstrance of Nobility 26.
To whom [the English] by many strong bands naturall, civill and spirituall, we are sibber and more nearly joyned then to any other nation … on earthattrib. 1633 Johnston Diary I 9.
Thou invited God thy Fayther, Chryst thy elder brother, … as being thy sibest, thy nearest, thy dearest freinds

3. transf. or fig. a. Similar, alike; familiar; close in relationship. Also proverb.predic. 1535 Stewart 5461.
Vicis oft syis thai ar sib togidder, That on ane vice followis ay ane uther c1616 Hume Orthog. 21.
C and k are sa sib that the ane is a Greek and the other a Latin symbol of one sound a1658 Durham Comm. Rev. 145.
Grace may come to be looked on as too common a thing, and it and nature … be thought more sib than indeed they areproverb. a1500 Prestis of Peblis 476.
Dieu gard, sir king … I am to ȝow als sib as seif is to ane riddil c1500-c1512 Dunb. (OUP) 116/55.
We weir als sib as seve and riddill a1628 Carmichael Prov. No. 199.
Als sib as seive and riddle that grew baith in a wodattrib. 1619 Sel. Biog. I 102.
That was a sibb sentence unto me before; my father spake it dieing 1637 Rutherford Lett. (1894) 219.
Sense of death is a sib friend, and of kin and blood to life a1658 Durham Comm. Rev. 51.
The ministers being lights, and the churches candlsticks, it holdeth out a near and sib relation betwixt ministers and peoplesuperl. 1598 James VI Basil. Doron 124/8.
Ue are all of that nature that sibbest exemplis tuichis us neirest

b. Similar to (something), like. 1606 Birnie Kirk-b. xi.
Bowing their knee … which ceremony how sib it is to the old superstition 1604-31 Craig iii 14.
Thou … teasts each dish, sib to the greedie mouse 1581-1623 James VI Poems II 118/26.
That name To whom thow seemest so sibb at least in sound a1661 Rutherford Lett. (1894) 485.
Authority is for and from Christ and sib to Him 1648 Baillie III 57.
Two points somewhat sibb to this 1649 Review Bramble's Faire Warning 26.
A prelate very sibb to Doctour Bramble 1650 Comm. Gen. Assembly III 150.
Profane mocking … of the godly … which is a horrible sin, sib to that which is unpardonable a1658 Durham Commandments (1675) 98.
Wayes of … using the name of God, which are sib or of kin to oaths a1658 Durham Comm. Rev. 437.
Error and superstition, though it seemeth to be something sib to devotion (as smoke is to fire)compar. 1629 Boyd Last B. 163.
The godlie and wicked are sibber vnto other in outward shewes than Sirion and Sion are sibbe in syllabesproverb. a1598 Ferg. Prov. MS No. 1554.
Ye ar sib to my auld shoone ye grow ay war and war

B. noun. A relative, kinsman or -woman. a1400 Leg. S. xxiv 332.
Al vtrely to thame vnknawine To syb or fremmyt ore to his awine 1534 Orkney & Shetl. Rec. I 65.
Fra bruder or sister, sybe or freinde 1534–5 Orkney & Shetl. Rec. I 67.
Ony wthour, syb or frend 1591-2 Rob Stene 13.
Doggis spairis nowdir sib nor fremit