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

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First published 2001 (DOST Vol. X).
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Sufficience, Suffisance, Sufficiency, n. Also: sufficiens, -ance, -ans, -aunce, -yans, suffisiance, sufficence, suffiecence, sufficance, suffisans, -aunce, sufficiencye, -i(e, -tie, -tcie, -sie, sufficiancie, suffycyenssie, suffisansie. [ME and e.m.E. sufficience (Wyclif), suffisaunce, suffisance (both Chaucer), sufficiaunce, suffycyens, sufficiens (all mid-15th c.), sufficiency (1495), sufficiencie (1587), OF souffisanche, soffisance, suffisance (late 12th c., 13th c. and late 14th c. in Larousse), suficience (12th c. in Greimas), late L. sufficientia.]

1. Sufficient provision or supply; enough to satisfy one's needs. Also const. of. Also, at, in sufficience, in sufficient quantity; to a sufficient extent.(1) 1375 Barb. i 322.
Nor thare was nane that … Wald do sa mekill for him, that he Micht with sufficience foundin be c1420 Wynt. iv 1975.
I meyne noucht his necessyte That alway lywys in honeste, Owtward hawand sufficians, And inward wertuws habowndans c1460 Dietary 14.
Rich of litill, content with sufficians c1475 Wall. iv 335.
Sum quhill he had gret sufficience within; Now want, now has; now los, now can wyn a1500 Bk. Chess 1767.
To be content of gudlie sustinens And nocht exceid thair lyffis sufficians 1535 Stewart 14012.
Galdus … had aneuche ay of his awin to spend, With sufficians vnto his latter end a1540 Freiris Berw. 414.
God be lovit, heir is aneuche sufficiance; And with that wourd … They eit and drank [etc.] 1584-9 Maxwall Commonpl. Bk. 3a.
Eschew cowatyce … And ay at sufficience thow stay thé c1600 Montg. Suppl. xiii 4.
Content thé with sufficience; this worlde will away(b) c1409-1436 Kingis Q. § 6.
And so aworth he takith his penance, And of his vertew maid it suffisance a1499 Contempl. Sinn. 800 (Asl.).
In hevin with me … Ȝour solace sall exceid all suffisans c1500-c1512 Dunb. (STS) lvii 26.
Me think his gracious countenence In riches is my sufficence 1531 Bell. Boece I lx.
Quhare thay had plente with sufficence, we have immoderat cursis with superfluite 1540 Lynd. Sat. 4506.
Insaciable merchant men, Quhen God hes send thame haboundance, Ar nocht content with sufficance Bot sailis … In wintter to get gritter castis a1568 Bann. MS I p. 22/13.
God … is my souerane haill inteir And all my joy and all my suffisance(c) a1578 Pitsc. I 57/8.
Thinkand gif they saiffit thame selffis they had suffiecence quhill ane better fortoun(2) c1475 Wall. viii 1181.
Off meit and sleip thai ces with suffisiance a1500 Lanc. 1784.
In thyne allegians Ful many is, the wich haith sufficians Of euery thing that longith to ther ned c1500-c1512 Dunb. (STS) lxvii 1.
Quho thinkis that he hes sufficience Of gudis hes no indigence(b) c1409-1436 Kingis Q. § 26.
Quhat haue I gilt to faille My fredome in this warld and my plesance? Sen euery wight has thereof suffisance a1500 Quare Jel. 128.
For as me think in erde suld no thing be Possible to ony wicht of wele willing … Than sche thare of suld have full suffisance To gladin hir a1499 Contempl. Sinn. 535 (Asl.).
Deid … Quhilk parting has of syte na suffisans Fra wyf fra barne fra frend fra temporale gud(c) 1682 Decis. Lords F. 17.
There was sufficiency of labouring goods left, for labouring the pursuer's mailling(3) c1475 Wall. ix 1174.
Ȝon folk has fud, trast weill, at sufficians c1475 Wall. x 551.
Off nolt and scheip thai tuk at sufficiens 1535 Stewart 41951.
He wes richt weill sustenit … At sufficience that neidfull wes to haif, With sic prouisioun that that armet had(4) c1420 Wynt. ii 553.
In … Egypt … thai grewe so fast, Off industry and ingyne, … And off welth in sufficyans, … That the Egyptys for inwy Anoyit thame dispituisly 1549 Compl. 26/19.
Ȝe sal eyt ȝour breyde in suficiens

b. Passing into: Satisfaction or contentment with what one has; the capacity for being satisfied. a1499 Contempl. Sinn. 1219.
Ȝour birnand etik of none suffisans; Ȝour gredy thrist tressour to multiplye c1490 Porteous Noblenes 93 (Ch. & M.).
The way of louynge peas & sufficience ?a1500 Obsecro 104.
Grant to me … Sufficience with humilite My vittis to gouerne weill c1500-c1512 Dunb. (STS) lxxxi 100.
With gredines I sie this world ourgane, And sufficience dwellis nocht bot in heavin a1568 Bann. MS 267a/34.
And quhen the riche for sufficience sayis ho Than sall my lady luve me and no mo a1595 Cullen Chron. Aberd. 60.
Preik thé with deligence To put away negligence; Seik thé with sufficiance a1599 Rollock Wks. I 322.
Al the kingdoms, honour, and riches of this warld, quhilk is nathing but dirt and peltry in respect of those hevinly thingis, suld not give thee full contentatioun. And ȝhit the warldly fuil will say … I have contentatioun and sufficiencie

c. transf. A source of satisfaction. a1500 Quare Jel. 224.
All vertuouse womman … ar our ese, thai ar oure suffisance a1568 Bann. MS 25b/12.
My spreit … Reiosit hes with fully haboundance In God that is … all my joy and all my sufficance

2. Wealth; riches.(a) c1400 Troy-bk. ii 3058.
Thelamocus regned wysly In Achaia ȝeris sevynty, That in tyme of his governaunce It eked in-to gret suffisaunce(b) 1596 Dalr. II 290/24.
The hous, with a great treasour, ful of houshald geir, al sufficiancie

3. Sufficient capacity or skill to perform or undertake something; ability; competence. Variously const.(1) c1420 Wynt. iv 1147.
Gif othir, of mare sufficians, Can fynde bettyr accordance, This buk at likyn thai may mende c1420 Wynt. viii Prol. 10.
Sa, be my sympil sufficians I haf stablit myne entent 1503 Acts II 250/1.
Mak all the notaris … be examynate upoun thair sufficience and knawlege 1557 Reg. Privy S. V i 49/1.
Having consideratioun of the qualitie and sufficiens of hir lovitt Patrik Hardye, scherugiane(b) c1409-1436 Kingis Q. § 16.
Though nature gave me suffisance in ȝouth, The rypenesse of resoun [ȝit] lak[it] I a1499 Contempl. Sinn. 106 (Asl.).
And will a kyng to kirkly promocioun Promoife nane vther bot men of suffisans Quhilk treuly kepit thair stait and professioun 1586 Cal. Sc. P. VIII 621.
The gudwil I have borne yu at hir majestie's adois and to quhat point I am reducit to … I refer to the sufficence of the berar quho knawis it as wel as myself(c) 1561–2 Laing MSS 19.
The sufficiency of the berar sall serve to your lordship for full instruction 1569–70 6th Rep. Hist. MSS App. 650/1.
Sufficiencye 1590 Cal. Sc. P. X 268.
I thocht guid to send for Mr. Jhone Colving that be him I micht aquent you[r] lordschip with my procidings heir quhais sufficienci and credit is at both our handis 1590 Cal. Sc. P. X 268.
Suffycyenssie 1596 Anal. Scot. I 330.
Suffisansie 1673 Lauder Notices Affairs I 57.
He was so proud, so opiniatre of his oune sufficiency 1676 Kirkcudbr. Test. (Reg. H.) 25 Feb.
The sufficiencie of the cautioner is attested be Alexander Broun of Kempletoun(2) c1420 Wynt. ii 904.
I fynd sic discrepance, That I am noucht off sufficiance For to gare thame all acorde 1555 Corr. M. Lorraine 401.
Be reson of his sufficiens to declair the cais unto your grace we will nocht fasche your grace wyth langer wryting 1567 Reg. Privy C. I 539.
The honestie, habilitie, qualificatioun and sufficiency of oure said dearest brother to have the cure … of oure said … sone 1668 Aberd. Sheriff Ct. III 99.
Being sufficientlie informed of the abilitie and sufficience of the said Mr. Johne Forbes to exerce the said place & office 1677 Glasgow B. Rec. III 238.
Recommendis to the deane of gild … to try the sufficiencie of George Wallace to be a pynter, and … plaisterer(3) a1500 Lanc. 2002.
I shal fulfill and do yowr ordynans Als far of wit as I have suffisans(4) 1570 Warrender P. (SHS) 75.
With quhome I writt bot breiflie becaus of his sufficiency in knawing my mynd 1576 Prot. Bk. T. Auchinlek 1a.
To try and examyne his qualificatioun literatour and sufficientcie in the said office [of notar]

4. The condition of being sufficient or suitable for a particular purpose; adequacy: a. Of non-material things. b. Of material things (freq., with reference to meeting a required standard of quality or accuracy).a. 1560 Conf. Faith in Acts II 533/2.
Quhilk doctrin, as blasphemous to Christ Jesus, and making derogatioun to the sufficiencie of his onlie sacrifice 1580 Facs. Nat. MSS III lxx.
That Romane Antichrist … His erroneous doctrine agaynst the sufficiencie of the writtin worde, the perfection of the lawe, the office of Christ 1622-6 Bisset I 112/8.
Advocattis … quhais … sufficiencie of answerabill qualificatioun being wirthie of the said calling [etc.]b. 1594 Stirling Chart. 215.
The magistratis everie ane in thair awin quarter to pas throw the toun and to visie the sufficiencie of chalmeris and bedding 1596–7 Stirling Chart. 223.
Robert Alexschunder [etc.] … to mett the firlettis with the jug … and to report the sufficiency of the mesour 1612 Conv. Burghs II 349.
The act … anent the fisching … of hering … the barrels and sufficiensie of the samyne, [etc.] 1617 Conv. Burghs III 39.
The burghs of Edinburgh, Stirling, Sanctandroes, and Dysart to tak tryell anent the pease and sufficiencie of the breid 1622 Elgin Rec. II 168.
That the carriouris … cum first to Robert Hardie that he may … discerne on the sufficiencie of the leads 1629 Linlithgow B. Rec. 6 Feb.
For tryell of the sufficiencie of the firlottis, peckis and wtheris measouris … ordaines the baillies to mett the haill measouris … ȝeirlie 1630 Ars Quatuor Coronatorum XXIV 41.
Apointed … James Peticruff [etc.] … for the oversight of the sufficientie of the morcloath 1640 Rec. Old Aberd. I 69.
The haill crem stowpis in auld Aberdeen salbe brocht to the cross the nynt of November instant to sie the sufficiencie 1641 Acts V 417/2.
That no barrell be sooner made … bot that the couperes birne be set therone … in testimony of the sufficiency of the tree 1667 Dunkeld Presb. II 447.
To cognosce of the sufficiencie of the manse at Ouchterhouse

c. Sufficient goodness or virtue (to do something). 1456 Hay II 85/20.
Of wisdome to governe thy werkis and lede thé the rycht wayes, of sufficiance of conduyte to lede thé for all thy lyf dayes