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

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First published 2002 (DOST Vol. XI).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

Trist(e, Tryst(e, n.¹ Also: tryist, thrist, thryist, tryest, treist(e, traist, trayst, trast. [ME and e.m.E. triste (Manning), tryst (15th c.), trest (Malory), an appointed station in hunting, a rendezvous, treste (1524) an appointed meeting, tryste (1635) an agreement, mutual pledge, OF triste, med. L. trista.]

1. An appointment or arrangement to meet at a set time and place; chiefly, to appoint, breke, kepe, set, etc. (a, etc.) trist. Also fig.There is some overlap between senses 1 and 2.(a) 1375 Barb. vii 237.
The king … rycht towart the hous is gan Quhar he set tryst [C. trist] to meit his men 1375 Barb. xvii 36.
Syme of Spalding … Lettrys till him he send … And set him tym to cum … And bad him hald his trist [C. trast] trewly a1400 Leg. S. xxx 332.
Quhen that cumyne wes the nycht, Scho kepyt the trist a1400 Leg. S. xviii 1160.
Triste c1475 Wall. vi 865.
In Ruglen kyrk the tryst than haiff thai set, A promes maid to meit Wallace but let c1500-c1512 Dunb. (OUP) 134/13.
Ȝe hecht sone without delay Againe in Edinburgh till repair … Ȝe keipit tryst so winder weill, I hald ȝow trew as ony steill 1527–8 Selkirk B. Ct. (ed.) 92.
Than ane trist is set to discid the rycht betueix Jenot Borthtuek and Ysabell Murray 1535 Stewart 44543.
Greit lordis ȝeid betuix thame … With fair tretie … Quhilk causit thame to hald thair hand … and new trewis to tak. Syne set ane tryst thair concord for to mak, With baith thair handis subscriuit 1538–9 Selkirk B. Ct. (ed.) 203.
Jhone Thomsone in Ruderfurd promist to sell me ane mere … and I keipit twa tristis in Selkirk till haif resavit hir 1540 Lynd. Sat. Proclam. 24.
We sall begin at sevin houris of the day, So ȝe keip tryist, forswth we sall nocht felȝie 15.. Clar. i 665.
Thay drest them to the mariage belyth, For on the morne thair tryst was for to ryde, The king of Spaine did on thair cuming byde 1566 Anderson Collect. Mary II 272.
Bothwell keipping tryist met hir upon the way 1568 Hosack Mary Q. of Scots I 529.
He [sc. Bothwell] breking the appointed tryst at ane tyme, … she … send the said Lady Rires to his chalmer for him 1576 Reg. Morton I 82.
We desyrit ȝour M. to appoynt ane new tryist quhair and quhat tyme we sould meitt 1593 Maxwell Mem. II 25.
Tryste 1631 Sel. Biog. I 360.
Ye sall wit that I cam to Airth a littell efter ye went away. … Since ye cracked tryst from Wednisday till Friday, ye mycht have borne with me for a few hours(b) 1609 Crim. Trials III 47.
Charlis Maxvell … said to this deponar, ‘Gif I had knawin of this tryist the Lord Maxvell nather culd nor suld haif brocht me heir’ … The said thryist was onlie maid to the prejudice of the said Charlis(c) 1591 James VI in Purves Revenue Crown xxxviii.
I heve been Fryday, Setterday and this day waithing … and nevir man comand. Thame of the Chekker … nevir one. … In schort na trayst or dayet is keeped 1662 Highland P. III 20.
Shee keeped the trayst with him and meet in the place appointedfig. 1629 Boyd Last B. (1629) 471.
The salmons … in their season returne to the place where they were spawned. They, like skilled arithmeticiens, number well the dayes of their absence; and for no rubbes in the way will they bee moued to cracke their tryst 1637 Rutherford Lett. (1894) 489.
Even when ye have a set tryst with Christ, and when ye have a fair, seen advantage, by keeping your appointment with Him

2. a. The meeting thus arranged, an assembly, encounter, assignation. b. The place where such a meeting is appointed to be held.a., b. 1375 Barb. vii 232.
The king … his way tuk him allane And rycht towart his tryst [C. trist] is gane c1420 Wynt. vii 2516.
As at a tryst set thare met he Wyth Lowys the kyngys sowne off Frawns c1420 Wynt. ix 1742.
At Hawdanys stanke togeddyr met The Erle of Carrike [etc.] … Schir Davy … Was at that triste [C. tryst] that ilke day 1455 Acts II 44/2.
Gif ony Scottis man bringis in the realme ony Inglismen or metis thame at ony tristys … thai salbe tane [etc.] 1489 Treas. Acc. I 119.
To Downy Malwny to pas in the Westlande to warne the Lordis to the saim triste c1500-c1512 Dunb. Tua Mar. W. 124.
Ever ymagynyng in mynd materis of evill … How he sall tak me, with a trawe, at trist of ane othir 1544 Corr. M. Lorraine 118.
And therefter sall haste me … to Stiruling … and keip the first trist of the parliament 1560 Rolland Seven S. 2315.
To hir ȝoung lufe scho went … And quhen scho come fra hir tryst and hir trane [etc.] 1570 Breadalbane Lett. 12 Aug.
The said day of tryst quhilk is appointit to be … the first day of September nixt 1558-66 Knox I 39.
Thare trystis of hurdome and adulterye used at such devotioun a1578 Pitsc. I 257/5.
He knew weill that [the] navie had not passit the right way, and schortlie heirefter … gat wit thai war landit at … Air quhilk displeissit the king … for he beleiffit suirlie that they had ben in France at the farthest tryst 1603 Gunn Traquair Ch. 14.
The sabbath is commonly profaned by trysts after sermon, whereupon follows eident drinking to the offence of many 1605 Ellon Presb. 55.
[When the hour of parting came he had turned not empty away, with a last hail as to the night for their next] civill tryst 1635 Peebles Gleanings 203.
Spent in 3 tryists anent Mr. Andro Watsoun with thair trysteris in August, 55 s.; … item, in the fourt tryist, payit to Isobell Heckfurd, 21 s. 1657 Dumfries Kirk S. 9 July.
They found the said John Bell ryse wp aff the said Grissell, and that the plaids were folded wnder the womans head, and … John Bell called the woman his wyff, and that it was a foire tryst a1659 W. Guthrie Christians Gt. Interest Explan. Scots Words.
To tryst, or to make a tryst, is to appoint a meeting: in the country a tryst is a meeting to finish a bargain, or to compose a difference betwixt neighbours, and the trysting-place is the place of meeting(b) 1533 Boece 248.
Britouns suld nowdir convene the nobillis nor commouns to tryistis nor public counsell without avise of the confederate kingis 1582–3 Ayr B. Acc. 35.
To Robert Dalrimpillis wyfe for expenssis at ane tryist betwix this toun and the lard of Blairquhan 1595 Duncan App. Etym.
Conventus, a tryest or assemblie(c) 15.. Clar. iii 66.
Take with ȝow … men of armis … And speid ȝow to the thrist … For ȝe sall capitane be and governour Unto that rout(d) 1647 J. Hope Diary (1919) 138.
Haveing appointed a treist at Edinburgh anent the bussnesse of Airth 1667 Argyll-Lauderdale Lett. 65.
I can give your lordship a full account of the effect of the treist betwixt M. Montrose and mefig. 1629 Boyd Last B. (1629) 406.
I thinke that ere it bee long my soule shall bee at the farthest tryst

c. A fair or livestock-market. 1569 Reg. Privy C. I 652.
We … declaris our selffis … professit inymeis to all thevis … of Liddisdaill [etc.] … nor yit sall we … suffer thame to resort to marcattis or tryistis throw our boundis

3. The appointed time of a meeting. c1475 Wall. iv 731.
Thus ordaynyt thai this poyntment to fullfill … At the set trist he entrit in the toune

4. Communication or negotiation between parties; an agreement arising out of such negotiation; a bargain; a pledge. Also fig. a1400 Leg. S. xxvi 236.
‘I hicht ȝou … ȝe sal haf na les Of quhet … Cum quhare ȝe sal dischargit be' … Thai sailyt … Quhare-to thare tryst wes mad And thare the quhet deliueryt hale 1535 Stewart 1067.
Coilus … with the Pechtis maid ane quiet tryst To brek that band with tressone 1548 Corr. M. Lorraine 234.
The erll of Huntlie has dissirit the erll of Sothirland to cum to Ingland and speik wyth him; quhar of the erll of Sothirland is rycht displessit and will nocht pas nor will haif na traist nor intelligens wyth Ingland 1675 Maxwell Mem. I 371.
Treiste of marieage twixt the Lord Montgomerie and the Lord Cochrane's eldest daughter 1678 M. P. Brown Suppl. Decis. III 232.
The gentlewoman offered wes, at the very time, upon the tryst of another marriagefig. a1561 Norvell Meroure 28a.
From sinne, O Lord, that doeth me soir molest; Since thou to me, hast made so fair an triste 1638 Henderson Serm. 164.
Thou has made a tryst between the gospel & us