A Dictionary of the Older Scottish Tongue (up to 1700)
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First published 2002 (DOST Vol. XII).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
Quotation dates: 1572-1628
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Wife, Wyfe, Wive, Vyve, v. [ME and e.m.E. wiue(n (a1225), wifue(n (c1250), wyfe (Trevisa), wyue(n (Chaucer), wife (1599).] a. tr. (reflex.) and intr.Of a woman: To give oneself in marriage, marry, become a wife. Also proverb. b. intr.Of a man: To marry a wife. Only proverb. —a. reflex. 1572 Black Bk. Taymouth 415.
Gif it salhappin the said Hew to deceis … it sall not be lesum to hir to vyue hir self in mariage … without the speciale aduis and consent of me —intr. a1628 Carmichael Prov. No. 900.
It is hard to a wife to wive and thrive in a yeir —b. a1598 Ferg. Prov. No. 516.
It is hard to wife [1706 wive] and thrive in a year a1628 Carmichael Prov. No. 138.
A man may not wyfe and thrive in a yeir
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"Wife v.". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 6 Feb 2026 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/dost/wife_v>
