A Dictionary of the Older Scottish Tongue (up to 1700)
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First published 1963 (DOST Vol. III).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
Quotation dates: 1375-1692
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Hundir, Hunder, num. Also: hundire, -yre, hwndyr, hundere, hundr(e, hwnder, hondir; hunir, -yr; (hyndyr). Also late variants: hounder, houndir. [North ME. (rare) hundre, hondre (Cursor M.), reduced form of Hundreth; cf. brander, wander, from brandreth, wandreth. In the mod. dial. the normal form is hunder, and hundreth is appar. not recorded after 1708. In Older Sc. hundir is common in the earliest texts, and is regular in the Edinb. MS. of Barbour and the Royal and Cotton MSS. of Wyntoun, whereas the Cambr. MS. of Barbour and the Wemyss MS. of Wyntoun mostly have hundreth, which after the early 15th c. becomes commonest both in literary texts and in other writings.]
1. A hundred.(1) 1375 Barb. xvii. 237 (E).
Fyve hundyr men a1400 Legends of the Saints ix. 59.
A hundre syis one day kneland 1389 Wemyss Chart. 24.
Twa hundyr mark of sterlyngys 1399 Holyrood Chart. 112.
A hundir ponde of vsuale monay c1420 Wynt. iv. 643.
Ellewyn thousand men … Agayne sex hundyre thousand hale c1420 Ib. 1403.
Wytht schyppys thre hundyr 1445 Edinb. Chart. 67.
Of the hundir burdis. viij d. 1456 Hay I. 297/17.
For ane honour thare is a hunder paynis and travailis 1463 Lennox Mun. 76.
A hundir speris and a hundre bowis 1496 Treasurer's Accounts I. 278.
For twa hunder sparris 1490 Irland Mir. I. 153/12.
Mony hundire thousandis sche had sonnis … spirituale c1500-c1512 Dunb. l. 23.
He hes att warslingis beine ane hunder 1501 Doug. Pal. Hon. i. 139.
From hence liggis ten hunder 1555–6 Edinb. Old Acc. I. 192.
For ane hunder and ane half aik nalis c 1578 Maxwell Mem. 312.
Twa hundir drying towellis 1596 Dalr. I. 68/5.
Latting pas thir fables and a hundir sic clattiris 1596 Ib. II. 117/21.
With a hunder gude willis 1596 Ib. I. 18/33.
Aucht or nyne hundir … scheip 1614 Lett. Eccles. Affairs I. 334.
Fyne hunder fourte sex pundis 1686 Red Bk. Menteith I. 415.
Ane hunder dussone of eigs 1692 Rec. Convention of Royal Burghs IV. 661.
Ane hunder and twenty tunns(b) 1458 Peebles B. Rec. 127.
He sal mak a challis the prys of honder syllyn 1509 Lennox Mun. 188.
The pament of the … twa honder markis(c) 1600-1610 Melvill 6.
Thrie thowsand and fyve hounder marks(2) 1375 Barb. ii. 230.
Thar fayis war may … Be fiften hunder 1375 Ib. xvi. 665 (E).
Quhar that fyve hundyr ner war ded 1394 Liber Aberbr. 43.
A stane of ilke hyndyr c1420 Wynt. viii. 6228.
Gettis me … Ane hundyre on hors wyth me to ga c1420 Ib. ix. 461.
Off thai knychtis thare A hundyr and foure had baneris, And foure hundyre awblasteris c1475 Acts of Schir William Wallace v. 34.
Schyr Jhon Butler … With thre hundre quhilk war of hardy will 1513 Treasurer's Accounts IV. 480.
The ijc Estland burdis … , of the quhilk the berk of Abayfeild tuk a hunder 1596 Dalr. I. 22/27.
The touris of nobill men … abone ane hunder in number a 1660 Sempill P. 12/183.
For Judas one, each Pope may compt five hunder(b) 1530 Lynd. Test. Pap. 789.
In name of Christe thay halit mony hounder c1552 Id. Mon. 4026.
Thare deit mony houndera1570-86 (Doug.) K. Hart in Maitland Folio MS lxxxvii. 216.
Set we be few to thame be fifty hounder c 1639 Black Bk. Taymouth 439.
I haue alrady ane four or fayf houndir … that is pratti treis(3) 1385 Red Bk. Grandtully I. 139*.
The yher … a thowsand thre hundyr fourscor and fyve 1405 Maxwell Mem. 145.
A thousand four hundrez and the fyfft 1421 Douglas Chart. 58.
A thowzand four hundr [sic ] twenti and ane 1438 Ayr Friars Pr. Chart. 49.
The yeir … a thousand four hundre and acht and threty yere 1511 Wemyss Chart. 129.
A thowsand fyf hwnder and alewyn yeiris 1536 Antiq. Aberd. & B. III. 222.
A thowsand fywe hundyre [etc.](b) 1388 Douglas Chart 33.
The yeir of wr Lord a thvsand thre hondir achty and acht 1416 Maxwell Mem. I. 141.
A thowsand four honder and sexten 1423 Chart. (Reg. H.) No. 259.
A thousand four honder tuenti thre ȝere(c) 1397 (14..) Antiq. Aberd. & B. IV. 166.
The yeir … a thousand thre hvnyr nynty seven 1400 Maxwell Mem. I. 139.
A thousand and four hunir(d) c1420 Wynt. vi. 2357 (C).
A hyndyr and foure scoyr of ȝhere Thir nyne kyngis regnande weyre
b. In the collocation hunder ȝere, = a century.(1) c1420 Wynt. i. 263.
Adam murnyd a hundyr yhere [etc.] c1420 Ib. vii. 359.
Saynt Margretys body a hundyr ybere Lay befor the rwd awtere a1500 Henr. Bludy Serk i.
This hundir ȝeir I hard be tald Thair was a worthy king c1500-c1512 Dunb. Tua Mar. W. 465.
Hutit be the halok las a hunder ȝeir of eild(2) c1420 Wynt. i. 389.
Sex hundyr yhere quhen he was awld c1420 Ib. v. 1212 (A).
This was eftyre fyve hundyre yeire c1475 Acts of Schir William Wallace i. 126.
Scwne, … Quhar kingis was cround viij hundyr ȝer and mar 1567 Gude and Godlie Ballatis 185.
And euer this was the blating of our queir, … this xv hunder ȝeir(3) 1596 Dalr. I. 46/24.
Litle Johne, departed bot the space of thrie hundir ȝeirs
c. In the plur. form. c1420 Wynt. viii. 1.
A thowsand yhere and hundrys twa, Foure score and the sext to tha ?1438 Alex. i. 2593.
With that baith hunders and thousandis War about Betys c1568 Lauder Minor P. i. 544.
Quhair hunders wount your faders to counoye, Now will ȝe ryde with ane man and ane boye 1567 Satirical Poems iii. 126.
Ȝe knaw ȝour cryme is wors … Nor hunders twa of sicklis [= shekels] siluer fyne
2. a. = One hundred and twenty. 1501 Treasurer's Accounts II. 42.
For jc elne carsay … , reknand sex score for the hundir of rede and grene
b. Short hunder, the usual hundred, in contrast to the long hundred (120). 1690 New Port Glasgow Customs MS. 12 b.
Three boundells of lining cloath contining tuo thousand four houndreth ells shortt hunders
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"Hundir num.". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 12 Jul 2025 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/dost/hundir_num>