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

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First published 1971 (DOST Vol. IV).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

Man(n)ace, Minace, Menace, v.¹ Also: myn- and -as(se, -as(c)e, -ais, -ays, -is, -ys, -ies, -isch, -e(i)s, -esch; and Monas. [ME. and e.m.E. manas(s)e (Manning), -ace, -esh (1429), -ysshe (1523), menace (1483), OF. manacer, -acher, -echer, menacier, AF. manasser. Cf. also Man(n)ance.]See Bost v. 2 and 3 for some further examples.

1. tr. To threaten (a person); to assail with threats, utter threats against.(a) c1400 Troy-bk. i. 164.
To manace … A king within hys awne land ?1438 Alex. i. 189, ii. 7631. a1500 Henr. III. 136/13.
Quhat freik on fold sa bald dar manis [Bann. Draft manniss] me 1474 Aberd. B. Rec. I.407.
He manasit and prouokit him 15.. Sym & Bruder 75.
Maneist 1528 Ex. Processes (Reg. H.) Scott v. Seytoun.
Vnboistit and manist be him 1535 Stewart 41516.
Manast 1545 Stirling B. Rec. I. 41.
Manisand and boistand thaim 1549 Compl. 102/29.
Quhar thai manneist and scornit the sillie Romans Ib. 124/15.
Manniest c1552 Lynd. Mon. 1785.
Manassyng thame with wordis rude 1557 Admir. Ct. Bk. MS. 28.
Dailie boistis & mannisis the said James 1559 Treas. Acc. X. 416.
Manneis 1560 St. A. Kirk S. 63.
Manisched 1561 Ib. 84.
Manest 1563–4 Perth B. Ct. 49 (15 Mar.).
[He] manesit the bailȝeis saying thai durst nocht … cum and poynd him 1584 Elgin Rec. I. 175.
Maneis 1585 Perth B. Ct. 31 May.
Mannest 1594 St. A. Kirk S. 785.
[Holding] ane hammer … and ane stane … as tua instrumentis quhairwith he manassit his father 1617 Ritchie Churches S. Baldred 162; 1645 Old Kirk Chron. 69.
Manacit 1673 Kirkcudbr. Sheriff Ct. Processes No. 176.
For he constantlie mannases and abusses me and my relatioun(b) 1533 Bell. Livy II. 155/25.
Thir tribunys of pepill began to mynace [v.r. minase] … the tribunys militare 1569 Reg. Privy C. II. 59.
Minassing ane officier of armes with maist contumelius wordis and bodely harme 1571 Bann. Memor. 210.
[He] could do nothing but minasse thame in the castle 1572 Reg. Privy C. II. 163. 1587 Bk. Univ. Kirk II. 716. 1626 Banff Ann. I. 54.
Having injurit, minissit and threitnit the baillies 1649 Lanark B. Rec. 142.
To consider … how oft he hes bein minassed for bein contrair to the late unlaufull ingadgment 1653 Inverness Rec. II. 207. 1676 Dunbar Social Life II. 93.(c) 1570 Prot. Bk. W. Cumming 120 (see Bost v. 2 (a)).
Menacit 1582 Edinb. B. Rec. IV. 251.
Menassit

2. With various complements.a. To threaten a person to die, etc., = with death. b. To induce or compel by means of threats to do something, (to go) away, etc. c. To threaten (a person) that something will happen or with some misfortune.a. 1513 Doug. i. ii. 67.
Euery thing mannasit the men to de a1568 Wedderburn Bann. MS. 240 a/52.
Scho was oft manneist for to los hir lyfe 1568 Hosack Mary Q. of Scots 543.
Diuers tymes minascit of his liffb. (1) 1549 Compl. 110/11.
The said kyng … manneist nobil Pompeus to reueil the secret counsel of the senat 1549 Soc. Ant. XI. 96.
He manisit and bostit his commissar … nocht to vse his jurisdiction thare 1568 Hosack Mary Q. of Scots 526.
[He was] partlie persuadit and partlie minassed to returne to Streuiling 1575 Reg. Privy C. II. 464.
Manassit 1578 Ib. III. iii.
Mannassit 1581 Acts III. 222/2.
To manas thair seruandis to leve thair seruice 1607 Aberd. Journ. N. & Q. II. 179.
Minassing(2) 1608 Reg. Privy C. in R.
They … bostit and menaced him aff the hie street 1676 McCrie Memoirs of Veitch (1825) 496.
Chambers Domest. Ann. Scotl. I. 419. A party of horse sent to dissolue them was darred and menassed away, being surroundedc. (1) 1588 Aberd. Council Lett. I. 41.
We ar dalie menassett … that thai sall assolȝe this toun 1620 in Calderwood VII. 432.
The bishope with terours minassed me, that if I did, he sould send up my name to the king's Majestie(2) 1589 Crim. Trials I. ii. 176.
Ȝour … men of weir … bostit and mannasit the trew subjectis thairof [Dalkeith] with thair wtter wraik 1595 Thanes of Cawdor 211.
The … tortor, quhilk thaye … minassit and threatenit me … thairwith 1602 Colville Parænese 72. 1606 Birnie Kirk-b. vi. 8.
Being … minassed with the gibbet 1635 Reg. Great S. 159/2.
Minasseing a1650 Row 578.
The King's proclamation … menassing such as would not joyne with him with losse of all their estats

3. intr. To utter threats. ?1438 Alex. ii. 1434.
Now thay me fale that efter wyne Manasses [F. a l'ostel manechant] 1547 Perth Hammermen 62.
In dispersoning of the dekyn and manessing againis him

b. pres. p., quasi-adv.: In a threatening manner, menacingly. c1400 Troy-bk. ii. 1385.
Pyrrus … ageyne … Vlixes Boustous wordes … Put manasand in fele manerese 1513 Doug. ii. iv. 74.
This suttell hors of tre … mannysand slydis throu the myd cite

4. tr. To hold out the threat or menace of (some misfortune), to threaten to inflict. a1400 Leg. S. xxiii. 51.
Cristine men … gert he punyse … Thaine manesand ded c1400 Troy-bk. ii. 1314.
Thelamonyus … With prowd wordes … Vlixes manased; and ageyne Vlixes yhalded hym … Such lyche manasses … As he to hym had manassed thar 1513 Doug. xiii. ii. 122.
The gredy gled … wachand the chiknys lyte Thar deth mannasand 1562-3 Winȝet I. 4/25.
The rolkis of errour … in this thy realme manassing alrady destruction of ȝour reuling 1706 Ayr & W. Coll. IV. 217.
Frie … from … skaith threatned and minaced be the said Georg

b. With infin. or noun clause as object or understood.(1) a1400 Leg. S. xli. 123.
He … manesit hire to bet & bynd 1456 Hay I. 29/33.
Sum thai strake and sum thai revit jowellis fra and sum thai manasit to sla c1500-c1512 Dunb. vii. 76. 1513 Doug. xii. xi. 88.
Enee … so enragit he doith mannays [Sm. mannais] The cheif cyte of Italy doun to arrays c1552 Lynd. Mon. 1133.
Bot beistis wylde Manesyng thame for tyll deuore 1568 Hay Fleming Q. Mary 512.
It is nocht unknawn … how we have bene … from tym to tym maist grevouslie manneschit and boistit to have takin our lyif 1615 Conv. Burghs III. 13.
Be the raging of the tempestuous seas that daylie menases to bring doun in his house 1626 Linlithgow B. Rec. 23 June.
In misleiring thame and mannassing to have strukin thame with ane speit 1632 Lithgow Trav. 12.
Manasseth(2) 1533 Boece ix. ii. 298 b.
Vter pansing how … he mycht finalie be batell be distroyit like as Occa had mannist