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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.

Mortal(l, a. Also: -al(l)e, -aill, -ell(e, -eill(e, -il. [ME. and e.m.E. mortal(l (Chaucer), -ail, mortel (14–15th c.), -eil, OF. mortel, -iel, mortal (mod. F. mortel), L. mortāl-is.] Mortal.

1. Of human beings: Subject to death, destined to die.Chiefly in contradistinction to ‘divine’ or otherwise ‘immortal’. Freq. mortal man, men.(1) 1456 Hay I. 168/12.
For a mortall man that deis in ire [etc.] … deis out of cheritee a1500 Henr. III. 134/1.
O mortall man, behald, tak tent to me Id. 160/57.
That everie man mortale … For mercy cry a1499 Contempl. Sinn. 129.
In erd amangis men mortale Ib. 419. 1513 Doug. i. Prol. 474.
Sen thou [Virgil] was bot ane mortal man sum tyme 1533 Boece iv. xviii. 159. c1552 Lynd. Mon. 6108. 1560 Rolland Seven S. 9941.
It was ane seiknes vncurabill And to remeid to mortall man not abill c1590 Fowler I. 118/16.
The fame of mortall men(2) 1490 Irland Mir. I. 64/30.
The man jn that stat [of innocence] was mare to be callit jmmortall than mortall 15.. Dunb. App. xi. 6.
Cum mortall kingis 1513 Doug. i. vi. 39.
Thy vissage semys na mortale creatur Ib. ii. ii. 154.
With mortale folkis Ib. v. 35.
On fordoverit mortale creaturis Ib. vi. ix. 189.
All mortale wightis 1531 Bell. Boece I. 133.
Fortoun, the instabill gidar of mortall creatouris Ib. II. 179.
Thay signify gret infortuniteis to mortall pepill Ib. I. 20, II. 390. c1568 Lauder Minor P. i. 446. 1591 Warrender P. (S.H.S.) II. 160.
[To love and serve the King … who has been] his only mortil creator and saviour 1606 Craig ii. 30.
Since Joue … left the lift to catch a mortall pray

b. Doomed to immediate death, about to die. 1513 Doug. x. xi. 45.
All thocht he mortale be rycht sone we knaw

2. transf. Of or pertaining to a mortal or mortals; of human beings; human, not divine or immortal. 1456 Hay I. 77/35.
Bot as to Goddis jugement na man can ansuere that is in this mortall warlde Ib. II. 77/36.
Scantly may ony spirit mortall tak ony knaulage tharof 1461 Liber Plusc. I. 385.
Fra we cum first in this warld mortelle … We draw to deed a1500 Henr. III. 156/1. 1513 Doug. iii. i. 106.
Mortale myndis Ib. iv. xii. 118.
I man … lowis thi sawle out of this mortale stait Ib. ix. iii. 43.
With mortal handis wrocht Ib. x. i. 68.
Mortale wapynnys Ib. vii. 38.
Mortale bodeis Ib. xii. xiii. 18.
Was it honest a godly dyvyne wight With ony mortal strake to wond in fight 1533 Gau 24/22.
Quhil we be lowsit of this mortal body 1533 Boece iv. xiii. 145 b.
The cais of mortall affaris c1552 Lynd. Mon. 379.
Quhat trubbyll … Seis thow in euere mortall stait a1561 Q. Kennedy Breif Tract. (ed.) 122/8.
The samyne flesche and bloude quhilk vas corruptible and mortal c1590 Fowler I. 121/85.
Quhat humane hope, quhat mortall trust, quhat ioy dois men so blinde 1593 Dickson & Edmond Ann. Sc. Printing 479.
I leiff … my mortall bodie to be bureit

b. Of human life: Destined to end in death, transitory. 1456 Hay I. 197/19.
This mortale lyf … that sa schort quhile lestis 1490 Irland Mir. I. 10/7.
[They] passit fra this mortall and wrechit lif Ib. 44/7.
In this present mortale liffin 1558 Acts II. 508/1. a1561 Q. Kennedy Breif Tract. 122/17. 1582 Edinb. Test. XI. 285.
Gif it pleisis God to dissolue the said James of this mortall lyf befoir the ȝeris of his perfyt age 1610 Peterkin Orkney & Zetl. App. 96.

3. a. Of an enemy: Aiming at one's death, deadly, implacable. 1456 Hay I. 78/11.
Suppos a hund saw never a wolf before, incontynent that he se him, he is inymy mortall till him Ib. 245/7.
Quhen a capitale and mortale inymy haldis in his power the principale party advers Ib. 124/13. 1461 Liber Plusc. I. 395.
Couatice, The quhilk to law is mortale inymy c1475 Wall. i. 54.
Foly it was. … Succour to sek of thar ald mortale fa Ib. vi. 110.
Wilȝham Wallace … gais In Laynrik toun amang his mortaill fais a1500 Henr. Fab. 1189 (Ch.). 1513 Doug. x. ii. 10. 1535 Stewart 58207. 1549 Compl. 1/13.
In the subiection … of our mortal ald enemeis 1581 Sempill Sat. P. xliii. 164.
Quha was ȝour friendis or quha ȝour mortall fais

b. Of enmity or hatred: Pursued to the death, unappeasable, deadly. a1570-86 Henr. Maitl. F. cxxv. 18.
Thir taill tellaris … Resand feid mortale 1530 Lynd. Test. Pap. 558.
The courte bair hym sic mortall feid 1549 Compl. 174/2.
Mortal heytrent & deidly fede Ib. 167/16. 1558-66 Knox I. 147.
This inemitie was juged mortall and without all hope of reconsiliatioun 1570 Sat. P. xiii. 33. a1578 Pitsc. I. 8/24.
That he gart have at his broder sick mortall feid that [etc.] 15.. Black Bk. Taymouth 152. 1596 Dalr. II. 104/14. 1665 Lauder Jrnl. 48.
That mortell feud that the Castilian carries to the Portugueze

c. Of war or battle: Fought to the death. ?1438 Alex. i. 988.
In hard battale morteill 1456 Hay I. 61/25.
Of the crueltee of that mortall bataill c1515 Asl. MS. I. 309/14. 1513 Doug. i. i. 40.
The ancyant mortell weir Ib. viii. 86, viii. viii. 188, xii. xiii. 52. 1546 Lynd. Trag. Card. 107.
Quhair throch thar rose gret weir & mortal stryfe 1548 Acts II. 481/1.
The mortall weiris, crudeliteis, depredatiounis and intollerabill iniuris 1549 Compl. 84/19.
Quha maid mortal veyr contrar the Kyng of France c1550 Lynd. Meldrum 1133.
And than began the mortall fray c1552 Id. Mon. 3954. a1570-86 Maitland Maitl. F. xcvii. 115.
Thame … That caus is of this mortale weir

d. Of any hostile action: Intended to bring about one's death, murderous. 1492 Myll Spect. 280/12.
Thai immagynit agane him a full mortall tressoun

4. Apt to cause death, deadly, fatal, lethal.Also hyperbolically, of misfortune, penury, suffering, and the like.(1) 1456 Hay I. 175/24.
Or mortall infirmitee tak in prisoun or to dee utterly Ib. II. 109/3.
Flee as poysone thaire venymous condicioun mortale Ib. 116/32.
That custume [gluttony] is mortall Ib. I. 270/32. a1500 Henr. Orph. 107 (Asl.).
Mortall poisoun c1500-c1512 Dunb. iv. 70.
[Death] has Blind Hary … Slaine with his schour of mortall haill Id. xxxviii. 10.
Lucifer, The crewall serpent with the mortall stang 1513 Doug. vii. Prol. 31.
Mortal pestilens Ib. xiii. v. 7.
And Turnus lyfles laid with mortal wond 1549 Compl. 121/17. c1552 Lynd. Mon. 4136.
The fraudful warld gaif to thame mortall fallis For thare rewarde a1570-86 Maitland Maitl. F. cxi. 54.
Off God the mortall skurge 1661 Reg. Privy C. 3 Ser. I. 83.
The new whyte plague … being verie infective and mortall(2) a1500 Henr. Test. Cress. 321.
I change … thy pomp and thy riches In mortall neid c1552 Lynd. Mon. 207.
Till deplore the mortall miseries a1570-86 Maitland Maitl. F. c. 1.
It is ane mortall pane to heir and se Off this fals warld the mutabilite

b. Of sleep: Resembling death. c. Pertaining to or accompanying death.b. a1499 Contempl. Sinn. 802.
Awake fra slepe of mortall hevynesc. 1513 Doug. xi. xv. 139.
The cald deith and last stondis mortall Ib. xii. ix. 80.
As he lyggis in hys mortall swoun

5. Of fortune or destiny: Pertaining to or involving (more or less imminent) death. a1500 Henr. Fab. 651 (Bann.).
With mischeif mynȝet is my mortall fait 1513 Doug. xi. xiv. 81.
Aruns, by hys mortal fait Onto myschewos ded predestinate 1535 Stewart 7334.
His mortall fait and infortunitie Ib. 59313.
For to defend thair mortall fait and chance c1552 Lynd. Mon. 3664.
[Alexander compared to] One creuell planeit, a mortall weird, Doun thryngand peple

6. a. Of crime: Punishable by death, capital. Only in Hay. b. Of sin: Entailing spiritual death, ‘mortal’ as opposed to ‘venial’.a. 1456 Hay I. 259/28.
The husband or othir that accusis hir of this crime mortalle Ib. 261/8.
The crime of adultery, quhilk is crime mortall in that contree Ib. 275/23.b. 1490 Irland Mir. I. 48/34.
Nouthire in Jhesu nor in His blist modere was ony maner or kind of syn mortale, veniale, or originale a1550 Lang Rosair 294.
Perseverd be divyne power fra all kind of syne, originall, mortall or vaniall 1562-3 Winȝet I. 76/11.
Distinctand the sin … callit … venial, and the wthir … callit mortall 1665 Lauder Jrnl. 62.
For him to take it up, it would be a mortell sine

7. Betokening death, funereal. 1560 Rolland Seven S. 1585.
With mortall sound … Of trumpet [etc.] … As the vse was qu hen ony man suld die

8. Mortall lamb skyn, = Mort lamb skin. 1576 Edinb. Test. IV. 337.
Thrie dosane of mortall lamb skynnis price of the dosane xij s.