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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.

Venom(e, Venim(e, n. Also: venym(e, -oum, -owme, -omme, -um, wenom(e, -ym(e, -owme, -em, -um, -(o)une, vennom(e, -ym, -oume, -omme, -um, -aum, wennom(e, -owme, -um, -oune, vinume, winam, wynum, venning. [ME and e.m.E. uenim (c1220), venim (c1290), venum (Cursor M.), venyn (Manning), venome (a1340), venom (c1440), OF venim, venin, L. venēnum.]

1. Venom, secreted chiefly by snakes, but also by other creatures and, more rarely, plants. b. Of venyme, having venom, venomous.(a) a1400 Leg. S. ii 36.
A serpent als, callit wipera, That of venim fillit is sa That quham it bittis it mon be ded a1400 Leg. S. xi 322.
Venyme 1456 Hay II 110/6.
A maidyn rycht ferly faire quhilk in hir ȝouth had been nurist with venym of serpent of ane eddir(b) a1500 Henr. Orph. 106.
Scho trampit on a serpent wennomus This cruell wennome was so penitryf As natur is of all mortal poisoun … scho anone fell in a dedly swoun 1492 Myll Spect. 275/1.
A tre callit edelffla, quhilk is the farest tre to behald, bot it is within full of vennom c1515 Asl. MS I 160/11.
In Ynde … is treis that beris baith hvny & wennome 1513 Doug. vii vi 2.
This cruel monstre, Alecto … Infect with feil vennom [Sm. venoum] Gorgonyane 1590–1 Crim. Trials I ii 218.
Agnis Tompson … tooke a blacke toade, and did hang the same up by the heeles three daies, and collected … the venom as it dropped and fell from it in ane oister shell(c) 1490 Irland Mir. I 86/13.
And God tholit the innemy appere in the serpent, that be the wennoune of the serpent we may wndirstand the malice and iniquite of the innemy(d) c1500 Rowll Cursing 218 (M).
Thir … dewillis … haue … dyuers faceis repleit of ire Spittand vennum and sparkis of fyre 1494 Deidis of Armorie 42.
Basilique is a fische in maner of a serpent; ande is sa rycht full of vennum [Lindsay MS 31b, wenowme] that he schynnis al withouth(e) 1596–7 Misc. Spald. C. I 93.
Thow … keist witchecraft on the said cow, quhairthrow … was sax oulkis thaireftir, that scho gewe no milk, bot, with pardoun of your honoris, lyk wirsum or wenem, quhilk na leiwing creatur culd preiveb. a1400 Leg. S. xxxiii 50.
In tha[t] low lurkit … A serpent fel, of gre[t] venyme, That of his aynd infect the ayre c1420 Wynt. i 658.
Eddrys … Off wenyme [W. wenome] and stangys sare c1420 Wynt. i 1387.
Irlande: That is ane land off nobyl ayre … Thare nakyn best off wenym [C. wenom] may Lywe or lest atoure a day, As ask, or eddyre, tade, or pade

2. A poisonous or deadly substance; poison freq. as taken by a person; a poisonous substance produced by disease. b. fig. c. fig. ? A venomous creature or ? erron. for woman.(a) a1400 Leg. S. v 336.
I wil thu se twa Ded of the venome thu sal ta … He gert thame drynk dedly poysone, And thai sone … Fel ded done c1420 Wynt. iv 178.
Socrates The wenum drank and poysownyd wes c1420 Wynt. vii 79.
Venowme c1420 Liber Calchou 449.
The hart has his clengyng plas vnder the armys … this iwil [sc. the pestilence] cummys … qwen the porrys ar opyn for swm cause … the air venoms enterys & alson mengis the manys blude & sa rynis to the hart … The hart fleis kindly tha tyngis that is aganys it & putis the venome to his clenging plas 1456 Hay II 142/21.
A generale medicyne to hele all maladies of poysoun and venym a1500 Henr. Orph. 313.
O dolly place and grondles depe dungeon … Thy mete venym [A. wennom], thy drink is poysonable 1490 Irland Mir. I 86/11.
That morsell was to thame [sc. Adam and Eve] as wenune [MS wenome] and infekkit thar body 1492 Myll Spect. 278/9.
The wyffis of Rome vpone a tyme to caus thare husbandis to haif desyr to thaime gaif thaim drinkis that was verray vennom the quhilk thai callit luf drinkis. … The materialis quhar of thir drynkis are mad is sa foull & corubtable mater that … I will nocht expreme 1513 Doug. vii iii 88.
Kyng Pycus, … Quham, revist for his luf, throu vennomys [Ruddim. vennymis] seir, Circes hys spous smate with a goldin wand, And in a byrd him turnyt 1513 Doug. ix xii 107.
Was nane … mair … expert To graith and til invnct a castyng dart, And with vennom to garnys the steil hedis c1520-c1535 Nisbet Mark xvi 18.
Venomme 1533 Boece 574b².
He myxt ane potioun with poisoun … and gafe it Randell to drink. This venom was of sic nature that haistelie it mycht nocht be persauit … efter lang tyme … gnawand and nyppand the intrellis 1587 Carmichael Etym. 37.
Virus, venim 1604 James VI Tobacco 88/6.
This vse of tobacco as a stinking and vnsavourie antidot … the stinking suffumigation whereof they yet vse against that disease, making so one canker or venime to eate out another c1615 Chron. Kings 130.
He prepairis ane kynde of wennowme and poysonis him selff 1633 Maxwell Mem. II 221.
Hir haill arme … was fylit with putrifiet wennum(b) c1500-c1512 Dunb. Flyt. 10.
The erd sould trymbill, the firmament sould schaik, And all the air in vennaum [M. venning] suddane stink(c) c1615 Chron. Kings 107.
He had gottin ane drink off wynumb. 1563-1570 Buch. Wr. 44.
The quene … could not espy the gilt vyces … hid in the said monster, … being clokit be fauour of the two foirsaid lordis, in quhais company hir g[race] wald neuir have belevit that sic ane pestilent venum could haue bene hyd 1558-66 Knox II 358.
The Erle of Murray, whose prosperitie was … a verray vennoume to hyr boldened hartec. 1501 Doug. Pal. Hon. 984.
A Lady, fy, that vsis tyrannie Ane vennome [L. No woman] is rather and a serpent fell

3. fig. A malign or vicious thought, utterance, action, etc., a malign quality etc. in a person or group. Also const. of.(1) 1490 Irland Mir. I 161/1.
Oure prayere is hard in hevin, all euill cogitacioune and wenoune is put fra oure mynd c1500-c1512 Dunb. Tua Mar. W. 166.
To speik … I sall nought spar … I sall the venome devoid with a vent large 1533 Boece 631a.
Thair is ane lurkand pest [sc. English manners and customs] fast burgeand with sic irremediable venome 1535 Stewart 24422.
With vipros vennum inwart in his mynd 1562-3 Winȝet II 69/25.
With thair vennum mair largelie bresting out thai mak thame to corrupt the buikis of our eldaris a1578 Pitsc. II 82/2.
All thair glorie … was turnit in dollour and mischeif … howbeit that day in ane winam aganis the poure man [sc. Wishart] 1596 Dalr. II 215/22.
Patrik Hammiltoune … quha venum verie poysonable and deidlye in Germanie had souked out of Luther, and otheris archheritikis ?1662 Postscript for Lysimachus Nicanor 2.
Such a spet of pestiferous venome as none would suspect could flow from any other fountain, then the heart of a very Jesuit(2) 1490 Irland Mir. III 48/20.
Be confessioune verbale … the synnar castis furth all the venome of syn that was in his saule c1520-c1535 Nisbet Rom. iii 13.
The venomme of snakis is vndire thar lippis. Of quham the mouth is full of cursing and bittirnes 1562-3 Winȝet I 40/4.
The sweit venum of deuyllish eloquence of wordis 1571 Cal. Sc. P. III 604.
To utter the vennomme of their poysoned hartes 1662 Highland P. III 12.
The said N^cWilliam … laid witchcraft in the said house … and … some of the vinume therof sticks to that house yet