Obs. Also Sc. 6 volter, woltir, 6–7 wolter. [f. WALTER v.1 Cf. WELTER sb.]
1. The rolling of the sea in a storm.
c. 1400. Destr. Troy, 3699. So þe bre and the brethe burbelit to gedur, þat hit spirit vp spitiously fyue speire lenght With walter and wawes.
2. The act of wallowing in mire); in quot. concr., a wallowing-place.
1577. Knewstub, Confut. (1579), To Rdr. **1. The Lord … reuengeth the shameful contempt and neglect of his truth: by sending numbers to their stie or walter againe.
3. An upset, upheaval, overthrow. lit. and fig.
1563. Winȝet, Wks. (S.T.S.), I. 49. I began nocht litill to merwel at sa haisty and sa subdane a wolter of this warlde in sa mony grete materis.
1563. Randolph, Lett. to Cecil, 10 April, in Cal. Scott. Papers, II. 5. Yf ther come such a volter in thys realme, that ever that man come agayne into credyt.
1596. Dalrymple, trans. Leslie’s Hist. Scot., II. 221. He spak mekle of the Woltir of the religioune [L. de religione apud nos euertenda].
1678. Ray, Prov. (ed. 2), 379 (Scott. Prov.). If I can get his cart at a wolter [1670, p. 282. at a whelming], I shall lend it a put.
