a. (sb.) arch. Forms: see THREE and SCORE sb. [SCORE sb. 16.] Three times twenty; sixty. (Formerly sometimes written in Roman numerals, iijxx.)
1388. Wyclif, Lev. xii. 5. Thre scoor and sixe daies.
1470–85. Malory, Arthur, VI. viii. 194. I wil delyuer al the prysoners that I haue that is thre score and foure.
1535. Coverdale, Ps. lxxxix. [xc.] 10. The dayes of oure age are iij. score yeares & ten.
1599. in Thanes of Cawdor (Spald. Club), 218. Violentlie cuttit doun iijxx dussonis young growand treis.
1610. Holland, Camden’s Brit. (1637), 539. Almost threescore miles in length.
1699. Dryden, Epist. J. Driden, 91. But we their sons, a pamper’d race of men, Are dwindled down to threescore years and ten.
1741. Chesterf., Lett. (1792), I. 216. Very long ships, rowed by oars, some of forty, some of fifty, and threescore oars.
b. absol. with ellipsis of years, in reference to age; hence as sb. the age of sixty years, or transf. a person of this age. So threescore (years) and ten, seventy years.
1605. Shaks., Macb., II. iv. 1. Old man. Threescore and ten I can remember well.
1719. Young, Revenge, II. 18. And reverend Grey Threescore is but a Voucher.
1764. Goldsm., Trav., 254. The gay grandsire … Has frisk’d beneath the burden of threescore.
1822. Galt, Provost, xl. The worthy man was hale and hearty, not exceeding three score and seven.
Mod. He has long passed the three score and ten.
† c. Used as ordinal numeral (threescore and one = sixty-first). Obs.
1596. Danett, trans. Comines (1614), 219. The King … when he died was well forward in the threescore and one yeere.
Hence † Threescorth a. Obs. [-TH2], sixtieth.
1571. Golding, Calvin on Ps. xlv. 1. The threescorthe Psalme is intytled (A Lilly).
1657. North’s Plutarch, Add. Lives (1676), 38. Acacanius the threescorth King of the Scots.
