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

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First published 1937 (DOST Vol. I).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

Bute, Buit, n.² Also: bote, bout, boot; buitt, bwit(t, buytt, boitt; but(t, butte. [Northern ME. bute, buyt, ME. boote, bote, OF. bote (F. botte).]

1. A boot.(a) 1378 Rotuli Sc. II. 7/2.
Diversa vasa de peweter, worstedes, sellas, cagettes, stopes, et botes de corio [to be bought in London] c1420 Wynt. iv. 1530.
Off gentyll knychtis than off fute, That owsyd nothyr spure na bute Ib. v. .
Be the but a wiff hym gat 14.. Acts I. 336/2.
That thai mak schone, butis, and vther graitht of the lethir or it be barkit 1474 Treas. Acc. I. 63.
For schone to Jok Stewart and butis fra Michelmes 1494 Ib. 223.
To Jame Lyntoune for schvne, brodikynnis and butis tane fra him be James Dog c1500-c1512 Dunb. Flyting 230.
For rerd of thé, and rattling of thy butis Ib. xxxiv. 33.
Gife bettir butis of ledder ma be 1509 Acts II. 146.
Anentis cordynaris geif thai sellis shone & butis [derrar] than is contenit in the actis of parliament 1533 Bell. Livy I. 94/17.
Wapynnys and armoure, sic as hewmontis, targis, butis [L. ocreæ] and habirieonis c1550 Rolland C. Venus iii. 603.
With bute and spur, sword, buklar, as bachleir 1561 Reg. Privy C. I. 191.
The butis, schone, and uther apparalingis ar sauld sa deir 1567 Dundee B. Laws 368.
In working and lauboring sufficientlie barkit lether in making of bwteis [and] schone 1603 Montgomery Mem. 247.
Ane par of boutis to my page(b) 1530 Lindores Chart. 32.
Thre pair of bwits with twa pair of spwris 1540 Maxwell Mem. 408.
My lordis new bwittis 1541 Aberd. B. Rec. I. 176.
A wanpe for a buytt 1563–4 Edinb. Old Acc. I. 473.
For ane pair of buitts gevin to Thomas Cok that … gaid in the walter with the werkmen 1574 Buccleuch Mun. II. 458.
To Hobbe Diksoun, cordiner, for buittis and schone 1580 Treas. Acc. MS. 38 b.
Tua pair of weitlether buittis … belting silk to be taggis to the saidis buittis 1587 Edinb. B. Rec. IV. 483.
That na vnfriemen bring any bwits or schone … to sell … bot on the Monondayes 1600 Acts IV. 207/1.
Quhair haue ȝe bene with ȝour boittis on? 16.. Hist. Kennedy 34.
My Lord drew on his bwittis, and raid … to Arstensar 1639 Lanark B. Rec. 132.
That nae unfriemen sell any buittes, schoone, or pantones within the said burght 1650 Ann. Banff I. 64.
Ilk barkit hyid 8 d. … ilk pair buitis 8 d.(c) 1516–7 Treas. Acc. V. 112.
To Iohne Davidson for … schoyne, brodekinnis, and buttis 1558-66 Knox II. 134.
His awin buttis putt on … , immediatlie thairafter to have departed c 1578 Maxwell Mem. 312.
Ane pair of buttis, sokis, spurris 1591 Thanes of Cawdor 204.
To the cordiner for dressing and treing your buttis 1600 Acts IV. 205/2.
The deponar … tuk aff his buttis and returnit 1653 Lamont Diary 75.
Some apparrel of his, viz. cloaks and butts Ib.
A paire of buttes 1692 Foulis Acc. Bk. 150.
To the boy caried clog bag, buts and cloak … to Kinghorne

b. Attrib. with tag. (See also Bute-hose.) 1647 Edinb. Test. LXIII. 50.
Twa bolt of buit tages estimat all to j lib. iiij s.

2. The instrument of torture used to extort confessions. Usu. in pl. 1565–6 Edinb. Old Acc. I. 505.
To ane man thatt bure the buitis to the Castell, to putt on Couttis that caist the quhinger at the minister 1572-5 Diurn. Occurr. 262.
Thair wes ane minister … justifeit, … quha wes extremelie pynnit in the buttis lang of befoir a1578 Pitsc. II. 242/24.
It was alledgit that he sould have slaine the regent, thairfoir thay pat him in the buittis quhilk was verie painfull, bot he wald nocht grant 1592 Edin. B. Rec. V. 65.
To gif to James Nesbitt, javellour, the sowme of threttie four schillings deburset be him for careing the buitts to the abbay, castell and Dalyell at sindry tymes 1615 Highland P. III. 272.
If he shall persiste in his dissimulation, the nixte wilbe a warrant to putte him in the boote c1650 Spalding I. 8.
She … denys all; she is therefore putt into the boots, and cruellie tortured, yet confesses nothing 1680-6 Lauder Observes 136.
Mr. Spence is … tortured both with the boots and the thummikins

3. The boot of a coach. 1657 Balfour Ann. II. 170.
The Ducke in a rage stepes ouer the coatch, befor the lackey could lett doune the butte therof 1661 Nicoll Diary 332.
None being in the koatche but himself … and Lord Ramsay sitting in the bute