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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.

Butter, Buter, n. Also: butir(e, -yr(e, -ar; buttir, -ur; buiter, buytter, bowtter. [ME. butter, -ir, -ur, etc., butere, OE. butere.]

1. Butter.(a) 1398 Acts I. 212/2.
Salt flesche, gresche, buter, hors & nowte had out of the land a1400 Leg. S. xvii. 91.
Sa that hyre-selfe scho vald nocht fed With flesche, fysche, butyr, na chese 1496 Treas. Acc. I. 274.
To the wif of Glenfinglas [that] brocht butir to the King 1507 Ib. IV. 77.
To Goldee, the wif that brocht butar and cheis to the King 1532–8 Ex. Processes (Reg. H.) No. vi.
The proffittis of the saidis lviij ȝowis … extending in butire & cheis … to vj li. 1577 Melrose R. Rec. III. 138.
The sowme of butyre [extends to] v^xx v stane(b) 14.. Acts I. 304/2.
For a burding of butter or cheese on a hors at the out passage a halfpeny 1466 Charter (Reg. H.) No. 391.
Ane barale off butter and foure met of malt 1477 Edinb. B. Rec. I. 35.
All buttir, cheis, woll, and sic like gudis that suld be weyit to be vsit at the Ouer Bow 1482 Edinb. Chart. 168.
Of ilk layd of … corne, buttir, cheis, or vthir gudis c1515 Asl. MS. I. 252/13.
Thare fell dew lyk blud vij days, that all milk, wattir, & butter torned in to blud c1540 Lynd. Kitteis Conf. 74.
Frydayis fyue, na fische to eit; Bot butter and eggis ar better meit 1553–4 Edinb. Old Acc. I. 112.
For butter to the windoyis [= windlass] oulklie, viij d. 1560 Rolland Seven S. 205/17.
Of thair [sc. women's] counsell I reid anis in ane taill; It is comparit to butter into caill 1561 Reg. Great S. 401/1.
4 libras butiri (fresche butter) pro augmentatione rentalis a1568 Scott v. 31.
Butter, new cheis, and beir in May 1599 Reg. Privy C. VI. 16.
Aucht stane of cheis, foure stane of buttir 1618 Montgomery Mem. 282.
xxx stane of buttir; quhairof wes of my Lordis awin buttir xxiv stane … and of bocht buttir to mak it out v stane ix pund 1621 Maxwell Mem. I. 327.
For buttir and beir to the hors feit(c) 1509 Rec. Earld. Orkney 83.
Ane lysspone buytter in skaytt c 1656 Irvine Mun. II. 260.
Four great barrells of buiter

2. Attrib. with bowie, buith, duty, kist, market, mug, plate, scat. 1630 Bamff Chart. 224.
Ane butter bowie and ane mutton bowie — 1613 Orkney Rentals App. 93.
Thrie bar[rels] butter, payit to the butter buith be Magnus Sinclair — 1588 Exch. R. XXI. 326.
For the butter dewetie of the said lordschip [Orkney], of the yeir comptit 1615 Reg. Great S. 479/1.
Dubling the said buttir dewtie only the first yeir — 1613 Edinb. Test. XLVII. 225.
Ane buttar kist price x s. — 1550 Edinb. B. Rec. II. 150.
The baillies … ordanis the butter mercatt to be in the fleschous quhill the Passioun owlk nixttocum 1597 Ib. V. 197.
The fische markett, butter markett, or fowle markett — 1616 Edinb. Test. XLIX. 99.
Ane mekill butter mug with sum vther weschellis — 1490 Acta Conc. 131/1.
A hingand laware, a butter plait, a gardenat — 1502 Orkney Rentals i. 4.
Southweidfuird, iij d. terre uthale land, aucht in butter scat j span