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

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First published 1951 (DOST Vol. II).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

Gray, Gra, a. Also: graye, grae; grey. [ME. gray(e, OE. grǽᵹ.] Grey in colour.The earliest examples are in personal names as Johannis Gray (13th c.), Andrea Gray (1332), Johannes Gray (1364).

1. In usual general and special uses.(a) 1375 Barb. i. 383.
In wysage wes he sumdeill gray, And had blak har ?1438 Alex. ii. 8087.
The King sat on the marbill gray a1500 Henr. Fab. 757.
Ane flane with fedderis gray c1475 Wall. iii. 100.
The worthi Scottis … To Lowdoun hill past in the gray dawyng a1500 Gol. & Gaw. 769.
For greif his gray ene brynt 1574 Edinb. Test. III. 137 b.
Tuelf litill ferikynnis of gray saip (1606) Calderwood VI. 589.
Eight scheats of gray paper, full of English money knitte up in forme of sugar loaves 1628 M. Works Acc. XXI. 18.
100 … cast of gray sklait 1655 Wemyss Chart. 242.
Ane eagles stone, quhich is graye and ratles(b) 1565 Prot. Bk. W. Cumming 34.
Twa vark hors viz. ane gra and ane broun 1622 M. Works Acc. XVI. 15 b.
Divyding the grae vallayes from the reid vallayes

b. Of fabrics or garments, cf. Gray n. 1; also, of hides or furs. 14.. Acts I. 303/2.
Of ane hundreth gray gryse and skurel, dycht and letheryt 1455 Acta Conc. II. xiv.
Ane mantill of rede … furryt with cristy gray grece 1458 Peebles B. Rec. 130.
A gra gon and a red bonet a1500 Henr. Fab. 58.
This nobill clerk Esope, … In gray vestiment Ib. 493.
Aurora, with hir curcheis gray c1500-c1512 Dunb. Flyt. 144.
Ane pair of auld gray sox 1531 Treas. Acc. VI. 18.
For … gray weluet, to begarye the said goune 1546 Stirling B. Rec. I. 45.
Ane gray coit c1552 Lynd. Mon. 5869.
Cowlis blak, gray, nor begaird 1589 Edinb. Test. XXI. 89.
Tua gray binakis or hydis 1590 Treas. Acc. MS. 213.
Six quarteris argentie gray serge to be a pair of lang sokis 1605 Edinb. Test. XL. 103 b.
Tuelf pair of bed plaidis, with thrie pair of gray plaidis c1650 Spalding I. 347.
Gray claith, hardin, bleichit and vnbleichit

c. Of natural objects or aspects. (Poetic.) ?1438 Alex. ii. 5019.
Graues, that gray war, waxis grene 1513 Doug. vii. Prol. 63.
The grond stud barrant, widderit, dosk, or gray c1552 Lynd. Mon. 1529.
Frome clattryng cragis, gret and gray, The erth was weschin quyte away 1560 Rolland Seven S. 3891.
All that was grene, to ȝow it suld seme gray 1570 Sat. P. xv. 5.
Ȝe greinis, grow gray; ȝe gowanis, dune a1585 Maitl. Q. lxv. 12.
The roring of the raiging seyis gray

2. a. Of the hair or beard of a person. Also = greyhaired. 1456 Hay II. 132/15.
Ane ald wyf … is calde and dry, nakit and trembland, gray and gretand, and all for elde drawand to … dede 1513 Doug. vi. v. 10.
Apou his chyn feil cannos harys gray a1570-86 Maitl. F. clxx. 200.
Ȝour gray heid sall withe glaidness ga to graue a1585 Maitl. Q. lxviii. 148.
His auld baird gray

b. Of animals (esp. horses) or fowls. (See also Gray hen.) c1420 Wynt. iv. 729.
Thare morel, bayard, dun and gray, Wyth wowndys flyngand ran away ?1438 Alex. ii. 3663.
With hors on many maneris, Brasin and broun, quhyte and gray c1450-2 Howlat 786.
He couth … Mak of a gray gus a goid garland a1500 Henr. Fab. 983.
Nane, except ane stude gray meir 1504 Aberd. Sheriff Ct. I. 50.
The spoliacioun of ane gray hors 1535 Stewart 59452.
The erle of Buchane on ane cursure gray, He met this duke in middis of the way 1556 Fam. Rose 220.
Pro interfectione ceruorum lie gray deir 1576 Reg. Privy C. II. 485.
Ane gray cursour hors of sex yeir auld 1626 Elgin Rec. II. 194.
Alexander Petry [etc.] … censureit for ryding the gray meir

3. a. Gray brede: Coarse bread made of rye, perhaps also of oats' (J); also, gray bannokis. 14.. Acts I. 32/2.
Baxtaris … sall bake quhyte brede and gray eftir the consideracion and prise of the gud men of the toune eftir as the sesson askis 1518 Edinb. B. Rec. I. 178.
At the samyn [breid] be of fyne stufe weill baiken and dryet, and the gray breid vj vnces mair than the gray breid baiken within this burgh 1535 Stewart 58471.
Wes nane … to mak him remeid, Or him support with ane byte of gra breid 1606 Rollock Comm. 2 Thess. xvi. 201.
He is the honester man that will … sit down with gray bread conquest by his labour, nor he who eates all dilicates with idlenesse 1631 St. A. Baxter Bk. 92.
George Muffett to pay xl s. for baiking & selling of gray bannokis

b. Gray aittis, corne, meal, the half-meal or light grain oats; ‘the refuse and sweepings of a meal-mill, used for feeding poultry; properly, dirty meal’ (J). 1598 Dunblane Test. III. 6.
Sex bollis aittis of gray corne … Threttie bollis small gray aittis 1599 Ib. 14.
Sex bollis small gray aittis anserand to half meall 1647 in Laird of Logan (1889) 578.
John Braedine, in Kilbirnie, was called before the Presbytery of Irvine, 1647, for calling his minister's doctrines Dust and Grey Meil 1677 Dunblane Acc. Bk. 22 Feb.
Best whyte aitts, … Brocked aitts, … Gray corne

4. In other special uses: gray naillis, cf. Gray wark; gray plak, one containing an alloy of silver. 1561–3 Edinb. Old Acc. I. 433.
vj^c gray breid heidit naillis 1591 Acts III. 526/2.
All vther allayed money, quhilk is subiect to refyning, as babeis, thre penny grotis, twelf penny grotis, and gray plakkis

5. Comb. with -bairdit, -hornit. 1479 Hist. Carnegie 20.
I ressauit a sesing ox, gra hornyt and quhit chekit 1576 Crim. Trials I. 51.
He was ane honest wele elderlie man, gray bairdit 1581 Prot. Bk. J. Robertsone 18.
Ane blak gray hornit ox