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Dictionars o the Scots Leid

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

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First published 1963 (DOST Vol. III).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

Lay, n.⁴ (a.) Also: laye, ley. [e.m.E. lay(e (1489), ley, aphetic var. of alay Allay n.² Cf. Lay v.²]

1. Alloy: admixture of base to fine metal; concr. such a mixture of metals, base metal so used. a1400 Leg. S. xxxiii. 403.
Thi godis … Ar mad bot of … gold and siluir & of clay, Of stok, of stane ore of lay 1393 Acts I. 207/1.
Et erunt denarii fabricati in quibus quatuor denariis erit tantum argentum sicut in vno grosso, set ponderabunt sex denarios causa lay quod imponitur 1473 Ib. II. 105/2.
In … peicis spvnis goblatis … throw the … avirice of the wirkaris … the said siluer … is myngyng with laye & vther stuife … that … it is … scaithit of the avale fra the fyne siluer 1489 Ib. 221/1.
Na goldsmythis sall mak mixtour nor put fals layis in the said mettallis 1517 Acta Conc. Public Aff. 102.
Ordanis [to make] the maist expert man … that can best decern the richt cunȝe fra the fals and the lay of thaim serchiour of the said money 1586 Edinb. Test. XV. 57.
Fyve new Duch dolouris of lay, price of the pece xx s. c 1580–90 Cochran-Patrick Coinage I. 96.
The stok warkmanschip and lay being deduceit thair remanit of every stane of vtter fyne of fre proffitt j^c xl li. 1637 Ib. II. 108.
The essayer … weyis the siluer and quhat it wants of the xij grayns that wes so much ley therein

2. attrib. as adj. Made of alloy, alloyed, debased (money, etc.) Also fig.Cf. the older Layit ppl. a.(1) 1580 Acts III. 191/1.
That all the seuerall sortis of lay and vther cunȝeit siluer … be brocht in to … his hienes cunȝehous 1601 Irvine Mun. II. 241.
Item, the lay silver of David Dempster xxxv merk 1676 Conv. Burghs III. 667.
The usefullnes of small lay money of the value of 12 d. and 6 d. 1683 Cochran-Patrick Coinage II. 202.
The coynadg of ley money is also unreasonable(2) 1679 Fountainhall Decis. I. 40.
Some lead is always necessary to make tin work, in ley metal, such as stoups, chamber potsfig. 1638 Beautie of the Remarkable Yeare.
Which all the elements do preach, which are Not of so ley a mettall, as the ware Wherein each pittie nature courtes the great