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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.

Liart, Lyard, Liard, adj. (n.) Also: lyert; lykart. [ME. (14th c.) and e.m.E. liard, lyard, lyerd, in sense 1 a below, OF. liart. From the 16th c. appar. only north. e.m.E. and mod. north. Eng. dial. and Sc.; in the mod. Sc. dial. chiefly in sense 1 b below.]

1. adj. a. Of a horse (also a cow): Streaked or dappled with white or silver grey. Also red lyart, roan, bay dappled with white (as also in mod. north. Eng. dial.), gray lyart and black lyart.(1) 1496 Treas. Acc. I. 309.
Giffin to Walter Kerris man, of bridilsiluer for the liard hors 1497 Ib. 328. 1507 Ib. IV. 75. 1535 Selkirk B. Ct. 191 b (13 Apr.).
[They] apprisit ane lyard hors to xlv s.(b) 1498 Acta Conc. II. 184.
Ane lyart haknay, price x merkis 1562 Inverness Rec. I. 82.
Ane reid kow, and ane lyart kow 1621 Maxwell Mem. I. 325.
For ane curpall to the lyart naigis saidill 1675 Argyll Justic. Rec. I. 45.(c) 1576 Edinb. Test. V. 42 b.
Ane lyert hors price x li. 1587 Ib. XVII. 280 b.
Ane broun meir and ane lyert meir 1592 Ib. XXV. 12.(2) 1520 Selkirk B. Ct. fol. 86.
Ane mer red lyart, the quhilk he allegit … wranguslie tane fra him 1624 Kelso Baillie Ct. MS. 8.
Ane blak beld meir … together with ane gray lyart naig 1643 Aberd. Sheriff Ct. III. 15.
A black lyart hors

b. Of the hair: Streaked or flecked with grey, silvery grey, grey. Also comb. in lyart gray.Appar. chiefly in verse in this sense.(a) 1513 Doug. vi. xiv. 5.
I knaw hys canos har and lyard berd Ib. vii. vii. 27.(b) ?1438 Alex. ii. 46.
His beird, his browis baith war hare, Lang and lyart [F. La barbe … mellée] als thay ware Ib. 255. a1500 Henr. III. 114/11 (Makc.).
I … saw ane catyf … with chekis leyne and lyart [Maitl. F. lykart] lokis hoir Id. Test. Cress. 162, etc. 1513 Doug. vi. v. 11.
Apon his chyn feil cannos harys gray, Lyart [R. liart] feltrat tatis 1533 Boece xiii. v. 506 b.
The ald man with bare hede and lyart haris 1540 Lynd. Sat. 955 (Ch.).
Auld lyart beard, gude day! 15.. Clar. i. 964.comb. a1570-86 Maitland Maitl. F. xxxi. 18.
Efter mid age … Quhone that his hair is turnit lyart gray(c) 1684 Law Memor. (1818) 174.
The Pope's effigies … with a painted face lyke a man, the head covered with a lyert pirewig

c. Of other things: Grey. ?1549 Monro W. Isles 27.
Narrest this layes Leach Ellan … in Englische namit the lyart iyle

2. absol. as n. Silver grey, grey. c1500-c1512 Dunb. lxi. 70.
This gray hors, Quhilk … in lyart changeit is in hew