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

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First published 1971 (DOST Vol. IV).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

Myter, n. Also: mytre, -ar, -ir, -yr, -or, -our(e, mytter; mitre, -er; meyttour; moitar. [ME. (Wyclif) and e.m.E. mitre, -er, mytre, -er, ir, F. mitre, L. mitra, Gk. μιτρα.]

1. An episcopal mitre. c 1450 Coll. St. Salvator 157.
A mytyr for Sant Innocentis beschop 1488 Treas. Acc. I. 101.
Til a man that past to Dunfermeling for a mytir and a stafe c1515 Asl. MS. I. 220/22.
And incontinent efter Bischope James Kennedy cursit solempnitlie with myter & staf, buke & candill Ib. 229/10.
And left ane of the best myteris that was in Scotland 1540 Lynd. Sat. 3375.
Mytour 1547 Treas. Acc. IX. 126. 1546 Lynd. Trag. Card. 336.
Tyll geue ane famous office tyll ane fule, As quho walde putt ane myter on ane mule 1552 Coll. St. Salvator 156 n. 3.
Mytor 1558 Knox IV. 439.
His rochet and miter must stand for authoritie 1562 Invent. Q. Mary 54.
Ane mytir … inrychit with sindrie stanes 1570-3 Bann. Trans. 52. 1572-5 Diurn. Occurr. 104.
With staf, mytoure, croce and the rest a1578 Pitsc. II. 123/31.
Than was brocht to our bischoppis keippis of gold and mytouris of gould set with pretious stones 1600-1610 Melvill 437.
Busk him as bonilie as ye can, … we sie the hornes of his mytre 1634 Wedderburn Gramm. 9.
Tiaras, a myter

2. a. In versions of the Æneid, rendering L. mitra or vitta. b. A Phrygian head-dress. c. A dunce's cap: cf. next sense.mitra: a headband or fillet worn by women in ancient Greece; also, a kind of head-dress worn by Asiatic men, regarded as effeminate by the Romans. vitta: ‘a band, esp. a fillet or chaplet.’ 1513 Doug. iv. v. 79.
Abufe his hed … Set lyke a mytir [L. Mæonia mentum mitra … subnexus] the Troiane foly hat Ib. x. ix. 78.
Hemonydes … On quhais hed wympillit holy garlandis With thar pendentis iyke to a mytyr [L. vitta] standis a1605 Montg. Ch. & Slae 865 (Wr.).
Sir, for your clergie to be kend Take yee two asses eares: No miter perfyter Got Midas for his meed 1611-57 Mure Dido & Ænas ii. 417.
His curled head with Phrygian mytre [n. iv. 216 Mæonia mitra] guised

3. A paper hat worn as a punishment by offenders, commonly having the nature of the offence inscribed on it. (Cf. 2 c above.)(a) 1577–8 Inverness Rec. I. 260.
[Two persons] to present thame selffis thrie severall Sundayes in sak clayth with mytaris of paper on thair heidis in the kirk 1585 Ib. 301. 1587 Elgin Rec. II. 8. 1589 Perth Kirk S. 184.
Janet Macduff … to remain fast in the irons from ten hours forenoon until twelue with an mitre on her head and writing of infamy 1593 Elgin Rec. II. 32.
She is ordanit to stand three Sondayis in sackclothe … and … appoynts ane mytre of papir vpoun hir head or breist, with ane inscriptioun thairupoun conteining the caus of hir being thair 1596–7 Kirkcaldy B. Rec. 142. 1600 Elgin Rec. II. 79.
Mytre 1606 Inverness Rec. II. 40.
The judges … ordanis them to be joigit and ane myter with ane superscriptioun 1626 Elgin Rec. II. 192.
Mytter 1633 Ib. 225.
Wnder paine of standing in the mytre and heerie cloth c1650 Spalding I. 46.
Johne Toshea … wes ordanit to sit at the cross of Edinbrugh with the myter on his heid 1651 Elgin Rec. II. 280. 1656 Ib. 287.
James Gordoun … ordained to stand … in the jogs with the sakcloath and the myter on his head 1678 Mackenzie Laws & C. i. iii. 4.
The standing at the church door with an infamous mitre or paper hat for a relapse(b) 1620 Perth Kirk S. MS. 30 Oct.
The sessioun ordenis that Maggie Brown be put on the croceheid … and stand thair with ane pepper meyttour on hir heid the space of tua houris(c) 1591–2 St. A. Presb. in St. A. Kirk S. 727 n.
With ane form of moitar upon his heid, quhairupon salbe writtin … the form of his offence