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

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First published 1983 (DOST Vol. V).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

Pint, Pynt(e, n. Also: pinte, pynet, pinct; pyint; pent, peint, peynt, pant; Point; Punct; Punt. [ME. and e.m.E. pynte (1432), pinte (Caxton), pint (1598), F. pinte a liquid measure (13th c.). Cf. MDu. pinte (1338) a liquid, or granular, measure. Of doubtful ulterior origin.] A pint, in the usual senses and collocations.a. The measure of capacity for, chiefly, liquids; this amount (of) the liquid, or other substance, specified.Varying in amount according to time and locality.Also, once, pl. without inflection.Also, in fig. context.(1) 1384 Exch. R. III. 107.
Et j pynt vini 1512 Household Bk. Jas. IV 1 b.
For i pynt of wyne x d. c1530-40 Stewart Bann. MS. 139 b/19.
Schir Garnyga will … spew ane pynt at a pant Off fowl vly ba 1555 Edinb. Old Acc. I. 154.
Foure pynts tar 1560 St. A. Kirk S. 44.
That he suld hallow ane laif and ane pynte of aill 1563-1570 Buch. Wr. 7.
The cuik, stewart, portar and pantriman, ilk ane … ane pyint of ayl the day 1596–7 Misc. Spald. C. I. 101.
Ane pint of the beist of the said cw 1617 M. Works Acc. (ed.) II. 77.
For aucht pyntis of lynsydvyle [£9. 12] a1628 Carmichael Prov. No. 925.
It will by a pynt of aile that will not by a new cote 1633 Lithgow Poet. Remains 112. 1635 Edinb. Test. LVII. 140 b.
Twa pyntes cannell water 1651 Stirling B. Rec. II. 310.
For 17 pynts acavite 1661 Elgin Rec. II. 296.
He desyred hir to goe into ane aill house and give him ane pynt aill 1663 Old Ross-shire I. 211.
Peynt a 1683 Craven Ch. in Orkney 105. 1686 Mackenzie Observ. 121.
The furlot of Linlithgow … contains twenty one pints and a mutchkin of water 1690 Foulis Acc. Bk. 118.
To the Falkirk carier for bringing the kan with … pints honey(2) c1420 Wynt. viii. 2693.
The galown off wyne … Passyd noucht that tyme foure pennys. For a pynt now mon [we] pay Als mekill [etc.] 1425 Acts II. 12/1.
Ande ilk pynt sal contene be wecht of cleir watter of Tay xlj vnce 14.. Sc. Merchandise (ed.) 119.
The pynte at xviij mitis iij quarter 1503–4 (c 1580) Edinb. B. Rec. I. 98.
The half watter bol of quheit and ry contenis xlviij pynttis 1543 Ib. II. 114.
For ij s. the pynt and na darrer 1587 Acts III. 521/2. 1618 Ib. IV. 587/1.
Pincts 1677 Craven Ch. in Orkney 66.
The wyne being at 24 shillings per pynt(b) 1596 Stirling Merch. Guild 9.
The den of gild is amerciat in ane vnlaw of ane quart of vyne, and Johne Hog in ane peynt 1604 Aberd. Council Lett. I. 97.
All thair mesoris of stowpis of quart peint and chopin and mutchkin … to be conformable to the … stowp of Striveling(3) 1573 Acts III. 82/2.
That euerie salmond barrel … sall contene twelf gallounis of the Striuiling pynt 1584 Edinb. B. Rec. IV. 330.
The principall braysin mesour of the pynt of Stirling 1587 Acts III. 521/2.
The pynt of Stirling contening tua pund and nyne vnce trois wecht of cleir watter 1624 Huntar Weights & Measures 4.
The Scottish pinte or standerd jug of Sterling is found to conteine 3 pound 7 ounce weight of the water of Leith, everie pinte is devided in 2 choppins and 4 muchkins 1689 P. H. Brown Early Trav. 274.]
[The muskin, which answers our quart, but is no more than half of the Scotch pintuninfl. pl. 1670 Dumbarton B. Rec. 86.
Seavin pynt and muchkin and quart muchkin sackfig. 1692 Presb. Eloq. (1694) 70.
One pint of faith, a gill of grace, and a mutchkine of sanctification

b. A vessel or measure containing a pint; a pint-pot.(a) 1478 Prestwick B. Rec. 28.
That Jok Smythtis airis … refound to the towne the common pynt 1515–6 Selkirk B. Ct. (ed.) 36.
A tyne pynt 1520 Dumfries B. Ct. 20 b (14 Nov.).
The quhilk pynt David Gluvar affirit hym to preiff that it is his awin pynt 1528 Stirling B. Rec. I. 33.
All … pyntis, quhartis and chopynnis to cum to the tolbouit 1551 Edinb. B. Rec. II. 161.
That na ressaving of wyne be fundin in tyme cuming be the tauernaris choppingis in the nychtbouris pyntis 1560 Stirling B. Rec. I. 72.
Ane berm pynt 1571 Misc. Spald. C. II. 79.
Ane pinte of tyn 1581 Glasgow Burgesses 10.
For making of the jug met of bras, pynt and chopin 1583–4 Crail B. Ct. MS. 10 Mar.
Ane treine pynt 1589 Edinb. B. Rec. V. 381.
That all ventares of wyne … haif thair pynts [etc.] … merket … with the touns merk hard be the lip a1628 Carmichael Prov. No. 548.
Fill the pynt and let the pettie cote ly, the claith wilbe better cheip after nune(b) 1457 Peebles B. Rec. I. 119.
A bassyn and a lauar, a qwart and a pent and a chapyn

c. attrib. and comb.(1) 1597 Edinb. Test. XXX. 44.
Twelf pynt flaconeis 1645 Ib. LXI. 184 b.
Ane pynt mould with lid 1685 Edinb. B. Rec. XI. 158.
Report … jug measure. The dean of gild reported that he had tried the touns jugs consisting of two pynt jugs and ane chopen and that he fand that on of the pynt jugs and the chopen holds just 1689 Reg. Privy C. 3 Ser. XIV. 492.
Fyve hundred … pynt coigs(2) 1526 Prot. Bk. J. Foular II. 225.
A pynt stop, a chopin, and a muchekin of tyn 1527–8 (c 1580) Edinb. B. Rec. I. 232.
That the pynt stowpe of Dalkeyth be send for, and that wyse and discreitt men mesoure the vther commoun pynts of this towne and of Striueiling with that pynt 1547 Stirling B. Rec. I. 48.
That scho suld lay the pynt stoup on hir cheftis 1552 Conv. Burghs I. 2.
The pynt stope of Striuiling 1563 Dumfries B. Ct. fol. 182.
Ane pynt stoip of tyn verk contenand thre pund veycht 1578 Prot. Bk. J. Scott 57 b.
Ane pynet stoupe 1633 Coll. Witchcraft 122.
His hand swelled as great as a pint-stoup, so that he could get little or nothing done with it 1685 Stranraer B. Ct. 7 Sept.
Therefter the said Jon McCosky tooke wp the pynt stop & went … to strik the said Margaret therwith(b) 1530 Wigtown B. Ct. 235.
A pant stoyp