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

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First published 1990 (DOST Vol. VII).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

Round, Rownd(e, adj. Also: rounde; rond(e; rund; roun(e, rown; rowan(e, -and, (rowen). [ME and e.m.E. round (c1290), OF reont, runt, rond (1100, 1170 and 1380 in Larousse), L. rotundus.]

1. Circular in shape. b. Curved.See also round sele, s.v. Sele n. and Round Tabill.Also comb.(a) a1400 Leg. S. xii 315.
In foure partis of this warld rond Ib. xlvii 84.
Thane wes scho … one a rond quhele set on ane 1460 Hay Alex. (S.T.S.) 230.
Gret ene and ronde and furth set in his hed(b) c1420 Wynt. vi 1086.
Wsuale mone, gud and rownd Ib. vii 768.
He ordanyd … Hys mona to be cwnyhede rownd c1475 Wall. x 464.
v mylȝon off fynest gold so round 1513 Doug. v vi 5.
In maner of cyrkyl rownd A playng place was markyt on the grond 1532 Instit. Ct. Sess. in Acta Conc. Publ. Aff. 375.
And salbe maid ane burd quadrangulare or rownd 1532 M. Works Acc. (ed.) I 93.
The south round lycht inlikwis baith in hecht and breid extendis to xv futis 1562 Knox Ressoning 172.
For they will desyre no better denner then white rounde gods [sc. hosts] ynew 1589 St. A. B. Ct. 2 April.
Ane round [MS ro &] lycht strikin furth … vpon the west syd wall c1590 Fowler I 340/55.
In ringes full rownde About the grene they jett a1595 Descr. Isles 430.
Within that entres is an round heavin and defence for schippis 1654 Lanark B. Rec. 153 (see O n.² 2 (1)).(c) a1538 Abell 1*a.
Thir figuris … coniunyt with a nothir fygur or o rund cyrkil tha numyr ten tymys thair self(d) 1697 Kirkcudbr. Test. (Kirkcudbr. Sheriff Ct.) 7 July.
Ane roune tablecomb. 1597 Edinb. D. Guild Acc. 668.
For making of tuelf round heidit naillis for outputting of the latchettis of the claith of the pulpit 1646 Edinb. Test. LXII 294b.
Ane watche plaittit with gold round fascheoned and enamblitb. 1453 Misc. Spald. C. V 49.
To Wyll Gyffart for the keill, 1 lib. 5 s. … For the haffyng of hir rounde, 2 s. 1513 Doug. ii viii 61.
Hir [sc. the adder's] slydry body in hankis rownd al run 1685 Cramond Ch. Cullen 165.
The table and seates within the said round seat

2. Cylindrical; circular in cross-section.Ane rownd … chimnay, cf. later Sc. dial. Round about, ‘a hearth or fireplace which is situated in the middle of a floor with room for seats all round it’ (1802 in SND).(1) a1400 Leg. S. ii 850.
Thai … the padok fand In a rownd tour still ȝelland Ib. xix 263.
The staf, that is lange & rond, Thrist it fast done in the grownd 1456 Hay I 14/16.
The round pavillioun 1462 Peebles B. Rec. I 147.
That na strakis gang in the merkat bot rownde rows and nocht squhar a1500 Gol. & Gaw. 371.
The renkis raithly can raik in to the round hald 1488 Treas. Acc. I 81.
A round buste 1531 Bell. Boece I 81.
Ane round hous of square stanis 1574 Dumfries B. Ct. 6 Oct.
Ane rond spar … , ane pece of rond tymer(2) 1595 Invent. Castle Campbell in Argyll Mun. MS 21 Feb. (Old Argyll MS Inv.).
Ane rownd irne chymnay

3. Spherical; globular; round, also ovoid, in shape. a1400 Leg. S. xxviii 17.
[The pearl] is lytil and rond alsa c1420 Wynt. viii 4339.
Qwhare plente ware off stanys rownde 1456 Hay II 157/32.
For … the mannis hede is round, and be that it is lyknyt to the firmament a1500 Gol. & Gaw. 886.
Armyt in rede gold and rubeis sa round 1488 Treas. Acc. I 85.
A grete round ball in maner of a chalfer of siluer ouregilt 1513 Doug. iv ix 18.
Quhar … Atlas On schuldyr rollys the round speir in cumpas 1549 Compl. 33/4, 6.
Epicurius said that the varld is ronde lyik a boule, & Empedocles said that the varld is lang & ronde lyik ane eg Ib. 51/24.
Ve hef ane vthir probabil sing to preif that the eird and the vattir is rond 1561 Inv. Q. Mary 25.
Off round gloibbis 1567 6th Rep. Hist. MSS App. 643/2.
Ane cheyn … with tuelf square intermiddis … togither with ane round intermyd a1568 Bannatyne Bann. MS 230b/4.
The licht that cleipit is Dyane Quhen scho is lucent round as ony ball ?1549 Monro W. Isles (1961) 83.
Round heids of verie little quantitie a1628 Carmichael Prov. No. 1545.
Twa round things will never meit

b. Of, or resembling, the shape of a hemisphere; semi-globular. 1535 Stewart 3988.
Ane carne of stonis … Rycht round and rownid vpone a … hycht Ib. 33617.
Ane know that wes bayth round and hie 1549 Prot. Bk. Sir J. Cristisone 101.
Ane rownd dry hillok c1550 Lynd. Meldrum 945.
Hir pappis wer hard, round, and quhyte a1585, a1568 Montg. P. i 63.
With yvoire nek and pomellis round 1623 Rec. Univ. Aberd. 283.
The twa roune bellis within the said stepill

4. Not definitely assignable to any particular one of the above senses. 1453 Misc. Spald. C. V 49.
For haffyng round of burde and treis 1581 Treas. Acc. MS 90 (2).
Lang buttonis and round buttonis to the clock 1628 Brechin Test. IV 332b.
Halff ane dusson gryt round lokis

5. a. Of a gown: ? Full-skirted. But perh. merely an instance of 6. b. Of headgear: Covering and encircling the head.a. 1473 Treas. Acc. I 73.
ij½ elne of grene for a round govne to my ladyb. a1500 Henr. Fab. 1353.
His bonat round and off the auld fassoun 1489 Treas. Acc. I 146.
For vj bonatis to the king, of thaim fowre rownde and ij nekkyt cappis 1540 Lynd. Sat. 3416.
Our round bonats we mak them now four nuickit, Of richt fyne stuiff 1558 Q. Kennedy Tractive 151.
He sal be montit on ane mule, with ane syde gown and ane round bonett a1570-86 Maitland Maitl. F. 41/19 (see Cap n.¹ 1 (a)). 1579 Edinb. Test. VII 188.
Ane blak rowe[n] bonet set to xij s. 1602 Colville Paraenese 116.
Thai forget that round bonnetts, syid gounes and larg breikks … ver not in use in th' Apostles dayis 1632 Edinb. Test. LVI 23.
Ane dosone of rowane reid bonnattis at xxxvj s. the peice 1664 Inventory 3 in Decr. Dalr. XI.
Tuo rowan capps, one single & another double

6. Of cloth (also thread or cord) and manufactured articles in cloth, esp. sheets: Made from thick thread; coarse in texture.The first two quots. under (4) below may properly belong to 1 above.Also transf., of a hackle.(1) 1488 Treas. Acc. I 139.
Thre elne of rownde braide clayth 1505 Ib. III 44.
Round Holland claith to be … schetis 1546 Stirling B. Rec. I 45. 15.. Wyf Awcht. 44.
Is promeis thé ane gud new sark Athir of round claith or of small 1552 Treas. Acc. X 143.
xl elnis rounde canves … to be palȝesis to beddis 1563 Dumfries B. Ct. fol. 220b.
Four ells of rovn claytht 1565 Prot. Bk. Thomas Johnsoun 97.
Schetis, whairof 20 pare are small lynning and 12 pare round lynning 1586 St. A. Test. II 55. 1586 Treas. Acc. MS 109b.
Owirlayaris … of round camriage 1601 Kirkcudbr. B. Rec. I 402.
Tua elnis rownd lyning price xij s., thre elnis small lyning price of the eln viij s. vj d. 1606 Tailor's Acc. Bk. 41.
Ane elne of round stenting to mak the lynnyng with 1612 Dunblane Test. 188b.
xl elnes of bleitchit, small & round harne 1616 Glasgow Weavers 54.
Round hardin yearine 1637 Kirkcudbr. B. Rec. II 549.
Tua wobes of round linning vnwowine 1647 Edinb. Test. LXIII 244b.
Round tweill … middell tueill … the best sort of tueill 1721 Lanark B. Rec. 303.
Except round secking and tweeling(b) 1603 Montgomery Mem. 250.
Rund hollan 1672 Kirkcudbr. B. Rec. MS 19 June.
Twellff shilling Scots for ilk ell … small lining and aught shilling for ilk ell … rund linning(c) 1692 Kirkcudbr. Sheriff Ct. Deeds II 460.
Six ells of rown linning, thrie ells of small linning, fowr ells of plading(2) 1575 Edinb. Test. III 362b.
Tuelf mydling round stringis for hattis 1581 Treas. Acc. MS 73 (b).
Ane quarter pund of fyne small threid, … ane quarter pund of round threid 1588 St. A. Test. II 95b.
Thre scoir rownd quheit woll 1621 Edinb. Test. LI 140b.
xxxij vnce blak silk round and small(3) 1561 Inv. Wardrobe 150.
Fourty round scheittis 1562 Will A. Betoun 223.
Rownd schetys 1565 Prot. Bk. Gilbert Grote 68.
Twa pare of rounde schettis and ane pair of small schettis c1580 Coll. Aberd. & B. 391.
Of rund [pr. rind] scheittis sax pair 1623 Orkney & Shetl. Test. I 93.
Tuelff pair of scheittis small & rownd new and auld 1658 Boyd Fam. P. No. 236 (27 Feb.).
Eightein pair lining sheittis three pair round sheittis and a pair old sheittis 1663 Inv. in Kirkcudbr. Min. Bk. 186.
Roune sheites 1669 Edinb. Test. LXXIII 312.
Sheitts rowand and smaill 1697 Sc. N. & Q. 2 Ser. II 90.(4) 1565 Prot. Bk. Gilbert Grote 96.
Ane small burde claytht and ane rounde 1596 Misc. Bann. C. II 221.
Tua round buird claythis 1627 Orkney & Shetl. Test. I 171.
Ane dossone of small naiprie ane dossone of rownd naprie 1670 Boyd Fam. P. No. 297.
A roune towell c1700 Dumfries Doc. MS.
Eight rown toals & tua duzeon servits rown & smalltransf. 1643 Edinb. Test. LX 281.
Ane round heckle & ane small

b. Also in compar. and superl., with implied grading according to quality. 1503 Treas. Acc. II 212.
For x elne roundair claith to be tua sarkis 1505–6 Ib. III 46.
Roundar 1536–7 Ib. VI 298.
Rounder cammarage 1568 Edinb. Test. I 176b.
Small canues … rounder canues 1577–8 Treas. Acc. XIII 192.
xviij elnis rounder dornik to be copburde claythis 1598 Glasgow Weavers 49.
That nane of thair craft work ane elne of pladdein better chap nor aucht penneis the roundest elne 1600 Treas. Acc. MS 115.
Fyne cambrige to be muches … rounder cambrige to be vnder muches … small linning to be dowbill muches 1601 Sc. Ant. VI 156.
Rounder scheittis 1604 Glasgow Weavers 50.
Linchie winchie of the roundest sort 1632 Inv. Newark 2a.
Of rownder tyking for comon beds 1677 Kirkcudbr. Sheriff Ct. Processes No. 246.
12 ells of rounder and worse plaiding

7. Of flour: Coarsely ground. 1583 Argyll Acc. 28 Aug.
Send to Argyll of small flour … and of round flour 1647 Edinb. Test. LXIII 15.
Ane bag of round flour

8. Of a person's body: Plump. 1460 Hay Alex. (S.T.S.) 7207.
Scho was baith round and polist, in gude plyte

9. Of speech, behaviour or bearing: Open; honest; straightforward; direct; severe. c1420 Wynt. ix 1763.
The erle maid ansuere rownd, He wald nocht for a thowsand pownd c1460 Thewis Gud Women 41.
With suet, hamly, round contenans Ib. 115.
Bot ay hald rownd and plan maner, Haldand ay falowschip with hir feir c1475 Wall. (1570) xi 1362.
For all thy round [MS roid] reheirs Thow hes na charge 1594 Lett. Jas. VI to Eliz. 101.
So long approued freindship requyris a rounde plainness

10. Of a dozen, also of a measure: Complete, entire; full.Only attrib., and as such appar. only Sc. till 1677. 1558-66 Knox I 41.
Yitt have I haid the round desone; and sevin of thame ar menis wyffis 1638 Baillie I 124.
On Thursday … we had no scant of protestations; more than a round dozen were inacted — c1530-40 Stewart Bann. MS 140b/15.
The sowttaris … Off vly blek & talloun Ilk ane ane round galloun Thay gif at ane gant — 1580–1 Perth Guildry p. 401 (2 March).
Sex barrell round wecht of oismond irne

11. Of a space: ? Large, sizeable.Cf. e.m.E. round = considerable (of an amount of money; 1579), ample (of generosity; 1592), and later Sc. dial. = sizeable, big (of a family; 1723).Cf. Round n. 5 d. c1420 Wynt. i 386 (C).
[Noah's ark] Thocht on hicht it narow wes Vnder round [R. rowme] of mare larges c1550 Lynd. Meldrum 505.
Pertlie to preif thair pith thay preist. That round rinkroume wes at vtterance