Dictionaries of the Scots Language
Dictionars o the Scots Leid

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

Hide Quotations Hide Etymology

Abbreviations Cite this entry

About this entry:
First published 2000 (DOST Vol. VIII).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

Saim, Sem(e, n. Also: sayme, same; seim, seam(e; sawme. [Early ME seim(e (c1200), ME and e.m.E. saym (14th c.), sayme (Caxton), seme (1530), seame (1541), seyme (1558), sem (1595), same (1651), OF saïm, sain (c1155 and c1210 in Larousse), vulgar L. sagimen, f. L. sagīna a stuffing, fattening, etc.] Rendered fat or grease as a commodity. Freq. as swynis, swyne saim. See also Gate-seame, Got-seame.(1) 14.. Acts I 305/2.
Of a waw of grese sayme or oyle a peny 1513 Doug. vii x 61.
Sum polist scharp speir hedis of steill, To mak thame brycht with fat creisch or same [: hame] 1702 Household Bk. Gr. Baillie 66.
For saim and girthes to the horss(b) 1597 Bk. Rates 10.
Inuarte custumes. … Seme the pund 1624 Orkney & Shetl. Test. I 111b.
Seam 1628–9 Aberd. Shore Wk. Acc. 161.
Seim 1633 Edinb. Test. LVI 200b.
Twa pund wecht of seame … vj s. viij d.(2) 1575 Edinb. Test. III 319.
Ipothecar. … In his buith … in ane tua luggit pig ij li. wecht of swynis seme price iiij s. 1596 Elgin Rec. II 45.
Scho maid the same [plaster] of swynis sawme [ed. sawine] rossat walx [etc.] 1597 Skene Verb. S. s.v. Vnctvm.
Vnctvm porcorum, swines seame or fatnes 1623 Perth Kirk S. MS 14 May.
Smeiring him ower with swynis seame 1660–1 Aberd. Shore Wk. Acc. 467.
For ane pund off suyns seam to the neiw cran(3) 14.. Burgh Laws c. 76 (B).
Nowte cresche or swyne sayme 1540 Treas. Acc. VII 355.
ij pund swyne same to cresche the samin wowping witht, xij d. 1595 Skipper's Acc. (Morton) 9a.
iii pound swyne sem xi s. 8 d. 1621 Edinb. Test. LI 76b.
Ane stane … wecht swyne seame at threttieane schillingis the stane

b. ? The fatty parts of a pig. 14.. Burgh Laws c. 107 (B).
In swa mykyl that a swyne … may turne hym wyth in it, that is to say that nowthir the gorge nych the tayle na the sayme of the swyne