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Dictionars o the Scots Leid

Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)

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About this entry:
First published 1952 (SND Vol. III). Includes material from the 1976 supplement.
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

CORSE, CORS, KORS, n. Also corss. Obs. except in senses 3 and 4 and in place-names.

1. A market-cross, market-place. Jam.⁵ (1880) gives the form kors for Cld.Ags. 1823 in Edb. Mag. and Lit. Misc. (April) 448/1:
I left them at the corse — but, hark! they're comin' this way.wm.Sc. 1835–37 Laird of Logan II. 109:
Amang the Corks of the Causeyside, as weel as upon the plainstanes at the Corse.

2. A silver coin with a cross on one side.s.Sc. 1793 T. Scott Poems 360:
Fient a corse atweel has he; Frae starvation nought'll save ye.

3. The top part of a sail when the last reef is taken in.Bnff.² 1937:
A fite squall cam' doon the Firth, an' we ran afore't wi' only the corse o' the sail.

4. A cross marked on a steelyard to show the centre (Sh. 1866 Edm. Gl.); “comm. in pl. of two such marks: de bismer-korses” (Sh. 1908 Jak. (1928)).

5. Combs.: (1) corse-fish, a starfish, esp. the five-armed kind. Cf. Cross-fit; (2) corsfit, a starfish (Abd.¹⁷ 1919); cf. Cross-fit; (3) korsmas(s), a half-yearly festival, held on May 3 and Sept. 14 (Sh. 1866 Edm. Gl., -mass; 1914 Angus Gl.); in the Roman Catholic Church called the Invention of the Cross and the Exaltation of the Cross; (4) corse rig, a piece of land set aside for the maintenance of the village cross; (5) kirn-korses, see Kirn, n.¹, Combs. (1)e.Lth. 1795 Stat. Acc.¹ XVII. 70: 
Buckies, clams, sea-urchins, star-fish, and corse-fish, are found in the oyster beds.(2)Ayr. 1845 Stat. Acc.² V. 90: 
Corse-foot or five fingered star-fish (Asterea rubens) are found in great abundance.(4)Rxb. 1845 Stat. Acc.² III. 61:
There is a cross in the centre of the village of Melrose . . . which has a quarter of land to maintain it, called the “Corse Rig.”