A Dictionary of the Older Scottish Tongue (up to 1700)
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About this entry:
First published 1937 (DOST Vol. I).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
Quotation dates: 1400-1621
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Bird, Byrd, n.1 Also: birde, byrde, berd, burd, buird. Also rare variant: bred. [ME. bird, byrd, berd, ONhb. bird, OE. brid (ME. brid, bryd).]
1. A bird. (Common in poetry, frequently in alliterative phrases; otherwise rare.)c1400 Troy-bk. i. 258.
Byrdes one the trees syngande c1420 Wynt. i. 393.
Off byrde and best, bathe wylde and tame c1420 Ib. 958 (C).
Off bred [R. byrde] and bestc1450-2 Howlat 17; c1450-2 Ib. 66.
Birdis blythest of ble c1475 Acts of Schir William Wallace viii. 1193.
Quhar byrdis blythly sang a1500 Golagros and Gawane 180.
Ane duergh braydit about … Small birdis on broche a1500 Taill of Rauf Coilȝear 209.
Byrdis bakin in breid 1490 Irland Mir. I. 128/7.
As the hevinly sone … causis … byrdis to sing and joy c1500-c1512 Dunb. Tua Mar. W. 516.
Berdis schoutit in schaw 1513 Doug. xiii. Prol. 55.
The smaill byrdis syttand on thar nestis 1550 Reg. Privy C. I. 95.
Laverokis and uthair small bredisc1552 Lynd. Mon. 1067.
Lyke birdis intill a cage 1570 Satirical Poems xiii. 120.
Come neuer a gude byrde of the Deuillis eg 1587-99 Hume vii. 78.
A birdis nest1621 Edinburgh Testaments LI. 63.
Ten littell braisin pilleris for buirdis caidges at tua schillingis the pece
b. A young bird; a chicken.1424 Acts II. 6/1.
Quhair it beis tayntyt that … the birdis be flowin 1581 Hamilton Cath. Tr. 139 b.
As ane hen gatheris hir burdis vnder hir vingis 1596 Dalr. I. 25/16.
Solande geis … feid thair birdis diligentlie 1596 Ib. 60/9.
Quhil thay haue laid thair eggis, and clekit thair burdes
2. A young animal; a person regarded as offspring or progeny.c1520-c1535 Nisbet Matt. xxiii. 33.
Ȝe eddris and eddris birdis [Wycl. briddis] 1542 Elgin Rec. I. 72.
Calland the said Ellen and Margarat … carlis birdis 1560 Rolland Seven Sages 52/28.
Better thow had not spokin, condampnit Deuillis byrd 1571 Satirical Poems xxv. 29.
These despaired birdis of Beliall 1573 J. Davidson 1573 Ib. xli. 43.
Thir Balamis birds sair may thow feir a1605 Montg. Son. xxiv. 1.
A baxters bird 1591 Bruce Eleven Serm. Y 8 a (J).
Swa they wald ever be handled as tod's birds 1597 Skene Acts Parl. 17.
The woolfe and woolfe-birdes suld be slaine1603 Shetland Sheriff Ct. 88 b.
Calling him ane theife and ane theifis buird 1609 Kinghorn Kirk-S. 14; 1609 Ib. 15.
Calling ewerie ane of thame ane uther theifis, lowns, and witchis burd