A Dictionary of the Older Scottish Tongue (up to 1700)
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First published 1937 (DOST Vol. I).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
Quotation dates: 1604-1657
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Cleif(e, Cleiffe, n. [e.m.E. cliefe (1597), F. clef.] A clef in music. Also fig. a1605 Montg. Ch. & Slae 91.
Ay the echo repercust The diapason sound, Set with the C sol fa ut cleife 1609 Craig iii. 16/13.
Tune thy notes vnto my mourning cleif 1657 Balfour Ann. II. 140.
They tempered ther stringes to such a cleiffe of ambition and superstitious foolriy
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"Cleif n.". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 14 Dec 2025 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/dost/cleife>
