A Dictionary of the Older Scottish Tongue (up to 1700)
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First published 1963 (DOST Vol. III).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
Quotation dates: 1375, 1511-1551, 1617-1654
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How, n.4 Also: holl. [ME. howe, howwe (c 1430), e.m.E. houe, F. houe.] A hoe. 1375 Barb. xvii. 344.
Pykis, howis, and … staff slyngis 1511–2 Rentale Dunkeld. fol. 151.
In reformacionem lie how Johannis Broun ortolarii 1535 Master of Works Accounts IV. 87.
For … hollis, matokis, grapis, … to the Franche gardyn 1546–51 Treasurer's Accounts IX. 105.
Boucht … to be mattokes and howes nyne stane Spanȝe irne 1617–8 Master of Works Accounts XIV. 3.
For making of a gaiflock, howes, mattocks, and wadges 1625 Edinburgh Testaments LIII. 114.
Ane how & ane staine hammer 1639 Johnston Diary 50.
We have receaved no spades nor howes 1654 Edinburgh Testaments LXVII. 213.
Ane iron gavlock & ane how
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"How n.4". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 13 Dec 2025 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/dost/how_n_4>
