A Dictionary of the Older Scottish Tongue (up to 1700)
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First published 1971 (DOST Vol. IV).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
Mad(d)er, Malder, Maider, Mather, n. Also: mad(d)ir, -yr, -ur; maldir, maulder; maydr; maither, mether, meather. [ME. mader, -re, madder, e.m.E. mather, OE. mædere, mæddre (ON. maðra).]
The root of the plant, madder, as a commodity; the dyestuff prepared from this.(a) 14.. Acts I. 304/2.
Of a soume of madyr or wauld on a hors 1 d. 1474 Acta Aud. 31/1.
j poke of mader 1499 Halyb. 179.
A bayll madir weand 850 li. 1505 Exch. R. XII. 372.
Madur 1520 Edinb. B. Rec. I. 197. 1523 Selkirk B. Ct. MS. fol. 100 b.
Ane hundretht mader 1546 Edinb. B. Rec. II. 126. 1556 Perth Guildry 301 (14 May); 1568 Inverness Rec. I. 160, 1570.
Ony stapill gudis madir alme saip or vtheris Ib. 190. 1564 Edinb. B. Rec. III. 187.
That … nane … sall lit ony maner of cullouris … with brissell [etc.] … bot … with mader, alme, glew, and sic trew colouris as … is vsit amangis men of honestie 16.. Adv. MS. 22.2.11.
Ane unce of reed mader 1625 Conv. Burghs III. 198. 1626 Glasg. Chart. II. 581. 1668 Boyd Fam. P. No. 289.
Madur(b) 1521–2 Old Dundee II. 240.
The ballandis for the maddir 1543 Aberd. B. Rec. I. 187.
vj doussoun of madder 1545 Aberd. B. Rec. MS. XIX. (Jam.).
Madder, alm, walde [etc.](c) 1549 Perth Guildry 265 (7 Feb.).
Absoluit of the clam of tua hundreth maldir 1567 Edinb. Test. I. 1.
Ane polk of malder 1583 Wedderb. Compt. Bk. 210.
Ane ballof maldir, tua haren treis, … tua ballis of malder 1635 Brechin Test. V. 172.
Aucht stanis malder at ix s. the pund 1640 Ib. 289 b.
Tua hundretht pound wecht of maulder at xxx lib. the hundretht(d) 1588 Wedderb. Compt Bk. 220.
Twa pokis of hemp, ane ball of maydr 1628 Edinb. Test. LIV. 266.
Nyne polkis of maider 1680 Blackness Customs 5 b.
Ane ball maider weycht nyne hundretht & fyftie pund(e) 1644 Edinb. Test. LXI. 38.
Mather 1685 Inverness Customs 7.
Ane half ball mather 1694 Dunbar Social Life I. 148.(f) 1616 Edinb. Test. XLIX. 162.
Ane poik vnsufficient maither pryce tua hunderetht scoir tua pundis vij s. & ix d. 1621 Ib. LI. 111. 1645 Ib. LXI. 118.(g) 1664 Reg. Privy C. 3 Ser. I. 639.
Meather 1667 Edinb. B. Rec. X. 26.
For eatch ball of mether weighting ane thousand pund weight ten shilling
b. Attrib. or comb. with lit, polk, yard.1618 Trial Isobel Inch 6.
The sey … becum reid like reid madder litt 1627 Edinb. Test. LIV. 42 b.
ijc [pound] wecht of mather litt at xx li. the hundretht 1649 Ib. LXIV. 170. —1576 Ib. IV. 291.
Ane boddome of ane mader polk —1505 14th Rep. Hist. MSS. App. iii. 20.
Ane estald the maddyr yard
