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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.

Mella(y, n. and a. Also: melay, mealȝie, meally, myllay, malay. [ME. and e.m.E. melle (1346), melly (1420), e.m.E. also mella (1587), f. as Mellé n.]

1. n. A cloth of a mixture of colours or shades or of more than one shade. Also plur.(a) 1533 Treas. Acc. VI. 181.
Tua elnis mellaye … to be James Stewart ane coit 1537 Acta Conc. & Sess. MS. IX. 156 b. 1571 Treas. Acc. MS. 137.
For xij elnis of mellay to be gownis to sex bairnis 1593 Brechin Test. I. 108.
Tua kirtillis ane of mellay and ane vther of russett(b) 1533–4 Treas. Acc. VI. 184.
To be the King ane slop … ij elnis Franche mella, price thairof … xx s. 1560 Admir. Ct. Bk. 114 b.
Ane pece of blew stemmyng alias mella 1575 Dumfries B. Ct. MS. 20 Jan.
Ane clok of blew mella coft be [etc.]plur. 1535 Aberd. B. Rec. MS. XV (Jam.).
Fyve ellis … of rowand tanne, iiij ellis … of mellais that is rycht gud 1540 Acta Conc. Publ. Aff. 489.
Russattis. mellais and quhite carsais [value 400 merks](c) 1631 Edinb. Test. LV. 136 b.
Twelf elles of camlit mealȝie, pryce thairof xij lib.

2. adj. Of cloth or garments: Of mixed weave or colour, variegated.(a) 1551 Aberd. B. Rec. MS. XXI (Jam.).
The price litting of the stane of mellay hew xxxij s. 1564–5 Old Dundee II. 245.
Ane pair of mellay slewis 1567 Edinb. Test. 34.
Sevin quarteris of mellay woll 1574–5 Dunferm. B. Rec. II. 8.
Ane melay goun 1625 Edinb. Test. LIII. 136 b.
Mellay claith(b) 1586 Edinb. Test. XV. 55 b.
Ane myllay gowne(c) 1589 St. A. Test. II. 112 b.
Ane blak kirtill … ane malay kirtill(d) 1551 Aberd. B. Rec. MS. V. 24.
Ane mella kirtill 1558 Prot. Bk. G. Grote 34.
Mella claytht 1577 Dumfries B. Ct. 14 June.
In primis of blewe mella claytht 1591 Edinb. Test. XXIII. 313. 1592 Ib. XXIV. 24.
Hir best mellaclok 1595 Ib. XXIX. 82.(e) 1706 Reid Autobiog. 55.
Putting on a meally coat ofmy uncle's