A Dictionary of the Older Scottish Tongue (up to 1700)
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First published 1983 (DOST Vol. V).
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Plaid, Plyd(e, Plad(d, n. Also: plaide, playd(e, play'd, playid, -ed, plaed, plaiad; plead; pleyd(e; pled; plade; plawd. [Of uncertain derivation. In the mod. dial., Sc. and north. Eng.Appar. of Sc. origin and early associated by Sc. as well as Eng. writers with the Sc. Highlands. Despite this, ? a p.p. formation f. Ply v. to fold, sc. folded (blanket or cloth), appar. most clearly evidenced in the chiefly north-eastern and south-western (f) form. If this is so, the Gael. plaide is borrowed from, not into, Lowland Sc., which in view of the phonology and the want of early evidence for the Celtic word or any probable Celtic derivation for it seems in any case most likely.Also borrowed into e.m.E. and mod. Eng. as (Hylande) pladde (1563), (pyde) pleid (1606), (Scottish) plad (1634), (Scottish Highlander's) plaid (1662), etc.]
1. A length of cloth, ? in a certain ( ? twilled) weave, and in single or double width; a plaid.Also inflected as plur. in sing. sense.Used chiefly as a garment (by women throughout Scotland, worn like a shawl, and by men as a mantle or, appar. in the Highlands only, as the belted plaid serving as the principal article of dress) and as a bedcovering. Made in a variety of materials, in self colours, marls or patterns.With many qualifying words. For definitions and further examples see Bed-plaid n., Fing(e)ring n., Gray a., Hand n. 16, Heland a., Hewit a. 2, Irland n. 2, Kiltit ppl. a., Marlit a., Northland n. b (3), Scottis, sewit, tartan, etc.1597 Certayne Matters Concerning … Scotland in Argyll Rec. 407.
[(The Highlanders') predecessors vsed short mantles, or playds of diuers colours … but for the most part now, they are browne, most neere to the colour of the hadder to the effect, when they lye amongst the hadder, the bright colour of their playds shall not bewray them J. Taylor Pennilesse Pilgrimage in Works (1630) 135.
Their habite is … a plead about their shoulders, which is a mantle of diuers colours, much finer and lighter stuffe then their hose [sc. of tartan] Brereton Trav. (Chetham Soc.) 103.
[In Edinburgh] many [women] wear (especially of the meaner sort) plaids, which is a garment of the same woollen stuff whereof saddle cloths in England are made 1661 Ray Remains 186.
[The women] wear … a party coloured blanket which they call a plad over their heads and shoulders 1741 J. Man transl. Straloch's MS. (a 1661) in J. Gordon's Hist. I. xliii.]
Their uppermost garment is a loose cloke of several ells, striped and party colour'd [etc.][For further descriptions from English sources (1656–), see Argyll Rec. 482, 406, 477, and Hume Brown Early Travellers 269–70.](1) 1510 Rentale Dunkeld. 218.
[To dye 4 ells] lie plaidis [for my lord 2 s.] 1512 Treas. Acc. IV. 203.
In Air, for ane plaid to be the king ane coit 1538 Selkirk B. Ct. (ed.) 200.
Ane plaid of voll 1543 Elgin Rec. I. 75.
Quhilk pakcall contenit within it ane plaid of ten ellnis prece xx s. 1561 Inv. Q. Mary 20.
Ane covering of blak plaidis furrit with martick skynnis 1565 Prot. Bk. Gilbert Grote 69.
Playddis 1575 Crim. Trials I. ii. 53.
The men [in Ayrshire] wer cled in gentilmennis clething and the wemene had all plaiddis round about thame and wer verrie semelie lyke to se 1576 Aberd. B. Rec. II. 27.
That na burges … nor dekin … be fund werand ane plaid … [and if discovered] the plaid to be gewin to the hospitall a1578 Pitsc. I. 197/4. 1580 Aberd. B. Rec. in Anal. Scot. II. 327 n.
That na mennis wyffis weir ane plaid in kirk, merkatt or gett, except thai be harlottis and suspect personis 1587 Crawford Mun. Invent. II. 188.
Prouyding of my first rentis of Glenesk I have ane plaid and trewis reddie agane the fyftene day of Aprile 1587 Carmichael Etym. 45.
Gausapa, a plaid or mantil 1593 Brechin Test. I. 115.
Played 1596 Dalr. I. 94/8. 1596 Elgin Rec. II. 43.
Playid 1612 Orkney & Shetl. Ct. Bk. (ed.) 19. 1616 Irvine Mun. II. 49.
The habeit and heid attyre of the wemen … is no way comlie decent in the weiring of clokis and plaiddis is all togidder scoffat at be straingeris c 1620 Sutherland Bk. II. 359.
Purge your countrey … from that vnciwill kynd of cloithes such as plaids, mantels, truses and blew bonnets 1622 Black Bk. Taymouth 362.
That na wobstar tak mar for the weyfing of ane guid heud plaid bot ane firlot meill … and … for weyffing of ane gray plaid of half hewis [etc.] 1624 Moray Synod 7.
The bretheren haunts to the presbyterie with vncomely habits such as bonetts and plaides 1633 Linlithgow B. Rec. 7 June.
Considering how wndecent it is to weir plaidis and blew bonnettis 1633 Cochran-Patrick Coinage II. 100.
Ordour … taken for presenting the same [plaiding] to the mercats layit in foldis or plaides 1639 Baillie I. 212.
The English … did gaze much with admiration upon these souple fellows with their playds, targes, and dorlachs 1639 Moray Synod 44.
In a grey playd and trewes 1640 Spalding II. 491. 1649 Strathendrick 6.
Plaedis 1653 Soc. Ant. XXIII. 303.
Ane Scotishe play'd 1661 Acts VII. 253/1.
Plaids called weareing plaids ilk hundred ells 1666-74 Fraser Polichron. 483.
My lady gifted him a plaid all of silk party colloured, her own work Ib. 354.
A ragged old dark reedish plaid 1685 Paton Mackintosh Mun. 137.
[£16 Scots as the price of] foure whyt plaids a1688 Wallace Orkney 38.
The husband men … make no use of plaids as in other places 1691 Case of the Afflicted Clergy in Scotland 60.
These Amazons … throwing away their plaids [etc.] 1694 Inverness Kirk S. 61.
Compeared Jonet Tulloch who acknowledged her being with one Duncan McKenzie … upon Sabbath day wes eight days under his plaide(b) 1538 Treas. Acc. VI. 443.
For xxv elnis bertane canwes to be pladis to the quenis hors ? a 1571 Stuart Vestiarum Scoticum 70.
Owr vmquhile lorde … King James … had euer besyd thai of hys awin coulouris twa or thre pladis of diuers kyndes in hys guarderobe quhilk he vsit yn his iornayes quhen that he wald not be knawen openlye(c) c1500 Crying of Play 40.
My foregrantschir hecht Fyn McKowle … Five thousand ellis ȝeid in his frog Of hieland pladdis of haire 1561 Inverness Rec. I. 68.
Plad 1566 Ib. 138.
To pay to Johne Bernis … the sowme of viii gude and suffoicient pladdis, fyve dowbill elne in ilke plad, or the heast pricis that pleddis giffis in onye pairtis 1607 Glasgow Weavers 52.
Nane of thair brether of craft that workis coveringis or pladdis sall furneis ony kynd of yarne to ony of the persones that gavis thame coveringis or plaiddis to work 1633 Lithgow Poet. Remains 107.
Should woemen weare Their winding-sheets alyue? wrapt vp I sweare From head to foote in plads(d) 1515 Selkirk B. Ct. (ed.) 34.
To content and paye to Wat Scot his plawd(e) 1566 Inverness Rec. I. 139.
Ane tartan blak and quheit … and ane quheit pled Ib. 142.
Pleddis 1579 Ib. 266.
Pled 1617 Wedderburn Compt Bk. 106.
[They] delyverit me a sewit pled for 8 lib. 1648 Aberd. Council Lett. III. 106.
Some small parcells of pleds that are … coming to Rotterdam(f) 1558 Aberd. B. Rec. I. 309.
Ane plyd 1587–8 Prot. Bk. J. Inglis 4 Feb.
With ane plyd of tartan 1611 Glasgow B. Rec. I. 325.
For steling of plydis and vthir small pykrie 1641 Brown Paisley I. 270. 1642 Dundonald Par. Rec. 506.
That no woman be suffered to sit in the church … with plyds wpon thair heids, because it is a cleuck to thair sleiping 1654–5 Thanes of Cawdor 312. 1673 Argyll Justic. Rec. I. 30.
Ane sprenged white plyde 1687 Hector Renfrewshire Rec. I. 45.
Ane new scarlet plyd with hod 1700 Argyll Justic. Rec. 187.
Four elns of a plyde ane gray syde coat and a night cap plundered … be them out of John Andersons house(g) 1589 St. Andrews B. Ct. 29 Aug.
To prewe the samin to be his awin pleydis 1590 Crail B. Ct. MS. 17 July.
Ane pair off hardin scheitis xiii s. iiii d., ane pair off bed pleydis xiiii s. iiii d. 1629 Stirling B. Rec. I. 163.
Tua single pleydes 1644 Edinb. Test. LXI. 38.
Ane pair of pleyds & ane wescott(h) 1650 Strathbogie Presb. 129.
They … left nothing transportable, not so much as one plead among fyftein houshold 1691 Argyll Justic. Rec. I. 137.
Ane plead, half plead, three pieces of cloath 1699 Ib. 172.(2) 1637 Dundonald Par. Rec. 418.
For … casting doune his goodmother … and taking hir plyds from hir a1689 Cleland (1697) 34.
Then up with plaids and scartsherthighs: These swarms of vermine and sheep kaids Delights to lodge beneath the plaids
2. Cloth woven as plaid; also plur. as coll. = Plaiding n.(1) 1542 Treas. Acc. VIII. 76.
Four elnis quhite plaid to bouster the velvet witht 1620 Edinb. Test. L. 352.
Certane remanis of … lylis cambletis chainging buretis plaiad(2) 1584 Aberd. B. Rec. II. 55.
The eln of hewit plaidis of all soirtis xvi d. 1697 Old-lore Misc. VIII. i. 9.
For workeing of a 112 ells of plaides and grayes att 1 s. per ell
3. Attrib. and comb.(1) a1585, a1568 Montg. P. v. 18.
The helandman … turned him abowt And at his plaid nuk the guly fell owt 1662 Crim. Trials III. 615.
Johnne Taylor brought hom the clay in his plaid newk(2) 1587 Edinb. Test. XVIII. 81 b.
Inglis claytht of plaid cullour(3) 1621 Glasgow Weavers 25.
To teache … James Calder in thir four poyntis of his weifer craft viz. the wound loome, sea bombacie loome, the playd loome and playding(4) 1626 Orkney & Shetl. Test. I. 160 b.
Tua pund wecht of plaid ȝairne 1646 Aberd. Council Lett. III. 40.
Lynning, hardin worset & plaid yarne(5) 1634 Orkney Bp. Ct. 93.
Four pund of plaid worsett
