A Dictionary of the Older Scottish Tongue (up to 1700)
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First published 1986 (DOST Vol. VI).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
Quotation dates: 1606-1685
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Polis, Poillis, -es, adj. Also: Pollis, Pol(l)s. [f. Pole n.3 Cf. Polish, Poland, Pollonian.] Of Poland, Polish.(1) 1606 Edinburgh Testaments XLII 209 b.
Ane stane of woll … of poillis or orknay woll 1623 Ib. LII 66.
xx staine of poillis woll at xiiij l. the staine 1628 Ib. LIV 266.
Fyftie staine of blake pollis woll at viij li. the staine 1664 Ib. LXXI 253 b.
Polls wooll — 1618 Edinburgh Testaments L 98.
Estimat to xiij guidlingis polis money 1619 Aberd. Council Lett. I 166.
One hundreth florenes polis money 1619 Ib. 168. — 1661 Edinburgh Testaments LXX 58 b.
Twa poillis beds and thrie codes worth xij lib. — 1685 Proceedings of Society of Antiquaries LVIII 356.
A Pols carabatch [? = cuirass](2) 1633 Maxwell Mem. II 233.
The Poilles ambassador(3) 1669–70 Aberd. Shore Wk. Acc. 597.
(?) Alexr Lumsden Master Alexr Burnet polls and Robert Skein merchants(4) proverbial c1650 P. Gordon Brit. Dist. 199.
And seeing both horse and foot readie to receawe them, altho he might be ashamed to pley the polls courser in coming so farre for nothing, yit he thought it not fit to temp them too farre; and so the third day reteired [etc.]
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"Polis adj.". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 15 Dec 2025 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/dost/polis_adj>
