A Dictionary of the Older Scottish Tongue (up to 1700)
Hide Quotations Hide Etymology
About this entry:
First published 1986 (DOST Vol. VI).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
Quotation dates: 1450-1501
[0,0,0,0,0,0,0,1,1,1,1,1,1,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0]
Psaltery, n. Also: psalt(t)- and -rie, -ry, -ree; souter. [ME and e.m.E. psautery (Rolle), -ry (a1529), psaltery (1607), also sautre (a1300), -ie, -iȝe, sawtrey, ‘A learned form from L. for the name of the instrument, after sautier had become confined to the Psalter’ (OED); OF saltere, sautere, sauterie, psalterie (12th c. in Godef.), L. psaltērium, f. the Gk.] A psaltery, the ancient and mediæval stringed instrument.See also Plastro(u)n. c1450-2 Howlat 757 (A).
The psaltery, the sytholis, the soft sytharist a1500 Sir Eger 265 (P).
Shee laid a souter [H. plastroun] vpon her knee, Theron shee plaid full loue somlye 1501 Doug. Pal. Hon. 505.
Sytholl, psalttrie [L. psalttry], and voices sweit as bell 1501 Ib. 804.
Sum had ane harp, and sum a fair psaltrie [L. psaltree]
You may wish to vary the format shown below depending on the citation style used.
"Psaltery n.". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 14 Dec 2025 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/dost/psaltery>
