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: 1456, 1568-1596, 1671-1691
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Purpie, -y, Pwrpie, n. [Only Sc. Appar. OF porpié (13th c. in Godef.), later pourpie, pourpied, altered f. polpié, poulpied, med. L. pullipedem, acc. of pulli pes or pes pulli (sc. colt's foot), ‘in medieval lists of plant-names a regular synonym of portulaca’, i.e. purslane. Our quotations, or at least the earlier of them, appear to favour the identification with purslane rather than SND's identification with the later water-purpie brooklime and SND's derivation f. Purpie adj. (following Jam.'s suggestion for water-purpie) from the purple colour of the flower of brooklime (SND, s.v. Purpie n.2); furthermore, this word is found very much earlier than Purpie adj. Also attrib.] —1456 Hay II 129/7.
Drynk temperit drynkis with calde herbis with vynager as is letus purpy, penothis and syk like 1568 Skeyne Descr. Pest 25.
Of herbis the latuce, cichorie, purpie, sourak [etc.] 1596 Analecta Scotica II 13.
Gif he hes the seid of al sort of mawes, purpie and sorrelis or sourochis 1681 Thanes of Cawdor 352.
Garden seids. … Purpie half ane unce, 4 s. … Sybows or onions tuo unce, 6 s. 1684 Insh Colonial Schemes 235.
The meadows naturally produce plenty of strawberries, purpy, and many more tender plants 1689 Foulis Acc. Bk. 112.
For ½ unce of purpie, 0:2:0 1691 Ib. 133.
For 2 unce red spotted beans, for 4 drap french purpie, 0:4:0; for 4 drap Inglish purpie, 0:4:0 —attrib. 1671 Sc. Hist. Rev. LXI 147.
Thrie chickens and a pwrpie sellet is 0.3.6