Dictionaries of the Scots Language
Dictionars o the Scots Leid

A Dictionary of the Older Scottish Tongue (up to 1700)

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Sapour, n. Also: -oure, -owr, -or. [e.m.E. sapor (1477), sapour (1638), L. sapor.]

1. Flavour, taste, savour. Also fig. a1500 Henr. Orph. 23.
Lyke as a strand of water or a spring Haldis the sapour [Asl. MS II 155/23 -oure] of his fontall well 1490 Irland Mir. III 22/28.
Eftir the wourdis ar fourmyt thar is na wyn bot the sapour and colour of it 1531 Bell. Boece I xxxvii.
Quhen it [sc. a herb] is transportit or plantit in ony othir part, it is of litill sapor or gust 1531 Ib. xlii.
Blak cokis and hennis, nocht unlike to ane fasiane, baith in quantite and sapoure of thair flesche 1533 Boece 477.
Thai … war content of sic sapoure and gust as nature propirlie to the metis had gevin c1552 Lynd. Mon. 6158.
Thay sall feill sic ane smell … And in thare mouth ane taist … Off sweit and supernaturall sapowris 1587-99 Hume 19/75.
The sapor and the taist … the mouth will try in haistfig. a1550 Ave Gloriosa 36.
Thow flagrant flour Off sueit sapoure, Haill, deir dochter of Ann c1568 Lauder Minor P. i 110.
Tha ar cum drye with lust and carnall heit, Because tha want the sapour of the spreit Of Christ Jesus

2. Sap of a tree; also, juice, more generally.(1) 1560 Rolland Seven Sages 1488.
The auld [tree] … That pith inlaikis, sap, sapour and substance c1568 Lauder Minor P. i 107.
The widderit branche [has no] … Jusse or sapour of the tre, Quhen it is cuttit(2) 1513 Doug. v Prol. 54.
My propyne com from the pres fute hait … In fresch sapour new from the berry run 1513 Ib. xi xv 118 (E).
[The rudy cullour vmquhile] as sapour [C. purpour] schene [ … fadys quyte owt of hir face]