A Dictionary of the Older Scottish Tongue (up to 1700)
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First published 2000 (DOST Vol. VIII).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
Quotation dates: 1597-1633
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Scammony, -ie, Scamonia, n. [ME and e.m.E. scamoiene (c1205), scamoine (c1275), skamonye (1436), scamely (c1475), L. scammōnia, scammōnium, f. the Gk.] Scammony, a gum-resin, ‘used in medicine as a strong purgative’ (OED). — 1597 Bk. Rates 10.
Scammonie 1598 Edinburgh Testaments XXXI 350b.
Half ane pund of scamonia at xvj s. the vnce wecht 1633 Analecta Scotica II 122.
Drogues of dangerous quality as antimony, scammony, arsenic
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"Scammony n.". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 17 Dec 2025 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/dost/scammony>
