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: 1649-1650
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(Schemfur,) Shemfur, Shinfur. Prob. a reference to the custom of divination by sieve and shears, cf. Schere n.1 3. The forms quoted are difficult to account for. — 1649 Brechin Presb. 17.
John Donaldson … charmer … compeired, confessing charming in casting the shemfur 1650 Ib. 43.
Confessing there fault in casting the shinfur
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"Schemfur n.". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 13 Dec 2025 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/dost/schemfur>
