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: 1492-1507, 1574-1700+
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S(c)issouris, n. pl. Also: sissoures, syssouris, s(c)issers, sizzers, -ars, sisers; sessoris, sesouris, seseres, sezers; shizer(e)s. Sing. seister, sesser. [ME and e.m.E. sisoures (Chaucer), sesours (c1450), cysors (1483), -ars (1487), scissoures (1568) n. pl., also rarely sing., OF cisoires, late L. cīsōr-, f. -cis-, p.p. stem of cædere found chiefly in compounds.]
1. (A pair of) scissors; shears.(1) 1492–3 Acts Lords of Council I 282/2.
A cais with thre barbouris knyffis twa pare of barbouris syssouris a kame a mvrrour price x s. 1501 Treasurer's Accounts II 22.
For ij pair of scissouris deliverit to the browdstare ij s. 1506–7 Ib. III 363.
Ane pair scissouris 1654 Edinburgh Testaments LXVIII 39.
Ten pair of shizeres estimat all to ane pund ten s. 1672 Sinclair Hydrostaticks 239.
He found oftentimes his warp and threeds cut, as with a pair of sizzers 1698 McNaught Kilmaurs 163.
That he did steal a new peiry-wig from him clipping it about with sizzars that it might not be known 1699 Misc. 3 Spald. C. II 102.
Shizers(b) 1576 Edinburgh Testaments IV 155.
Ane dosane pair of sessoris price viij s. 1627 Ib. LIV 133b.
Sesouris(2) 1574 Edinburgh Testaments III 143b.
Thrie dosane Scottis sissouris price of the dosane xx d. 1597 Ib. XXX 291.
Thrie sissoures at ix s. the pece 1612 Bk. Rates (Halyb.) 326.
Scissers the groce … viij li. 1621 Edinburgh Testaments LI 63b.
Tua dosone of barbour syssouris at iij li. the dosone … tua dosone of littill syssouris at xx s. the dosone 1673 Leith Customs 51.
2 groce of sissers 16 s. 1711 Household Bk. Gr. Baillie 232.
For poling sisers(b) 1583 Edinburgh Testaments XII 286.
xij dosane of Frensche sesouris 1653 Ib. LXVII 10.
Ane dozane of commone sessoris 1662 Haigs of Bemersyde 472.
For seseres 8 d. 1710 Household Bk. Gr. Baillie 229.
For horse sezers
2. attrib. 1586 Edinburgh Testaments MS XVI 126b.
xxxiij hankis of seister vyre price xvij s. 1627 Ib. LIV 133b.
Certane sesser wyre and vther wyre estimat all to xvij li.
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"Sissouris n. pl.". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 14 Dec 2025 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/dost/scissouris>
