A Dictionary of the Older Scottish Tongue (up to 1700)
Hide Quotations Hide Etymology
About this entry:
First published 2000 (DOST Vol. VIII).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
Quotation dates: 1538, 1619-1677
[0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,1,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,0]
Scuvatt, Scovit, Skivett, Skewat, Scubitt, Scuiffet, n. [OF escouvette (1352 in Godefroy) a brush or mop used by smiths to sprinkle their fire with water. Also in the later dial. as skivet, scuffet, skiffard ‘a smith's fire-shovel’ (Jam.). Cf. e.m.E. scopette (1485), skuppat (1573), later Kent dial. scubbit a wooden shovel (EDD), all appar. f. as Scope n.1] Some sort of spade or shovel. —1538 Acta Conc. Publ. Aff. 473.
viii pair fire tayngis, iiii pair of plat tayngis, twa pair melting tayngis … viii scuvattis of irne, ane stane wecht 1619 Edinburgh Testaments L 213b.
Ane skewat price ij s. 1635 Cochran-Patrick Coinage II 47.
Three skivets 1641 Dunferm. Hammermen 21.
Assay [demanded by the craft of their coppersmiths] Ane stoving pan and ane scovit 1649 Cochran-Patrick Coinage I liii.
Neiling hous … 2 compleit furnessis with thair yron work 3 scuiffettis 2 yron mairis on crank yron [etc.] 1677 Edinb. City Archives McLeod's Bundle No. 39.
To forge all mears scubitts and other tooles neidfull for the neilling house


