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: 1399-1699
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Sen(n)o(u)n, Seinȝe, Sinnow, n. Also: sennoune, sen(n)own, senone, sennen, (senanown), synno(u)n, cynown, senȝe, senye, seyne, sine, syn(n)ow, senow, senew, sinew, shenew, sunwnie. [ME and e.m.E. seonewe (a1200), senuwe (Layamon), sin(n)u, sinou, sine (all Cursor M.), syne (c1300), senew (Wyclif), sinew (Trevisa), senow (c1400), syney (c1430), OE seon(o)we, sionwe, oblique forms of sionu, sinu.] Sinew.
1. A sinew or tendon. Also proverb., comb. and fig.(a) a1400 Legends of the Saints vii 631.
His senownys [MS senanownys] that drawyn ware To-gyddyre, lousyt rycht thare a1400 Legends of the Saints xxxvii 158.
In a frame stent hyme … Til senonis [MS senone] ore hyd ma leste ?1438 Alex. ii 4657.
On him was nouther sennoun nor vane That thay na mouit war ilkane a1450 Fifteen Ois 64.
Sennonis c1475 Acts of Schir William Wallace v 297.
His houch sennownnis he cuttyt all atanys c1475 Acts of Schir William Wallace i 322 (see Hoch n. c). 1490 Irland Mir. II 40/16.
Sene his body his flesch his wenys his sennons [pr. senuous] and his blud pertenis to his humanite 1494 Loutfut MS 129a.
And quhen we se in a man that he is … compact in senonys & brawnys … we suld juge him batellous & al to fecht c1515 Asloan MS I 314/12.
Jowis … laking the sennonis that suld force the body, that figuris thai lak the faith of Crist 1513 Doug. x xii 29 (see Hoch n. c). 1533 Boece 291b.
Senouns 1533 Boece 408b.
Sennouns c1552 Lynd. Mon. 4923.
Quhen that cald humour dounwart dois proceid In senownis it causis arthetica a1568 Bannatyne MS 34a/47.
Thy vanis bursin, thy sennonis schorn than 1598 Criminal Trials II 46. 16.. Adv. MS 22.2.11 4th last p.
A receat for strenthen of sennens or a pain in the knee or laige(b) a1538 Abell 78b.
Be the contra glutenie makis ane man wnhabill to defend his self for stifnes of synnonis and wanis 1596 Dalr. I 287/10.
Synnounis(c) a1500 Henr. Fab. 2568 (H).
Vpoun my hoichis the seinȝeis [Ch. senȝeis, Bass. senyeis] may be sene c1475 Acts of Schir William Wallace ii 401.
Wallace … Throw brayne and seyne in sondyr straik the bayne 1544 Aberd. B. Rec. I 207.
Selling of tauch, sine, flesche, fische [etc.](d) 1554 Knox III 399.
The angell touchit the marie or principall synow of Jacobis thigh 1587 Carmichael Etym. 46.
Nervus, a sinew c1590 Fowler I 148/7.
But blaid to drawe my bloode from senews cheife c1590 J. Stewart 249 § 198.
His nerwes and synnows vas aschunder rent 1597 James VI Dæmonol. (STS) 49/17.
The next [sc. symptom] is … an ironie hardnes of his sinnowes … stiffelie bended out 1629 Reg. Privy C. 2 Ser. III 41.
[The] towes … disjoynted and mutilat both her armes and made the sinewes to loupe asunder 1632 Lithgow Trav. x 469.
My hands lucken and sticking fast to the palmes of both hands, by reason of the shrunke sinewes 1643 St. Cuthbert's Kirk S. in Dalyell Darker Superst. 27.
Blod to blod, Shenew to shenew(e) c1600 Medical Recipes fol. 89.
[Leo] hes in ane manis bodie the syd the bak sunwnies benis and girssillisproverb. a1628 Carmichael Prov. No. 1564.
There is a teuch senon in ane old wives heillcomb. 1581-1623 James VI Poems I 129/149.
Sardonien parcell sennoune drauerfig. 1571 Acts III 66/2.
The publict offices of this realme ar the principall nervis and synnowis quhilk joynis the haill body 1600 Hamilton Facile Tr. 185.
It is the cheif maister sennoun to knit al the membres 1611 Marischal Coll. Rec. I 121.
The saids colledgis and youth weill trainit wp therein ar the werie senowis of the republick 1635 Dundonald Par. Rec. 399.
Leist any sould abuse this our exceptioune to louise the sinews of the act above writtin
b. A tendon of an animal used as a cord, bow-string, etc.a1400 Legends of the Saints xxxviii 41.
The king … bad his tormentouris son bring Skurgis of senonis felly mad c1420 Wynt. iii 353.
Wytht sevyn corddys newe layde Off hert cynownys noucht all dry 1513 Doug. ix x 77.
Hys bow with hors sennonys bend hes he
2. transf. Bent-grass.1658 Aberd. B. Rec. IV 176.
To tack away or cut any bent or sinews callit sonaches of the saidis bentie hillocks or links
