A Dictionary of the Older Scottish Tongue (up to 1700)
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First published 2001 (DOST Vol. IX).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
Slouse, n. Also: slous(s, slouce, slowse, sluice. [e.m.E. sluse (1538), slowese (1541-2), sluyce (1596), ME and e.m.E. scluse (1340), OF escluse (13th c. in Larousse), low L. (Gaul) exclusa, f. L. exclūdere to shut out.] A sluice. Also attrib. with boord (Burd(e n.). Also fig. b. The flow of water from a sluice, only fig.1597 Cal. Sc. P. XIII 47.
[He will cause his brethren render the town and] slous [of Gravelines in her majesty's hands] 1645–6 J. Hope Diary (1958) 147.
The water was lett in from the damme above by a slouse 1646 J. Hope Diary (1958) 183.
Ther slousses or sases (as they [sc. the Dutch] call them) by the which the water is made navigable 1658 Edinb. B. Rec. IX 91.
To cause drayne the Burrowloche, cleir the ditches, and make a slowse at the rin 1658 Edinb. B. Rec. IX 112.
[To build the new upper dam at Water of Leith] from above the slowse at the said damehead [etc.] 1683 Edinb. B. Rec. XI 74.
Slous 1689 Haddington B. Rec. (Robb) 10 Sept.
To repair the stone work at the slaik dub slouss 1694 Glasgow B. Rec. IV 144.
To putt a slouce upon Counslie Bog 1697 Glasgow B. Rec. IV 232. 1711 Household Bk. Gr. Baillie 239.
For lime to the slouse of the milneattrib. 1687 Kirkcudbr. Sheriff Ct. Deeds II 268.
[William Thomsone gave sasine … by … ]clap and slouce boord [of the said mill]fig. 1660 Laing MSS 314.
But now in a manner the sluce is drawne up and that which was dammed in through griefe gets a great vent and runs in the old channell … so that when I fall upon this subject I cannot but forget myselfb. fig. c1690 Sel. Biog. II 175.
About this time there broke out a great sluice of profanity and persecution
