A Dictionary of the Older Scottish Tongue (up to 1700)
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First published 2001 (DOST Vol. X).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
Quotation dates: 1560-1678
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(Succar-lafe,) Succar-laif, n. Also: succo(u)r-, suker-, sucker-, soker-, suggar-, -er, -or, sugir-, sewger- and -laiff, -laife, -lave, -lawe, -leafe, -loafe. [Late ME and e.m.E. sugyrlaffe (north., 1422), sugor loff (1452), suger lofe (1555), sugar loafe (1604).]
Loaf sugar.Cf. laiffis suckar (laifis of suker, leffis of sucker) and laif succar, Lafe n.1 2 (2)(b) and (3); also lofe (of) sugar etc., Lofe n. b.(1) 1560 Admir. Ct. Bk. (St. S.) 183 (see Lafe n.1 2 (2)(a)).
Sucker lavis 1572 Edinburgh Testaments II 244b. 1574 Edinburgh Testaments III 137b.
Thrie sucker laiffis ilkane weyand sex pund wecht price of the pund viij s. 1581 Edinburgh Testaments IX 184.
Succor lavis 1589–1600 Skipper's Acc. (Morton) 58a.
Ane suker laife weis iii lib. ane half 1589–1600 Skipper's Acc. (Morton) 63b.
For ane soker laif to geue the foud af iii pound weycht 1590 Black Bk. Taymouth 301.
Ane succour leafe 1591 Edinburgh Testaments XXIII 267a.
lxxx pund wecht of vnrefynnit succour laiffis 1595 Edinburgh Testaments XXVIII 281a.
Thrie sugger lawis price of the pece vj li. 1639 Kirkcudbr. B. Rec. II 599.
Ane suggor laiff 1642 Old Ross-shire I 142 (see Lofe n. b).
Sewger loves 1668 Boyd Fam. P. No. 289.
Sugir lof 1678 Stitchill Baron Ct. 83.
To make payment and deliverance to John Stewart … the number and quantity of three suggar loaves(2) 1675 Stirling Common Good 92b.
10 lib … suggar loafe at 12 s. the pundis
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"Succar-lafe n.". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 19 Dec 2025 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/dost/succar_lafe>
