A Dictionary of the Older Scottish Tongue (up to 1700)
Hide Quotations Hide Etymology
About this entry:
First published 1937 (DOST Vol. I).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
Corn, Corne, n. Also: korne, cornne, coirn. [ME. corne, korn(e, corn, OE. corn.]
1. Corn, grain. Also fig. 1375 Barb. x. 187.
This ves in-till the harvist tyde, Quhen feldis … Chargit with corne assouerit var 1402 Reg. Panmure II. 184.
Quhil the corne be sawyn agayne c1420 Wynt. ii. 354.
He gert that sevyn yhere gadryt be Alkyne korne in swylk plente Ib. vii. 3610.
Be that vertu all hys land Off corn he gert be abowndand 1456 Hay I. 262/30.
Grangis, bernis, or stakkis of corne 1466 Acta Aud. 4/1.
The cornne, cattale and gudis that thai tuke out of his landis a1500 Bk. Chess 1356.
This teileman has a huke to cut his corne c1500-c1512 Dunb. xxxix. 23.
Husbandis that … had … Cattell and corne … Hes now no beist but cattis and myce 1526 Carnwath Baron Ct. 26.
The takin away vrangusly of iij stowkkis of corn & agane the law c1530-40 Stewart Bann. MS. 88 b/86.
Schaip sum remeid for Godis deite, And lat no moir the weid ourga the corne a1568 Scott i. 150.
Thy pursevandis ar socht To pund pure communis corne 1587-99 Hume iii. 224.
The beastes beliue Are turned fra the cornefig. a1400 Leg. S. xxi. 634.
Fore to gowerne haly kyrk, & in to Godis corne to wyrk 1560 Rolland Seven S. 1383.
Quhair thay best culd try out the cryme, And clenge the caffe out fra the corne
2. pl. Kinds or crops of grain.In common use between 1400 and 1700.(a) 1375 Barb. x. 189.
Syndri cornys … Wox rype to wyn to mannys fude c1400 Troy-bk. i. 271.
Cornys, treys, herbys and froyttis c1420 Wynt. iii. 234.
All thare cornys hale he stroyid 1450 Reg. Episc. Brechin I. 147.
The said cornis sawin in sindry placis in halchis 1477 Edinb. Chart. 141.
The mele merket of all grane and cornes 1483 Acta Conc. II. Introd. 109.
The … withhalding … of the oxin, ky and cornis of the samyn priory 1503 Aberd. Sheriff Ct. I. 48.
Thai culd not acquit the said personis of the spoliacioun of the said cornis 1541 Elgin Rec. I. 62.
The etting of thair cornis … fra beirseid tyme till haruist 1555 Edinb. B. Rec. II. 225.
The haill maltmen, baxteris, and vtheris induellaris … ar thirlit to grynd their cornis at the commone mylnis 1577 Prot. Bk. J. Scott. 37 b.
Efter the corneis … be schorin and seperatit fra the ground 1594 Misc. Spald. C. II. 124.
Ye said that nycht ye vald pas and vise the cornes of Salterhill 1596 Dalr. I. 31/21.
Argyle … to beir kornes … is verie vnmeit 1624 Misc. Abbotsf. C. 144.
Ȝe keipit not the hie gait, but went in throught the cornes 1645 Glasgow B. Rec. II. 89.
They appoynt … James Fergisoune to cognosche vpon the loisses of this toune by cornes cuttine and plunderit 1663 Stitchill Baron Ct. 25.
For hydeing and conceiling of his cornes in the yaird unteynded 1689 Aberd. B. Rec. IV. 311.
The corns and other grouth … eaten and destroyed by … Major Mackay his forses 1715 Coll. Aberd. & B. 36.
The corns here are also good(b) 1565 Rec. Earld. Orkney 371.
The said Wm. hes gevin doun off the rentaill this yeir because the coirnis is euil 1572 Mun. Irvine I. 65.
Provyding the samyn be nocht to the distructioun of the coirnes that salhappin to be growane upoun the saidis landis 1616 Crim. Trials III. 587.
The Scottismen, as loch-leitches, and wormes in coirnes, drinkis out the sap of ȝour cuntrie, and soukis out ȝour merche
3. A single grain; a particle. (Cf. Curn n.) 1490 Acta Conc. 156/1.
Sawing estymeit to the thrid corne Ib.
Sawing estimeit to the ferde corne 1609 Skene Reg. Maj. 153 b.
They grind it over small … , quhere it sould be broken in twa or thrie cornes [L. particulas] in the mylne 1638 Dumfries Test. I. 17.
The sawing of ane boll brashloche estimat to the third corne, extending to thrie bollis brashloche 1683 Coll. Aberd. & B. 104.
Some of it, when rightly manured, will render the seventh or eighth corn
4. Attrib. and comb. with ark (chest), barrel, couper, drink, etar, eting, fauld, feild, firlote, girnell, grange, huke, kist, leiding, measour, mendis (amends), mercat, pek, pipe, pock, rig, scat, sek, skep, sled, stak, teind, waine. 1623 M. Works Acc. XVIII. 2.
My Lord Erskynes meill girnell and corne ark — 1592 Edinb. B. Rec. V. 57.
To caus the aipill, ungyeoun and corne barrellis to be merket with the sam merk — 1596 Edinb. Test. XXIX. 156 b.
Thomas Hucheoun, corne coupper, in Alyth — a1605 Montg. Son. lxviii. 11.
My bee's aloft, … It getts corne drink, sen Grissall toke the bed — 14.. Acts I. 342/1.
[Actions against] all corne etaris in Nythtdale with ther catall, vnwitting of thaim that aw the corne — 1497 Treas. Acc. I. 356.
Quhar the King baytit, to the folk that plenȝeit of the corne eting — 1508 Antiq. Aberd. & B. III. 127.
The litle haugh … on the suthest syd of the corn fauld 1595 Bamff Chart. 141.
Passand … linalie to the waster dyk of the eistmest corne fald … of Ardormy — 1622-6 Bisset II. 433/7.
The bounds of the cituatioun is presentli cornefeild land c1650 Spalding II. 378.
The heritouris of cornefeild landis lyand about — 1686 Brechin Test. VII. 162 b.
Ane corne firlote with ane row — a1586 Maitland Ho. Seytoun 76.
The rebells … taking from his servantts all the keys of his corne and salt girnells — 1660 Lamont Diary 156.
A new stare to the corne-girnell 1685 Soc. Ant. LVIII. 363.
A corne girnell with a division in it — 1513 Doug. ii. viii. 106.
The corn grangis, and standand stakkis of hay — a1500 Bk. Chess 1320.
At his belt [he has] a corne huke and a knyf 1616 Edinb. Test. XLIX. 99 b.
Twa corne huikis, price of baith fyve schillingis — 1634 Ib. LVI. 329.
The corne kist, price fowr pundis 1680 Foulis Acc. Bk. 39.
I have this day put in the corne kist 2 bolls oats and a boll peas — 1581 Reg. Great S. 146/2.
Teilling, harrowing, … corne leiding — 1627 Dumfries Test. I a. 141.
The growthe … estimat to ten bollis corne meassour — 1603 Shetland Sheriff Ct. 87 b.
For disabedience of the foldis dwme in nocht payment of thair corne mendis to William Bruce 1604 Ib. 135. — 1552 Edinb. B. Rec. II. 172.
Quhair as ye schrink till mak ane corne mercate … with your commoun gude — 1627 Edinb. Test. LIV. 55 b.
Ane corne peke — 1549 Compl. 42/24.
I beheld mony hudit hirdis blauuand ther buc hornis and ther corne pipis Ib. 65/22.
The feyrd [playit] on ane corne pipe — 1675 Stirling Comm. Good 92.
For tua meall pocks and twa corne pockis — 1636 Misc. Spald. C. V. 225.
Gif … any of them hapins to win or holl ony firr within thair corne rigs a1651 Calderwood VI. 49.
[He] was slaine by the way … in a cornerig — 1497–1503 Soc. Ant. XVIII. 265.
[In Sanday, etc., malt scat was paid in barley, and called] beir scat, … and corne scat — 1567 Bamff Chart. 71.
Ane corne sek — 1685 Soc. Ant. LVIII. 366.
A corne skep — 1571 Inverness B. Rec. I. 203.
Tuay mukkin sleddis and tuay corne sleddis — 1513 Doug. viii. Prol. 97.
Sum trechour crynis the cunȝe, and kepis corne stakkis 1569-73 Bann. Mem. 71.
A corne stake and a barne 1623 Falkirk Par. Rec. I. 29.
[The piper of Smallburn] confest to passing to the cornestacks, and pyping upone the said Sabathe — 1602 Shetland Sheriff Ct. 15.
The … corneteind and wtheris teindis — 1618 Edinb. Test. L. 161.
Ane cornewaine and ane muck waine 1628 Ib. LIV. 306 b.
Ane muke waine & ane corne waine
You may wish to vary the format shown below depending on the citation style used.
"Corn n.". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 21 Nov 2024 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/dost/corn>