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A Dictionary of the Older Scottish Tongue (up to 1700)

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First published 1951 (DOST Vol. II).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

Draucht, Drawcht, n. Also: dracht, drach(th; drawch; draght, draught, drawght. [ME. draught, drauȝt, and draght, draȝt, early draht, related to Draw v.]

1. An act or single turn of drawing or hauling something heavy from one place to another by means of horses, oxen, and vehicles.(a) c1420 Wynt. vi. 1970.
Than speryt Makbeth quha that awcht The yhoke that faylyd in that drawcht Ib. 1974. 1512 Treas. Acc. IV. 452.
To the cartaris for xviij drawchtis of gunnys and tymmer fra the Castell to the turnour Ib. 465.
For ij drawch with a horse of burdis to the new havin 1550 Reg. Cupar A. II. 95.
With ane lang drawcht to sclait, lyme. or tymmer ȝeirlie [as tenant service](b) 1472 Reg. Cupar A. I. 162.
With aucht and wunt seruys and specialy a draucht in the ȝere 1478 Ib. 212.
Ilkane [to give] a draucht in the ȝere to led, tymmer, or burd 1540 Treas. Acc. VII. 347.
Gevin to the carteris for dountaking of the samin [chalmeris] extending to viij draucht, price of the draucht, ij s. 1547 Reg. Cupar A. II. 47.
Thay … sall leid … ane gret draucht with iiij oxin and tuay hors ȝerle to lyme, sclait, colis. salt, or tymmer 1557 Ib. 175.
With tway lang draucht to lyme, sclait, … or colis(c) 1473 Reg. Cupar A. I. 182.
The said tenandis … ilk ane of tham a drach in the ȝer 1555 Ib. II. 120.
With tuay gret dracht to lyme, sclait … or colis ȝerelie

b. A draught-ox. 1438 Exch. R. V. 55.
Per vendicionem duorum boum vocatorum drachtis ejusdem grangie

c. The action of drawing. To hald draucht, to draw evenly. a1500 Henr. Fab. 2230.
The caller cryit: ‘how, haik vpon hicht; Hald draucht’ c1500-c1512 Dunb. Tua Mar. W. 85.
A forky fure, ay furthwart, and forsy in draucht 1567 G. Ball. 29.
Quha drawis efter me … I sall help them in thair draucht

2. A load drawn by horses or oxen; the amount contained in a load.(a) c1420 Wynt. vi. 1979.
Makbeth … to the thayne said … Hys awyn nek he suld put in The yhoke, and ger hym drawchtis drawe c1475 Wall. ix. 1610.
Dicson suld tak … his hors … a drawcht off wod to leid Ib. 1632.
A thourtour bande. that all the drawcht wpbar, He cuttyt it 1575–6 Lanark B. Rec. 71.
For … ilk drawcht of timer, ane penne 1598 Conv. Burghs II. 34.
For ilk ladinet hors with laid or drawchts passand alangis the said brig … iiij d. 1681 Irvine Mun. II. 294.
For drawinge of fourscore and six drawght of stones for the casinge of the bridge(b) c1515 Asl. MS. I. 162/1.
Euery draucht is to draw the space of xxviij m. pase 1535–6 M. Works Acc. IV. 20.
xlviij drauchtis of the cheptouris, sailȝes, & battelling fra the quarrell 1539–40 Treas. Acc. VII. 360.
For the cariage of xlv draucht of byrk fra the wod of Dalhoussy to mak ȝokkis of 1553–4 Edinb. Old Acc. II. 25.
Foure quarter drauchtis of daillis and naillis to the wrichtis 1578–9 Haddington Treas. Acc.
Ane draucht of stanes fra our awin querrell 1606 Dundonald Par. Rec. 104.
Faultis delaitit: … Malcom Wricht … to haue brocht ane draucht of merchant geir from Air … on the Saboth 1636 Rec. Old Aberd. I. 66.
Thois that hade horse sould send thair horse … to bring four draucht of sand or stones 1646 Tulliallan Coal Wks. 244 b.
For 5 draucht off dellis ffor credling off the new sink 1682 Peebles B. Rec. II. 106.
William Allan to lead fifty draught of stones to Tweid caull(c) 1572-5 Diurn. Occurr. 212.
Ane greit number of hagbittis [etc.] … extending in the haill to vij drachtis 1576 Glasgow B. Rec. I. 459.
To the quareouris for wynning of four hunderith draght of quhynnis to the calsaye 1653 Ib. II. 272.
The … counsell condiscendis to give fourtie draghts of staines to help to build the casey

3. An act of drinking; a drink. c1420 Wynt. v. 597.
Thai gert hym … In tyll a drawcht off drynk swelly A paddog yhong 1535 Stewart 39550.
At euirilk draucht tha playit ay cop out

4. A move in chess. ?1438 Alex. ii. 3764.
Draw on, … for ȝe may Haue wele the first draucht of the play! Ib. 3766, etc. a1500 Bk. Chess 2122.
With sex drauchtis gois he all about Vnto the place the quhilk he first come owt Ib. 2139.
He … changis colouris aye at euery draucht a1605 Montg. Misc. P. vii. 13.
Nou thou art chekmait. Thair is no draught that dou mak the debait

5. The process of drawing off water from a stream or land; a channel made for this purpose. 1466 Reg. Dunferm. 356.
Giff of casse I or myn ayris … gevis ony leiffe … to mak ony drauchtis of the said Magdelan burn Ib. 357.
To cass, adnulle, and cast doun the said dammis and drauchtis 1473 Reg. Cupar A. I. 171.
Tha sal do thar diligens to wyn the myre with cure and draucht of water that it ma be bath pastur and feual 1478 Ib. 212.
Tha makand the drauchtis … for the water, and [to] vphald tham and ekand tham gife neid be 1554–5 Edinb. B. Rec. II. 308.
To viij pynoris to beir up … the soillis, lintallis, and standarts of the great braid draucht nixt the wall 1567 Glasgow Prot. V. 99.
The draucht of the watter fra the Henry medo to cum unstoppit to the said Johne Warnokis part 1577 Crown Chart. MS. (Reg. H.).
All and haill thair mylne … with the … draucht of the Magdalen burne tharto 1633 Aberd. B. Rec. III. 56.
They … fund it meit and expedient … that ane draught sould be drawin frome ane spring within ane mylne of thair toune 1650 Glasgow Chart. II. 6.
The … dames and watter drauchtis perteining to the saidis mylnis

b. A receptacle for excrement. a1500 Bk. Chess. 1606.
This gud bischope … tuke hir croce [= corpse] … And in a draucht gart cast 1535 Stewart 10115.
Galdus … His bodie syne gart cast in till ane draucht c1575 Balfour Pract. 379.
All persounis that ar of vile and unhonest office or vocatioun, as clengar of drauchtis 1533 A. Home in 1533 Bell. Livy II. 234/21.
That is the cause now quhy everie privat house hath the awin gutters and sinkes, … quhar befor thay had ane common draucht

6. The act or right of drawing a net to catch fish; the place where a net is drawn. 1479 Acta Conc. 24/1.
Quhether the said abbot and convent suld haue the hale fisching of the ald stell or bot a dracht in the water callit the ald stell 1586 Reg. Great S. 302/1.
Cum portu dicti burgi qui Portus Gratie vocatus est, cum the draucht thereof and prymegilt omnium navium 1596 Dalr. I. 49/32.
We knawe … of gret salmont after than ance to have bene takne at ane draucht ccc. 1607 Reg. Great S. 672.
Piscariam salmonum … cum ceteris lie skarris, draughtis, haldis, laikis et nettis

7. The act of drawing a saw through wood; a measure of sawyer's work in terms of this. 1530 M. Works Acc. I. 44.
To the sauaris for xix drauchtis of the cuttis of the lang gestis 1535–6 Ib. iv. 64.
To the sawaris for v draucht jestis for cletis, ilk draucht vj d. 1552–3 Edinb. Old Acc. II. 12.
For sawing of five dosone buirds xj quarter drauchtis 1554 Ib. I. 143.
For sawing of thre dozone and twa eistland burds, ilk burde twa draucht, price of ilk draucht vj d. 1586 Edinb. D. Guild Acc. 264.
iiij wain scotis to be the wechte broddis onder the orlage … for sawing of ane draucht in ilk ane of them 1595 Ib. 580.
ix ruiff sparis to be angelleris to the scoole … sawing the samyn in ix draucht

8. A line drawn with a pen or brush; a stripe; an outline or figure in embroidery. 1509 Glasgow Dioc. Reg. II. 275.
The thortword straik and dracht of the samyn colour as the drachtis of the scheilde is of 1561 Inv. Q. Mary 30.
Ane bed diuidit equalie in claith of gold and siluir with drauchtes of violet and gray silk 1589 Edinb. B. Rec. V. 328.
To James Workman, painter, … for drawing of alscheller draughtis within the bow, and for cullouring of the cros 1645 Rec. Old Aberd. II. 20/1.
Ane faire morte cloath with sume draughtes on ewerie end off it 1678 Argyll Justic. Rec. I. 99.
Ane grayish din young mear ... with a black draught downe her back

b. A drawing or delineation; a sketch or plan. 1570 6th Rep. Hist. MSS. App. 646/1.
The rest of the tumbe to ryis conforme to the patroun and draucht quhilk he hes 1591 Acts III. 526/1.
Ilk pece [of money] … havand on the ane syde his hienes portrat according to the painteris draucht 1662 Aberd. B. Rec. IV. 202.
To delyuer to Robert Burnet … the draucht and stans of this brughe and fredome … drawin wpon paper with pen and ink

9. A scheme, design, or plan. 1456 Hay I. 300/18.
It cummys of grete subtilitee … to draw a gretter draucht of decepcioun a1499 Contempl. Sinn. 827.
With dowble menyng fals drauchtis now ȝe draw 1568 Reg. Morton I. 37.
The erle of Harford … suld marie secretar Cecillis dochthir that dressis all thir drachthis 1573 Sat. P. xlii. 955.
I suld declair at greiter lenth … The deuillische draucht of this deuyse a1578 Pitsc. I. 34/28.
The governour … past his way to Edinburgh … be the draught and counsall of tua godlie … prelattis c1650 Spalding II. 250.
Bot thir lordis gave no obedience to thir summondis, alledging that this wes bot ane forgit draucht to caus thame compeir 1646 Aberd. B. Rec. IV. 71.
Declairing that … they did not conceaue the deipe of the draucht thairof

10. A preliminary form of a writing. a1578 Pitsc. II. 291/17.
The king of France … drew ane draucht of ane mariaige with his sister and the king of Naver c 1608 Elphinstone Mem. II. 181.
Reweu this dracht of ane lettre and … eik or pair as ye think good 1637 Baillie I. App. 428.
Of the same dait, and subjoind with the first draucht of the Book of Canones 1655 Aberd. B. Rec. IV. 149.
The persones nominat … to draw vp ther disassent … did present ane draucht to the counsell [etc.] 1668 Conv. Burghs III. 602.
The clerk haueing presentit ane draght of ane letter 1690 Ib. IV. 123.
The comittie … recomends to Mr James Smollet … to draw the drawght of the saids letters

b. An extract or copy. 1590 Waus Corr. II. 451.
Your l. man caus seik out the registar, and send the dracht of the dewtie to me

11. The entrails of an animal. 1571 St. A. Kirk S. 349.
The fleschearis … confessit that thair servandis sauld sum smal fleschis and drawchtis to puir folkis on the Sabbat day 1714 Stirling B. Rec. II. 136.
That no flesher, nor other nighbours in the Backrow toom their draughts or shairn in any part of the Backrow

12. attrib. Of cattle or sheep: Withdrawn from the flock as being of inferior quality. 1459 Exch. R. VI. 570.
Per vendicionem decem vaccarum dictarum dracht ky 1575 Edinb. Test. III. 327 b.
xliiij auld draucht ȝowis 1590 Black Bk. Taymouth 302.
Enterit of wodderis … , of draucht scheip 1591 Edinb. Test. XXIII. 198 b.
In pasturing xxvj draucht hoggis