Dictionaries of the Scots Language
Dictionars o the Scots Leid

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

Hide Quotations Hide Etymology

Abbreviations Cite this entry

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

Grund, n. Also: grunde, grwnd. [ME. grund, OE. grund. Cf. Ground n. and Grond n.]The spelling, which first appears in the fifteenth cent., indicates the short vowel (regular in later dialect) in contrast to ground, but the rhyme-words are freq. written with ou.

1. The ground, surface of the earth. Frequently in prepositional phrases.(1) Brus xvi. 162.
Feill on the grund [E. ground] fell ded a1500 Gol. & Gaw. 8.
The gayest grumys on grund, with geir that myght gane c1500-c1512 Dunb. Flyt. 196.
Ma wormis … Nor thair is gers on grund 1535 Stewart 21665.
Steidis la stickit stark deid on the grund 15.. Clar. i. 52.
They stakirit with sic forse, Quhill at the grund baith lay man and horse(2) c1420 Wynt. vi. 1586.
Be Edmund Irnesyd he wes browcht to grwnd a1500 Gol. & Gaw. 640.
Quhen thai foundrit and fel fey to the grund 1513 Doug. xi. xi. 104.
Feill sys to grund ded wald scho dyng The cran of Trace a1568 Scott ii. 163.
To grund for fersnes he did funder 1619 Crim. Trials III. 468.
The defunct … fell doun in sound to the grund 1623 Ib. 549.
Thay strak me deid to the grund(3) 1513 Doug. xii. Prol. 85.
The fertill skyrt lappis of the grund Ib. xi. 169.
The grund … bedyit stude … with effusioun of blude 1533 Boece i. iv. 39.
Thai fand … the grund weill plennyst with naturall girs 1551 Prot. Bk. A. Gaw 21.
Thai sal the gidder labour the grund quhill the corn cum of the grund 1596 Dalr. I. 89/16.
To sustein thayr bodyes … of sik fude as thay mycht haue of the grunde 1620 Aberd. Sheriff Ct. II. 298.
Understanding hir selff to be … nocht abill to … labour the grund 1635 Glasgow B. Rec. II. 32.
Ane buriall place … contening the bounds of half ane fall of grund

b. In the legal formula: Apon the grund of (the property in question). 1488 Paisley B. Rec. 27.
The quhilk compromis beand schawn and red till us apon the grund of the saidis landis 1550 Glasgow Prot. I. 18.
We, the said devyderis, compeirand upone the grunde of the said tenement 1563 Reg. Privy C. I. 246.
To … keip the samyn [corn] … upoun the grund of the saidis landis, unintromittit with be athir of the saidis parteis 1581 Prot. Bk. W. Cumming 269 b.
Apon the quhilkis the said schiref deput and Robert Fraser requirit instruments. This done respectiue on the grund of the saidis landis [etc.]

c. The land (in contrast to the sea). 1513 Doug. i. iv. 29.
With gret desyre and thocht To be on grund, Troianys sped thame to land

2. An area of ground; esp. a piece of landed property; poet. a land or country.(1) 14.. Acts I. 44/2.
Quhat evir be byggit set or saune all sall byde wyth the grunde Ib. 385/2.
Quhether a man tak thaim in his awne grunde or in ane other mannis grunde 1458 Peebles B. Rec. 128.
That al the wast land that was lynt or corn sawin, that na man na woman tak it of that grwnd qwyl the Kyngis mayl be pait 1480 Rec. Earld. Orkney 331.
A toft and the grund of a hous stede 1494 Dunferm. B. Rec. 54.
The balye … gert thame in jugement depone … that thar was na gudis apone that grwnd to be distrinyed for the annuell 1513 Doug. i. viii. 153.
Gret Hesperia, The grund of Saturn, quhilk now is Italy Ib. vi. xv. 86.
The grund of the Romanys c 1525 Dunferm. B. Rec. 283.
Of aunuell rent yeirly to be tane of the forsaid grund at twa vsuall termes 1557 Inverness B. Rec. I. 14.
His guidis wes flettit of the grund befor the proclamation of the ost 1584 Waus Corr. 303.
Your lordschippis grwnd of Appilbe 1627 Reg. Privy C. 2 Ser. II. 128.
Thair is na grunde perteaning to the good toun whilk will afford sufficiencie of faill or divvett or rysseattrib. 1456 Peebles B. Rec. 113.
Than the sayd balye gayf grwnd sessyng with a penne of four sellyn anwal of Michal Forest land Ib. 117.
[He] gayf grund sessyng with erd and stan of that sartan land(2) 1598 Acts IV. 176/2.
For the drawing vp of the water … furth of mynes, coilheughis, quarrellis and vther deip grundis

b. The piece of ground selected for some special purpose; esp. the field of combat. c1500-c1512 Dunb. xxvii. 68.
Thay spurrit thair hors on adir syd, Syne thay attour the grund cowd glyd 1513 Doug. xii. iii. 8.
Quhen that the Troianys and Rutilianys The grund myssouris, evynnys, dichtis, and planys 1570-3 Bann. Trans. 200.
My freindis … had comissione to agrie vpon the grund to be the barres bewast the wast port

c. The tract of land forming the estate of a landowner. 1494 Antiq. Aberd. & B. IV. 429.
To the foresaid our balye oure full and playn power … to pund … our men and inhabitantis of the said grund 1604 Urie Baron Ct. 8.
Stewyne Smyth … plennit in jugment vpone the tennentis in the grund Ib.
Euerie plucht in the grund to pay ȝeirlie … ane boll of aittis, … and the said Stewyne … to be reddie at all tymis … to serwe the grund 1634 Misc. Spald. C. V. 225.
Whatsumeuer brouster within the grund sall recept or sell aill to any of the lairds domestik servandsattrib. 1603 Dunblane Test. III. 65.
To the maister of the grund for the ȝeiris dewitie … ; to the grund maister for keane foullis

3. a.The bottom, lowest part; also fig. b. The bottom or bed of the sea. Also attrib. with heiring (herring).a. 1513 Doug. iii. iv. 12.
Fury of goddis that cummys from hellis grund a1605 Montg. Ch. & Slae 1362.
Quhyle we grip it [an ailment] to the grund 1614 Crim. Trials III. 270.
Scho erdit the samyn [bairn] in the grund of ane truff stakb. a 1568 Sat. P. xlvi. 29.
Plum weill the grund quhat evir ȝe doo Ib. 51.
Gif ȝe can nocht get the grund, Steir be the compas 1611 Conv. Burghs II. 327.
Be the ballasting of the fysche boits with staynes … , the fyscheing of hering is hurt and the grund fyletattrib. 1604 Dundonald Par. Rec. 61.
Iohne Hunter … grantit the gathering of grvnd heiring at the Trvne on the Saboth day

4. The base or foundation on which a structure is raised. 1532 M. Works Acc. II. 32.
Ane dosane of flaggis for the grund of the said vne a1586 Maitland Hist. Seton 45.
The biggin … wes mair costlie … nor he had biggit the samyn fra the grund vp 1596 Reg. Great S. 194/1.
Quhair there is an auld grene grund of ane dyk tending towardis the eist 1598–9 Ayr B. Acc. 198.
[To the menn] that heipit to red the grund of the key

b. In various non-material applications.(1) c1450 Cr. Deyng 42.
Faythe … is the grund of al gud deid Ib. 173.
For god is grund of verytee 1461 Liber Plusc. 135.
Sen vertew is grund of alking grace 1533 Gau 20/18.
The lwiff that man hes to hyme selff is the rwit and grund of al sine 1528 Lynd. Dreme 880.
I fynd thame rute and grund of all our greif 1562-3 Winȝet I. 127/20.
Sen it hes the grund and deip ruitis in the Scriptur 1610 Misc. Hist. Soc. II. 196.
This action … is the fundament & grund of manie things efter done(2) 1478 Acta Aud. 83/2.
Sua that ther may be a finale ende and the trew grund fundyn in the said mater 1570-3 Bann. Trans. 138.
The proceadings of sum seditious personis … gifis him sufficient grund to suspect [etc.] 1582 Declar. Causis 6.
But … with quhat gud grund … God knauis 1662 Glasgow B. Rec. II. 487.
He had no reasonable grund but onlie old vse and custoume