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

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First published 1963 (DOST Vol. III).
This entry has not been updated but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

Haly water, n. Also: haly-, hali-, halie, halé and watter, watir, wat(t)yr, walter, va(l)ter. [Northern ME. haly water (c 1440), midl. and south. holy watre, holywatyr, early ME. haliwater (a 1225), OE. háliᵹ.wæter.]

1. Holy water. c1420 Wynt. v. 1236.
Haly watyr swa fyrst made he Ib. 1241.
Syne he bad … that Haly Wattyr ay Suld be made on the Sownday 1495 Reg. Episc. Brechin II. 317.
To kast haly watter on thar grawys c1500-c1512 Dunb. xxx. 44.
In me wes falset … Quhilk mycht be flemyt with na haly watter 1567 G. Ball. 194.
Requiem eternam fast thay patter Befoir the deide, with haly watter 1581 Burne Cath. Tr. 118/1.
Of Halie Valter 1584 Sat. P. xlv. 307.
Halie water and lamber beidis

2. Attrib. with fat, stane, stik, stop. c1420 Wynt. ix. 599.
Of sylvyr the haly wattyr fate 1488 Treas. Acc. I. 83.
Ane halywater fat of siluer 1530 Lindores Chart. 33.
Twa haly walter fatts with cowferyngs 1547 Misc. Spald. C. V. 313.
The chapell graith of silver, that is to say … ane haly water fatt — 1498 Glasgow Dioc. Reg. II. 67.
Per traditionem aspersorii, wlgariter le haly water styk, in manibus … fratris Willelmi Howstoun Ib.
Tradere le haly water styk et stop 1547 Edinb. Hammermen 172.
ix trouchtis, … ane anent the hale walter stane of the northt kyrk duyr