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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 since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

Hart, Hairt, n.¹ Also: harte, hartt, heart(t. [e.m.E. heart, ME. hart, harte, ONhb. hearta, WS. heorte. Cf. Hert n.¹]

1. The heart as a part of the body; a representation of this.Also, as in the mod. dial., put for: the stomach. 1375 Barb. iii. 525.
Mekill ioy … , May ger men sua amowyt be, That watir fra the hart will rys c1420 Wynt. vi. 1236.
Thai slwe a hare; The hart off it thai wyth thame bare c1450-2 Howlat 535.
The Dowglas in armes the bludy hart beris c1420 Ratis R. 1010.
Sa weill smelland … thing, It may mak … recomforting Tyll hed and hart c1500-c1512 Dunb. lxxiv. 18.
Sic deidlie dwawmes … hes my hairt ouirpast 15.. Wyf Awcht. 38.
In the mornyng vp scho gatt And on hir hairt laid hir disiwne 1576 Digest Justiciary Proc. I. 24.
Hir seiknes wes ane cauld bluid that gaid about hir hairt a1605 Montg. Son. xlviii. 14.
My ladyis bagie beirs my bluidy hart 1607 Crim. Trials II. 526.
I shall haif thy hairt for bruitting of me sa falslietransf. 1513 Doug. vii. Prol. 9.
All thocht he [sc. Phebus] be the hart and lamp of hevyn

b. A trinket or jewel in the form of a heart. 1540 Acta Conc. & Sess. MS. XIII. 83.
Ane hart of gold, … ane brokin cheffron of gold 1559 Chart. St. Giles cvii.
Ane lytill hart of gold 1583 Edinb. Test. XII. 55 b.
Ane chenȝe with ane hairt of gold 1584 Glasgow B. Rec. I. 107.
Ane hart of siluer

2. The heart regarded as the seat of feeling or of various emotions.In constant use, esp. in poetry, down to the 17th cent., in a great variety of contexts.(a) 1375 Barb. i. 248.
To do … That at hys hart hym drawis to Ib. 378.
His hart on hey honour wes set a1400 Leg. S. Prol. 111.
The hartis at one Crist will cale Ib. vii. 716.
In harte thai had sike wgrines c1420 Wynt. ii. 1489.
Thare hart in to the deyde suld fayle Ib. iii. 400.
It is to lele hart a throwyng 1444 Aberd. B. Rec. I. 10.
We commaunde ws on to yhou with al our hartes a1500 Henr. Fab. 1547.
Brekand his hart with sair murning c1475 Wall. iv. 20.
He luffyt him with hart and all hys mycht a1500 K. Hart 109.
The grundin dairtis ... Wald mak ane hart of flint to fald and fle c1500-c1512 Dunb. lxxxi. 10.
Sum maid disportis with hartis glaid and lycht 1547 Treas. Acc. IX. 110.
To seduce the harttis of the pepill to his opinyoun 1562-3 Winȝet I. 9/9.
Quhy clenge ȝe not ȝour hart and handis fra ydolatrie? 1563-1570 Buch. Wr. 32.
Of quhilk the memory is logit in bayth Scottis and Inglismenis hartis 1570 Sat. P. xii. 50.
To Hammiltoun in haist quhill ȝe haif hartis 1610 Rep. Earl Southesk MSS. 14.
Sum qualite … so powerfoull to kendell my hart with luiff(b) 1558-66 Knox II. 405.
Ar ye nocht sorie from your hairt? 1567 Sat. P. iv. 74.
It wald mak ony haill hairt sair For to reuolue my … tragidie a1578 Pitsc. I. 31/35.
Agauis the hairtis of all thame that vald the contrair 1591 Crim. Trials I. ii. 251.
Ȝe sall repent itt fra ȝoure hairt c1600 Montg. Suppl. 221/6.
Ellis thow can nocht conqueis hairtis desyre 1607 Lett. & St. P. Jas. VI 106.
Our most loyall hairtis c1650 Spalding II. 401.
Mr Androw Cant gat ane letter … quhilk fleyit him to the hairt

3. Used as a term of affection in addressing a person, esp. a woman. ?1438 Alex. ii. 2538.
He said, ‘Swete hart, gay and joly, [etc.]’ c1500-c1512 Dunb. lxxv. 2.
My hwny, my hart, my hoip c1550 Lynd. Meldrum 1245.
Thairfoir, deir hart, ȝour self ȝe saue a1568 Scott xiii. 23.
I mon my barme reweill To ȝow, my hairt Ib. 36.
Adew, my deirest hairt a1605 Montg. Ch. & Slae 1338.
Quod he, ‘Myne hearts, cum hidder’ c1610 Jok Uplandis Newis 7 b.
[Chancellor, to the deputation:] Than, my hartes, ye shall say that [etc.]

4. Attrib. with axes, cake, colour, ene (eyes), evil, fever, ill, pipe, rute, sare, sarenes, scald, skaid, vayn (vein). Also Hart-blude, -brek. 1609 Craig-Brown Selkirkshire I. 180.
She gave nane [drinks] bot off waburne leavis for the hart-axes - 1643 Misc. Abbotsf. C. 184.
Ȝe said that the child haid the hart cake, and that gif ȝe pleasit ȝe wold cast the hart cake — 1609 Edinb. Test. XLV. 121 b.
Ane peis of hairt cullour perpituana claith — ?1438 Alex. ii. 6896.
With his hart ene oft sall he se Hir fare effere — a1605 Montg. Flyt. 299 (T).
The hunger, the hart evill [v.r. hairtill, hart ill], the hoist — 1623 Elgin Rec. II. 182.
The head fewer and the hart fewer — 1513 Doug. vi. i. 98.
Hir hart pipis gan to flekkir and steir Ib. ix. vii. 100.
Hys hart pipis [L. præcordia] the scharp hed persyt in twa 1597 Misc. Spald. C. I. 105.
The wind of thair [fowls'] wingis aboute his harte ... wes werrie profitable to lousse his harte pypis, quhilk wer closit — 1513 Doug. xiii. iii. 35.
From hys hart ruyt … The kyng Latyn begouth thir wordis schaw 1560 Rolland Seven S. 9943.
At his hart rute he was richt wonder wo — a1500 Henr. Fab. 1867.
It wes greit hart sair for to se That bludie boucheour bet thay birdis doun a1500 Peblis to Play 234.
Quhen the winklottis and the wawaris twynnit To se it wes hart sair — 1600-1610 Melvill 264.
The Queen, for hartsearnes, followit in Januar — a1605 Montg. Flyt. 326 (T).
The skunnering cattaris and hartskaid remanis a1646 Wedderb. Voc. (1709) 13.
De Morbos ... Cardialgia the heart scald — c 1420 Liber Calchou 450.
The hart vayn is callyd the cordyak