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

Lam(e, Laim(e, n.¹ Also: laym(e; leam(e, le(e)m, leime; lym(e. [North. ME. lam(e, e.m.E. (1480) lome, OE. lám clay, mud, earth.]

1. Earth; the earth or ground.Only in verse. a1400 Leg. S. ix. 134.
Adame, That wrocht wes of vnwemmyt lame ?1438 Alex. ii. Col. 27.
Quhen ȝe lawe ar laid in lame, Than leuis thair nathing bot ane name c1550 Rolland Ct. Venus i. 916.
Inclining law all most tuiching the lame Brus xix. 256 (H).
That time Edward of Carnauerane The King, was dead, and laide in lame [MSS. stane]

2. Earthenware or china.The chief Sc. sense and appar. only Sc.(a) 15.. Lord Fergus' Gaist 42.
Ane botene, and ane brechame, And ane quhorle maid of lame 1503 Treas. Acc. II. 393.
For pottis of lame … for the furnesses 1610 Edinb. Test. XLVI. 121 b.
Ane lawer of lame price xvj s. 1665 Lauder Jrnl. 80.
A choffer, whiles of brass, oftner lame, filled with charcoall(b) 1513 Treas. Acc. IV. 511.
In the pouder mill … for piggis of layme ij s. 1561 Inv. Wardrobe 158; 1562 Inv. Q. Mary 55.
The figure of ane doig maid in quhite laym 1580 Edinb. Test. IX. 106 b.
Ane dosane of flakonis of layme price xv s. 1581 Hamilton Cath. Tr. 146.
Ve haue this treasor in veschellis of layme(c) 1605 Black Bk. Taymouth 343.
iii paintit salseris of leam 1595 Anderson Winter Night (1713) 8.
The hudge image, with copper wame, With lims of yron, and feet of leam

b. Freq. attrib. or adj.: Made or consisting of earthenware.(a) 1502 Treas. Acc. II. 158.
To the pottair of Linlithgow for lame pottis ix s. 1533 Ib. VI. 164, etc. 1586 Edinb. Test. XVI. 366.
Aucht lame cannis leidit at iij s. the pece 1587 Montgomery Mem. 341.
Twa lame chamber pots 1627 Edinb. Test. LIV. 134.
Sex dosone of Holland lame dischis at xxx s. the dosone 1631 Warrack Dom. Life 146.
Thrie lame babies and three lame doges 1641 Edinb. Test. LIX. 269.
Certane lame veshellis viz. apothecar cannis, lyones and boyes heidis [etc.] a1650 Row 260.
He dreamed … that he was a lame pig and that a golden hammer … broke him all to peeces 1694 Foulis Acc. Bk. 168.
For a large white lam poringer for milk [12 s.](b) 1501–2 Treas. Acc. II. 135.
To the pottair, for laym pottis v s. 1513 Rentale Dunkeld. 115.
Per empcione trium lie layme flakettis 1533 Boece iii. xx. 121.
Ane ald sepulture … quharein was twa veschell like laym piggis 1532 M. Works Acc. (ed.) 84.
To the wirychtis for vi layme pottis to thair glew xij d. 1551 Hamilton Cat. 266.
As the fyire preiffis … the layme vessellis maid be ane pottar 1595 Duncan App. Etym.
Testa, a shell or layme potte 1603 Reg. Great S. 514/2.
Of ilk laid of layme pottis and pitcheris cumand in 4 penneis, and gangand furth 4 penneis(c) 1606 Rollock 2 Thess. 121 (J).
A man is but a laime vessell, wherein the Lord puts so rich a treasure 1621 Edinb. Test. LI. 76 b.
Ane laim can with ane tin lid 1639 Ib. LIX. 83.
Ten laime Flanderis saseris 1653 Ib. LXVII. 9 b.
Tua laim bottells estimat to vj lib.(d) 1563 Misc. Wodrow Soc. 214.
The leame pote that contenis the medicine 1605 Black Bk. Taymouth 343.
xxi paintit leame plaittis Ib.
In the lairdis chalmer … ane leame can upoun the portell head 1606 Birnie Kirk-b. ii. 2.
Leame tombes [L. urnam] 1631 Brechin Test. V. 51.
Sex leam saseris four lem babeis tua leam lyonis 1680 Blackness Customs MS. 3 b.
Ane mand leam plaitts valu three pund 1687 Montgomery Mem. 339.
Ane litle leam box(e) 1621 Wedderb. Compt Bk. 167.
Lent James Auchinlek the lem dische 1627 Edinb. Test. LIV. 55 b.
Ane blew lem can pryce ij s. 1672 Haigs of Bemersyde 475.
A lem posit cape and a porenger [2£](f) 1637 Rutherford Lett. (1891) 353.
Are we not God's leem vessels? 1653 Edinb. Test. LXVII 10.
Four small leime plaits(g) 1683 Brechin Test. VII 72 b.
Three lym plaittis xvj s. 1685 Soc. Ant. LVIII 354.
A whyte lyme drinking can with a silver lid on it

c. Lame-ware, -works.(1) 1673 Leith Customs MS. 32.
Lame wair 01: 10: 00 1673 Ib. 65.
A chist of lam wair 00: 18: 00 1680 Blackness Customs MS. 4 b.
Ane mand containing leam ware 1703 Acts XI. 111/2.
Act … for a manufactory of lame purslane and earthen ware(2) 1695 Acts IX. 365/1.
The draught of an act … for establishing a manufactory in Leith of soap work, sugar, purslin, lame works, and stearch