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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.

Loft, n. Also: lofte, lofft(t, lof(f)it; loyft; loaft. [ME. and e.m.E. and late OE. loft, ON. loft air, sky, upper room, loft (Icel. lopt, Sw., Da. loft upper room, garret). Cf. Laft.]

1. Appar., The sky. Only in the phrase to the loft, = sense 2 b. a1500 Bk. Chess 336.
To the loft he lukis And said efter sic thonder & sic wynd I wist sic rayne sone efter suld I fynd

2. In the adv. phr. on, also o, apon (upon) loft.After c 1450 appar. only Sc. (chiefly in verse): cf. Aloft adv., which eventually superseded this phr. in Sc. also.

a. Above, on high, in the air. 1375 Barb. xiii. 32.
Thar mycht man … se tummyll knychtis and stedis, … Sum held on loft a1400 Leg. S. xlv. 182. c1400 Troy-bk. ii. 2597. c1450-2 Howlat 371.
Of pure gold was the ground … With dowble tressour about … And flour delycis on loft Ib. 560, 627. a1500 Gol. & Gaw. 70.
He saw nane levand leid vpone loft lent Ib. 991.
His schire wedis … That lufly lappit war on loft Ib. 1065.
Thus the ledis on loft [sc. in the castle] in langour war lent Ib. 485. a1500 Henr. Fab. 1703.
The lark on loft with vther birdis small c1475 Wall. vii. 439.
The bryme fyr brynt rycht braithly apon loft Ib. x. 876.
Crawfurd on loft thair saill brynt in a bles 1494 Loutfut MS. 132 a.
& he strik with the ege he mon lift his armis … quhilkis being wp & o loft his sidis nakit & discoveryt c1500-c1512 Dunb. Tua Mar. W. 388.
Alse lang as he wes on loft. I lukit on him neuer 1535 Stewart 25947.
On ane litter, that buir him hie onloft

b. Upwards, up, into the air. 1375 Barb. xiii. 651 (E).
It that wndre lawch was ar Mon lepe on loft a1500 Henr. Fab. 2117.
Quhen that my pith micht not beir it on loft Ib. 2141. c1500-c1512 Dunb. Tua Mar. W. 187.
He … liftis his leg apon loft Id. xxxviii. 22.
On loft is gone the glorius Appollo Id. lxxii. 71.
Him all nakit on the tre Thai raisit on loft Id. lxxv. 34. 1513 Doug. iii. iii. 91.
Huge wallis [= waves] boldynnys upon loft Ib. x. vi. 43.
Slyddry glar so from wallys went That oft thar feyt was smyttyn vp on loft 15.. Clar. ii. 1420.
Up raise the noise of birdis upon loft Ib. v. 2019. a1568 Scott xxxiv. 104.
It is ane dowbill vyce To bring the Devill on loft a1605 Montg. Ch. & Slae 343 (L).
I luikit vpoun lofte

c. In a high voice, out loud, loudly. c1450-2 Howlat 828; a1500 Rauf C. 739, 784; a1500 Henr. Fab. 2179; c1500-c1512 Dunb. Tua Mar. W. 147.
The lordis leuch apon loft a1500 Gol. & Gaw. 875.
Than said he loud vpone loft [etc.] a1500 Prestis of Peblis 481.
With that he gaue ane loud lauchter on loft

d. fig., said of the heart or one's courage or spirits: Raised, high, up. 15.. Clar. iv. 2472.
Raising on loft with joy … The hearts of all the nobill audience a1568 Scott xxi. 22.
Thow held hir curage he on loft Id. xxii. 26.
Belevand ay for grace, I hald my hart on loft a1568 Balnaves Bann. MS. 138 a/8; a1570-86 Maitl. F. cxxix. 6.
With curage he on loft

3. Appar., the deck of a ship. On loft, above, on deck (cf. sense 2 a). Under loft, below deck, below.Cf. also Ourloft n. c1475 Wall. ix. 120, 137.
‘Go wndyr loft.’ … Bathe schip maistir, and the ster man … In the holl … he gert thaim go … .Him selff on loft [was] with a drawyn suord

4. a. The upstairs part of a building; the upper storey of a two storey building. b. An attic made by flooring the joists under the roof of a building or suspended on joists over a large room. c. Any upper room in a building.For some further examples, see Heicht a. (3), Laich a. 5 (4) and Laich hous n.Quot. 1573 seems ambiguous: perh. sense 6 is intended.Commonly used for sleeping accommodation or for storage: see also cheis-, malt-, skin-, woll-loft. c1420 Wynt. viii. 2101.
Quhare he wyst that the schyrrave Oysyd hys innys for till have, In till a lofft, quhare that he lay 1481 Peebles B. Rec. I. 188.
With the ws … of thre of the four lityll pantreis in the south end of the samyn and the loft abon thaim for the conseruacion of fewell 1482 Acta Aud. 107/1. 1488 Lanark B. Rec. 2. 1494 Peebles B. Rec. I. 195.
The vmast loft of the said Newark is set to Georg Dauidson, … the loft and the south volt of the Newark ar set to Archibald Parkley 1515 Edinb. B. Rec. I. 156.
Nor yit … till hald thair loft and buith oppin on the day lycht quhill Fryday at next cummis 1517 Treas. Acc. V. 121.
For xvj double dalis … for fluring of the myd chamir in David Toure, … for … planchart nalis for flurring of the said loft 1520 Edinb. B. Rec. I. 198.
That the commoun pynouris … haif … for ilk pak of woll lattin out of the loft … iiij d. 1522 Dunferm. B. Rec. 80.
[They] resignit ane for land that is to say ane loft … in Villiem Spittal land 1528 Prot. Bk. J. Foular II. 267.
The umest greit hall chalmer kiching and all the loftis abone the samyn and tua selleris under the samyn a1540 Freiris Berw. 102.
Gif ȝe list to lig vp in Ȝone loft, Quhilk is weill wrocht in-to the hallis end Ib. 172.
Thir silly freiris two [who] Wer lokit in the loft amang the stro 1548 Aberd. B. Rec. I. 260. 1573 Sat. P. xli. 92.
Ȝe lords also, that dois frequent The loft in Sanct Geills Kirk 1578 Conv. Burghs I. 58. 1579 Edinb. Test. VII. 241 b.
In the barne ten bollis … grene malt … , of maid malt in the loft nyne bollis 1581 Kirkcudbr. B. Rec. I. 154. 1592 Acts III. 552/2. 1612 Conv. Burghs II. 363.
That the natioun be weill seruet with warkmen, sledmen, lofits, packhoussis, sellares, for losing and laydning of our guids vpon ane ressonabill pryse 1616 Dysart Rec. 63.
Continens in se domum habitationis gradum et cubiculum vulgo ane hall ane forestair and ane loft above the samyne 1618 Trial Isobel Inch 8.
[She] went first up directlie to ane heigh loft within the said waist hous 1643 Aberd. B. Rec. IV. 3.
The … counsell, haueing resolvit … to big and erect ane loft in the northmest end of the grammer scoole 1645 Ib. 47.
[In the packhouse:] Aucht loftis with four great back doores 1666 Edinb. B. Rec. X. 8.
Many fearfull accidents … hes fallen out … by baiking of bread and brewing in high housses and loftis upon the hearth 1685 Soc. Ant. LVIII. 367.
In the dighting house loft, a large timber codwair 1686 Brechin Test. VII. 162 b.
Two beds in the lads loft

d. A joisted boarded ceiling or upper floor. = Lofting vbl. n. 1.(a) 1494 Peebles B. Rec. I. 195.
To … mak all durris, wyndos, plancearis, loftis, clausuris, … pertening to the said stipil 1498–9 Acta Conc. II. 296. 1511 Aberd. Sheriff Ct. I. 103.
The tymmer werk of the grat stepile … , that is to say, the brandraucht and loft that the prik of that said stepil sal be raisit on Ib.
And als the said Johnne sal hereeftir … mak the loft and bestailȝe for the hinging of the gret bellis … weil and substancheously to the perpetual loft of the samyn 1555 Edinb. B. Rec. II. 225.
[The treasurer] to mend the loft of the irnhous and fluir the samyn 1563–4 Edinb. Old Acc. I. 465.
For mending of the loftis and durris [of a mill] 1611–12 Misc. Spald. C. V. 87.
For ane daill to fessin the hoill of the loft of the knok quhair the pases come downe 1612 M. Works Acc. (ed.) I. 325, 6.
The tour schalmer above the Regesterhous is to be pavementit all throw and the loft maid abell for beiring the same … and ane schemley of scley that is in the heich hous above to be takin downe quhilk burdinis the loft 1671 Reg. Privy C. 3 Ser. III. 375.
He … did contryve and make his escape … by breaking up throw the loft of the said prison(b) 1489 Treas. Acc. I. 119.
For the mendin of the Thesauraris hous dure and the loyft that byrnt(c) 1660 Lamont Diary 125.
The said James also layd the loaft in the house at the kirke 1668 Old Ross-shire I. 192.
All the timber work, … three loafts, squaring of geasts

e. Attrib. and comb. with -chamber, -dur, -maill.Also Loft-hous n. 1512 Prot. Bk. J. Foular II. 150.
In the forsaid wal of his said land … lintale rabits [etc.] … for a loft dure 1558 M. Works Acc. (ed.) I. 294.
For the makeng of ane kay to the loft dur quhair the corn and stray lyes 1612 Conv. Burghs II. 370.
To agrie vpoun the pryces of the warkmenis wedges, of sleds, loft mailles, and sellare mailles [in Campvere] 1618 M. Worhs Acc. (ed.) II. 49.
For careing thame [four bolls oats] to the loft with the loft meill 1624 Bruce in Wodrow's Life 8.
[I was] lying in a chamber, called the new loft chamber

f. ? An upper compartment or shelf on a dresser. 1563 Montgomery Mem. II. 197.
In the kitching ane dressing buird with ane litill loft thairin

5. a. One of several floors or storeys of a building. 1531 Bell. Boece II. 476.
It is said ane woman … leit meill fall doun throw the loftis of the toure c1552 Lynd. Mon. 1375.
Noyis arke [had] … Thre chalmeris … And euerilk loft aboue ane vther 1562 (1650) Dundee B. Laws 29.
That they [sc. round windows] be of the hight betwext the nedermost part of them and the ground loft [pr. lost] or soll … the space of eight footes

b. A layer or stage (of branches of a tree).e.m.E. in this sense 1567–. 1566-70 Buch. Comm. on Virgil Georgics ii. 361.
Tabulata, tabulatum, ane loft

6. A loft or gallery in a church. Also attrib.For description and illustrations, see George Hay The Architecture of Scottish Post-Reformation Churches (Oxford, 1957), 190 f.Many more examples are to be found in 17th c. burgh and kirk-session records: see also Laft n. b, and For(e)breist n. 3, Laich a. 3 d and adv. 1 (5), and organe-loft.Freq. as reserved to, or owned by, some person or body, also the common (= public) loft.(a) 1504 Treas. Acc. II. 429.
To ald David Kervour … in recompensatioun … of the loftis in the chapel of Strivelin 1534–5 M. Works Acc. (ed.) I. 128.
For the payntting of … xii ballis under the chapell loffit 1576 Prot. Bk. W. Cumming MS. 161.
Ane gret kyst in the vtyr loft in the bode of the kyrk 1592 Edinb. B. Rec. V. 73.
That the provest baillies [etc.] … sall resort to the tounis loft in the hie kirk the tyme of the preichings and na others 1597 Elgin Rec. II. 59, etc. 1603 Aberd. Eccl. Rec. 25. 1607 S. Leith Rec. 5; etc. 1600-1610 Melvill 704.
They getting entres to a loft 1613–14 Ayr B. Acc. 63.
To William Cauldwell, payntour, for dressing and colouring of the loftis in the kirk 1642 Aberd. B. Rec. III. 283.
Ane greene cloth for covering the foir pairt of the loft in the auld kirk whair noblemen vsed to sitt 1645 Rec. Old Aberd. II. 151. 1649 Glasgow B. Rec. II. 157, 1655 Ib. 315. c1650 Spalding II. 216. a1650 Row 116.
None almost remained but they who were with the King, and some of the nobilitie and gentrie in the lords loft [at St. Giles]; also, the provost and councill of Edinburgh satt still in their loft 1652 Fraser P. 243. 1654 Ellon Par. Rec. 143. 1660 Nicoll Diary 314. 1670 Orkney Rentals App. 63. 1670 Aberd. B. Rec. IV. 268.
To erect and make wp ane loft in decent forme and maner in the west most end of the said new church directlie aboue the gramar schooll loft Ib.
With power … to make laigher the said gramer scooll loft if found neidfull 1673 Cramond Kirk S. II. 5 Jan.
To build a loft reaching the full breadth of the kirke 1674 Cunningham Diary 42. 1680 Cromarty Kirk S. in Sc. Eccles. Soc. I. 111 n. 1685 Soc. Ant. LIX. 49, 50. 1692 Presb. Eloq. (1847) 161. 1692 Sc. Ant. XIII. 74. 1692 Lanark B. Rec. 241.
To build two stairs without the Laigh Kirk to answear the lofts 1694 Annandale Corr. 87.attrib. 1689 Dunkeld Presb. II. 79.
Collectors at the quire door … collectors at the loft door(b) 1642 S. Leith Rec. 39.
To remove the stair that goes to the Kings loaft in the church 1690 Foulis Acc. Bk. 124.
To the man that let us in my L. Tarbats loaft at M^r Lundies kirk 1698 Banff Ann. I. 169.
To punctuallie nottice the magistrats loaft and not to suffer any sitt therein except such as have right