A Dictionary of the Older Scottish Tongue (up to 1700)
Hide Quotations Hide Etymology
About this entry:
First published 1971 (DOST Vol. IV).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
Quotation dates: 1525-1551
[0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,1,1,1,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0]
Nerve, Nerf(fe, v. Also: nerft; narve, narff. [F. nerver id. (1353 as a term of goldsmith's work, 1551 of tailoring or embroidery, Godef. Compl.). Only Sc.] tr. To apply (? also, inset) bands of material to (a garment), for ornament.(a) 1525 Treasurer's Accounts V. 253.
iij quarteris of blak vellous to nerffe the said cot 1532 Ib. in Criminal Trials I. i. 276.
To … the Kingis Robeyn Hwde … ane pair of hoise … for ij elnis taffate to draw thame and nerf thame 1551 Treasurer's Accounts X. 30.
vj quarteris taffiteis of the four threiddis to lyne and nerft his hois 1551 Ib. 36.(b) 1532 Treasurer's Accounts VI. 24.
For foure elnis blak taffateis to nerve and geit thaim [sc. hose] 1532 Ib. 78.(c) 1539 Treasurer's Accounts VII. 54.
Black welvot … to narff his grace goune 1543 Ib. VIII. 233.
For half ane elne of velvet to narve the tane of the saidis coittis 1544–5 Ib. 355.
Thre quarteris … of velvet to narve the said cote of moran grane 1546 Ib. IX. 23. 1548–9 Ib. 279.
You may wish to vary the format shown below depending on the citation style used.
"Nerve v.". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 14 Dec 2025 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/dost/nerve_v>
