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

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First published 1971 (DOST Vol. IV).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

Nuris, -ice, -eis(e, Noris, Nourice, n. Also: nwr-, nurr-, nowr-, nourr- and -ise, -ys(e, -yis, -yce, -es, -eis, -eice. [ME. nurice (Ancr. R.), -es (c 1440), norice (c 1290), -ise, -yce, e.m.E. nouryce (Caxton), nouris, OF. nurise, -isce, nor(r)ice, nour(r)ice: cf. also Nurisch and Nurs.The (a) forms (nuris, etc.) are appar. chiefly Sc.Also plur. without inflexion.]

1. A woman employed to care for a small child; esp. one who suckles the child, a wet-nurse or foster-mother.Also freq. applied to a woman who has formerly been an adult person's foster-mother.Const. the possessive and to (also of), both of the child and of the child's parent as employer.Maistres nurice, see Maistres n. 1 b.(1) a1400 Leg. S. xxvii. 47.
& gat a nuryse gud in hy The quylk hyme fosterit tendirly 1482 Wemyss Chart. 99.
With thair barnys with nwrys and famuliaris 1492 Myll Spect. 284/27, 28. a1500 Seven S. 450. 1502–3 Treas. Acc. II. 296; etc.
Nurises c1500-c1512 Dunb. xxii. 61.
In ȝowth on nureis [M. nwreice] kne 1513 Doug. iv. xi. 102.
Deir nurys, quod scho, [etc.] 1525 Wigtown B. Ct. 168 a.
& the nureis McMath 1560 Rolland Seven S. 1714, 1715.
To thre nuresis to foster he him gaue, The first nureis to giue him suck and feid, The nixt him wesche [etc.] Ib. 2014.
Mony mischeifis … Hes oft occurit be nureis negligence 1566 Treas. Acc. MS. 38.
Nwreis 1570 6th Rep. Hist. MSS. App. 651/2.
Nwryis 1574 St. A. Kirk S. 391.
Nurices c1575 Balfour Pract. 378.
The mother or the nurice 1584 Edinb. Test. XIII. 274 b.
Nureis 1607 Dundonald Par. Rec. 144.
Jonat Wid, nureise in Clolinand c1616 Hume Orthog. 20.
Nurice, from nutrix, quhilk the south calles nurse 1633 Edinb. Test. LVI. 172.
Helen Boutron nureis … Issobell Steill nurreisuninfl. pl. 1512 Household Bk. Jas. IV 26a.
For mylk to the twa nurreis(b) 1497 Treas. Acc. I. 378.
Noris 1506 Ib. III. 168.
Norises c1552 Lynd. Mon. 3467.
The babbis vpone the noryse kne 1562 Inverness Rec. I. 91.
And ane noreis that fostrit Jannat Cuthbert 1565 Canongate Kirk S. (ed.) 21.
Quhair yit scho is noris 1566 Ib. 50.
Norisses a1628 Carmichael Prov. No. 1710.(c) a1400 Leg. S. xxvi. 40.
One Fryday bot anys wald he The nowrys suk 1590 Crim. Trials I. ii. 193.
Nourrice 1638 Household Bk. M. Stewart 25.
To ane off the nourices(2) a1400 Leg. S. xxvii. 169.
It tyd his noryse for to be Sitand & had hym on hyr kne Ib. xliv. 93.
Hire nowrise 1474 Treas. Acc. I. 39.
To my lordis nurys c1475 Wall. ii. 258.
His fyrst norys … Till him scho come 1500 Treas. Acc. II. 40. 1529 Lynd. Complaynt 83.
Thy nowreis and thy auld maistres 1546 Id. Trag. Card. 189.
That my noryce had smorde me in my cude 1538 Treas. Acc. VII. 122.
The auld Quenys nures 1564 Inverness Rec. I. 119.
My nowris haueand the barne on hyr kne 1590 Crim. Trials I. ii. 195.
Nourrice 1591 Ib. 252.
Jonett Drummond, sumtyme your nwrice Ib.
Your sumtyme nurrice 1597 Edinb. Test. XXXI. 254.
To ilk ane of hir tua nwreisis x li. … to the auld nureis [etc.] 1611–12 Misc. Spald. C. V. 86. 1615 Kirkcudbr. B. Rec. II. 177.
For burding of hir nvreis and barne(3) 1512 Treas. Acc. IV. 340.
To Brounfeildis wyff that suld have beyne nurice to the prince Ib. 356.
To ane nurice to the prince, callit Blakwod 1513 Doug. iv. xi. 100.
Nurys vmquhile to Sychey hir husband Ib. v. xi. 90. ? 1552–3 Balcarres P. 313.
Jaine Syncler, nureis to our soveraine lady 1564 St. A. Kirk S. 193.
Annabell Adeson, nurice to Mr. Robert Ayrth in Couper and harlot to [etc.](4) 1515–16 Treas. Acc. V. 74.
To the vj rokkaris and nurisis of the Kingis and umquhill my lord dukis his brothiris 1533 Boece ii. xii. 84.
The nuris of Eder

b. (To put to) nurse. — c1460 Alex. (Taym.) 175.
Gif I him put to foster and to nurice

c. Applied more generally to the woman (or, in myths etc., female animal) who suckles or has suckled a child, including the natural mother and foster-mothers who are not hired nurses.c1490 Irland Asl. MS. I. 41/6. c1515 Kennedy Ib. II. 272/5.
Nurys to God and moder of fauouris 1513 Doug. i. v. 80.
Than with the glitterand wolf skyn our his aray, Cled in his nurys [Sm. nwreis, Ruddim. nuris; Comm. nuryce] talbert glaid and gay, Romulus [etc.] 1531 Bell. Boece I. lvi.
Ilk moder wes nurice to her awin barne 1568 Skeyne Descr. Pest 44.
As for young barnis … thair nurissis quha giffis thame nutriment [etc.] 1578 Perth Kirk S. MS. 19 May.
And becaws sche is ane nwreis substractis hir from the ciuill pwnisment quhill the barne be fosterit a1628 Carmichael Prov. No. 258.
A yeir a nurice seaven yeirs a daw

d. transf. and e. fig.d. a1500 Henr. Test. Cress. 171.
Juppiter … nureis to all thingis generabill Ib. 199.
Fair Phebus … Tender nureis and banischer of nicht 1558-66 Knox II. 283.
God … commands quenis to be nurisses unto His peoplee. a1499 Contempl. Sinn. 61 (Asl.).
Fader of falset norys of iniquite 1551 Hamilton Cat. 116.
This carnal concupiscence, the mother and nuris of syn a1568 Bann. MS. 225 b/31.
Fair weill the nvreis of gentilnes a1568 Scott i. 221.
Noblest natour, nurice to nurtour 1594 Warrender P. (S.H.S.) II. 261.
Faith … the fosteres and nurice of a blissed marriage

2. Applied to a male person who fosters a child. a1400 Leg. S. xxviii. 85.
Scho … gefine wes to fostir & fede … Til a man … & … scho nedit for to kepe Fore faut of helpe ilke day schepe Of hyre nuryse

3. A woman who tends the sick or injured.Also e.m.E. (1590, Shakesp.) in this sense. a1568 Bann. MS. 107 a/12.
He saw him lyane allace in swoun … Syne for ane nvreis thay send belyfe Quha brocht with hir [etc.]