A Dictionary of the Older Scottish Tongue (up to 1700)
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First published 1983 (DOST Vol. V).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
Quotation dates: 1535-1662
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Pas-, Pesment, n.1 Also: passe-, pais-, past-, pese-, pest-, pos- and -mant, -mont, -mond pasiment, pessiment, passament. [F. passement the action of passing (13th c. in Hatz.-Darm.), in this sense (1539), f. passer Pas v.; e.m.E. passement (1589), also passament-lace (1585), pasmain-lace (1548). Cf. also Parsment n.]
(A) decorative trimming or edging of lace, braid, etc.; (a passement.Freq plur., sometimes in collective sense.Freq. of gold, silver or silk, but also of other stuffs.For further instances, see Chakkerit a., Clinkand a., Clinkard n. and a., Filosoune, Halbert n. c, Hat n. 3, Jour n., Laceing vbl. n. d, Lillikin(e n., Luggit a. 2 b, etc., also the Indexes to Treas. Acc. VI ff.sing. (1) 1535 Treasurer's Accounts VI. 252.
Ane pasmant of gold 1536 Ib. 279.
To be ane pasmont to begary the said goune … xiiij grete hankis and ane quarter hank gold … To ane Franchemen for wefyng of the said pasmont 1539 Inv. Wardrobe 32. 1561 Ib. 124.
Ane bed … pasmentit with a pasment maid of gold and silver 1590 Thanes of Cawdor 198.
For ane drap veycht of silk and setting on the pesment [of a hat] therewith 1607 Misc. Maitl. C. I. 183.
For ane goldin pestment 1622 Edinburgh Testaments LI. 282.
Ane dowblet … with ane silk pasment in all places 1634 Rutherford Lett. (1675) 451.
Be content … to be adding and sowing-to a pasment to your wedding garment(2) 1567 Hay Fleming Q. Mary 511.
Of pasment of gold to bordour the said goune 1606 Criminal Trials II. 508.
Ane ryding cloik … of broun cullerit claith wrocht with siluer pasmentplur. (a) (1) 1537 Treasurer's Accounts VI. 339.
Aucht unce of trases of gold … to lay about the edgeis of the pasmontis 1538 Ib. VII. 6.
For … blak skinnis of Nice to furr the kingis grace blak welvet goune with pasmontis 1538 Ib. 26.
Ane coit … wytht pasmondis lynit witht freis 1541 Ib. VIII. 21. 1541–2 Ib. VIII. 50, etc.
For gold to be pasmentis to the cover and poyk [of the book] 1574 Edinburgh Testaments III. 143 b.
Fyftene rowis of blak braid pasmentis with ane grene list 1575 Bk. Univ. Kirk I. 335.
In the ministers … we thinke … vnseimlie … all kynd of costlie sewing on pasments 1581 Acts III. 220/2. 1586 Edinburgh Testaments XV. 64 b.
xx ellis of lytill narrow pasmentis for hatt lippis 1586 Ib. 199 b.
Tua pund … of bordouring pasmentis c1590 Fowler II. 181/16.
A fair high pale … laid on with rich pasments 1601 Hist. Fam. Seton 585.
My chamlet silk goun with the ȝeit pasmentis 1608 Tailor's Acc. Bk. A. 61.
Twa boultis of orange and broun Italynis pasmentis 1624 Edinb. B. Rec. VI. 252.
The … retailling of all pasmentis, laine, camrage and siclyik gildrie wair(2) 1538 Treasurer's Accounts VI. 425.
Ane pair of hois quhilkis wer wattit with watting pasmontis of gold 1562 Ib. XI. 173.
For the weifing of … silver pasmentis 1565–6 Ib. 460.
Twa unce of ȝallow silk to steik on the gold pasmentis 1578 Inv. Wardrobe 219. 1598 Edinburgh Testaments XXXI. 322.
xxxvij elnes counterfute silwer pasmentis 1603 Treasurer's Accounts MS. 273 b.
Siluir pasmentis to this vaskin(3) 1538 Treasurer's Accounts VII. 109.
For twa unce of pasmentis of silk 1552 Ib. X. 140. 1567 Ib. XII. 50.
Serge pasmentis 1575 Dumfries B. Ct. 25 Oct.
Of welvot pasments … price of the vnce viij s. vj d. 1581 Edinburgh Testaments IX. 184 b.
Marlit worsat pasmentis 1584 Ib. XIV. 132 b.
Ane pund … satyne pasmentis 1590 St. A. B. Ct. 28 Apr.
Fourtie twa ellis of blak and blew pasmenttis of silk 1592 Edinburgh Testaments XXIV. 357.
Fywe vnce … of ballinȝe pasmentis 1597 Ib. XXX. 162 b.
Pasmonteis 1600 Treasurer's Accounts MS. 77 b.
Grene wirset pasmentis to be latchettis abone the silk pasmentis 1610 Edinburgh Testaments XLVI. 166.
Nyne boltis of luggit mixit Pareis pasmentis a1651 Calderwood VII. 492. 1662 Edinb. B. Rec. IX. 309.(b) 1580 Treasurer's Accounts MS. 36 (2).
Paismentis 1631 Tailor's Acc. Bk. B. 11.
Ane govne [etc.] … with twa paismentis(c) 1589 12th Rep. Hist. MSS. App. viii. 105.
3 vnce of sarge passementis to end out the goune 1590 St. A. B. Ct. 28 Apr.
Elevin ellis … of small velwott passementtis(d) 1560 Aberd. B. Rec. MS. XXIV (Jam.).
Ane casakene of dammas with pesmentis of siluir 1586-7 Acc. Lady Bellenden 5.
Sma satin pesementis 1610–12 Mylne Master Masons 104.
A cloak … withe twa pestmentis 1624 Brechin Testaments IV. 146.
Ane gowne of paragone with thrie pesmentis silk vpon all partis tharof 1632–3 Misc. Spald. C. V. 104.
Pesments 1633 Linlithgow B. Rec. 6 May.
Cameil hear pesmentis off blew and quhyt for pesmenting of thame c1650 Spalding I. 34.
Pestmentis(e) 1591–2 Burntisland B. Ct. 17 Mar.
For stameine and posmentis off silk 1647 Acts VI. i. 727/2.
For all sortis of … ribbens pearling leace and posmantis of silk silver gold worsett or threid … imported for sale(f) 1593 Lennox Mun. 463.
Any clething … that salbe ony wys begaried, laid ower, or smered with ony kynd of pasimentis greit or small [etc.] 1598–9 Aberd. Sheriff Ct. I. 385.
Pessiments 1619 Ritchie Ch. S. Baldred 116.
He had broun claiths and black passaments on him
b. Attrib. with -silk and comb. with -makar, -weifar (= weaver) and -worker. — 1546 Aberd. B. Rec. I. 239.
Half ane pund of blak pastment silk — 1610 Reg. Privy C. IX. 92.
The provest of Edinburgh wes ordanit to present to the Counsell of Edinburgh the articlis gevin in be the pasment-makaris 1622 Index Edinb. Test. II. 380.
Hendrie Stallers, pasment-weifar 1622 Edinb. Marriages 8.
Pasment weaver 1622 Ib. 124.
Pasment worker
c. fig. An adornment. c1590 Fowler I. 16/12.
A store of … historeis, enbelleshed … with the curious pasmentis of poesie [etc.] 1637 Rutherford Lett. (1671) 177.
This world's passements & their buskings
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"Pesment n.1". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 14 Dec 2025 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/dost/pesment_n>


