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 1983 (DOST Vol. V).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

Pend, n.¹ Also: pende; peind; also Pen(n. [Appar. f. Pend v.¹ Only Sc.Also in later Sc.; also mod. north. Eng. dial. (Cum.) (= block of sandstone), and north. Ir. dial. (= conduit).]

1. a. An arch; an arched roof, vault or canopy. Also fig.? Sometimes applied to a whole structure, including the supporting side walls or buttresses. 1454 Liber Coll. Glasg. 178.
Thair bodyis and banys tyll be sepulturyt at the north end of the said alter … and tyll mak a pend as he or thai lykis 1511–12 Reg. Privy S. I. 359/2.
To flit the pend of the said Frere Wynd for making of neidfull asiamentis in the sammyn [tenement] 1512 Old Ross-shire II. 56.
Putting in the said syde-wall [of the foreland of an Edinburgh tenement] endis of dormentis & geistis cuppling & puttis of pendis 1529 Reg. Episc. Aberd. I. 395.
Ane substantious brig … with pillaris pendis doubill. brasis battaling and cawseis 1533 Bell. Livy II. 248.
Ane cheriot to be sylit in maner of ane pend abone thare heid 1535 Stewart 33556.
That tyme on Forth thair wes ane brig of tre, But pend or piller, vpone trestis hie 1538–9 Edinb. Guild Ct. 4 Mar.
The said maister Johnis tenement … is biggit vpon geistis liand vpon pendis & brasis our the clois betuix thair hous & his 15.. Lichtoun Dreme 18.
I … kest my self richt with ane michtie bend Put throuch the volt and pressit nocht the pend 1558 Treas. Acc. X. 440.
[4,000] tyld to be ane pend and ane sole to ane furnes 1572-5 Diurn. Occurr. 211.
The men of weare of the steipill slappit all the pendis of the kirk 1579, 1617 Despauter (1579).
Fornix, a pend or vout 1589 Trans. Edinb. Archit. IX. 130.
The said Thomas … sall bring on ane cumlie and perfite pend abone the port 1610 Hilderstoun Silver Mines III. 28 b.
Irne … to lay vnder the pend of the melting furnace 1610 Crim. Trials III. 91. 1616 Aberd. B. Rec. II. 338.
And vpoun the foirsaid wall the said Thomas sall big … twa pilleris and thrie bowis, fynelie wrocht with chapture heidis at the beginning of the symmeris of the pendis … and betuixt the pendis to mak sic hewin wark … as [etc.] 1618 M. Works Acc. (ed.) II. 115 (see Divelling). 1625 Cramond Ch. Boyndie 9.
That no seat be set in the entrie of the queir beneth the pend 1629 M. Works Acc. (ed.) II. 256.
That the pendis, skonschonis and mid mingallis of the haill windowis be all weill layit over [etc.] c1650 Spalding I. 313.
The sylring at the wastend of the pend quhairon the gryte stepill standis 1653 Ellon Par. 142.
For 20 dailes to close the pend of the Cheynes ile 1672 Soc. Ant. XIV. 330.
Windoores and doores fynlie arched with streight pends 1673 Aberd. B. Rec. IV. 285.
Hade laitlie, in the night tyme, brocken the vpper part of the pend of the said tolbuith and chamber wherin they wer 1683 Craven Ch. in Orkney I. 103. 1683 Martine Reliq. Divi Andreae 185.
Of these pinnacles two stood on the west gavell where was an entrie to the church and were … joined by a vault or pend 1688 Tryal Philip Standsfield 31.
That like a pend every part of it supports another 1694 Logie Par. Hist. I. 320.
For stones to build the pend of the church yeard styl and the louping on stone 1699 Old Ross-shire I. 195.
As many … hewin stones … as will serve a stone pend clost without cupples to the bridge of Belnagowne 1700 Edinb. B. Rec. XII. 264.
The manner of the former pends of the meal mercat being too low

fig. Said of the sky. — 1587-99 Hume 27/65.
Begaried is the saphire pend [: end] With spraings of skarlet hew

b. Passing into: An arched or vaulted opening or passage; an archway, as of a bridge, culvert, etc.(a) 1535–6 M. Works Acc. (ed.) I. 186.
In maid irne werk … [to] the yet toure abone the gret pend 1539 Selkirk B. Ct. (ed.) 209.
One to the tyme the vicar … deliver the keis of the stepill and the pende in the kirk maisteris handis 1569 Canongate Ct. Bk. 27.
Occupiar of ane uther foir hous with ane pend and bakhous Ib. 115.
For the … maill of ane laich pend occupiit be hir 1571 Prot. Bk. A. Millar 8.
The keiching abone the clos and pend 1588 Old Dundee I. 216.
Gif it sall happen the town to raise ony new wark upon the pend that putts to the said gavel 1589–90 Mylne Master Masons 67.
Hichtand the samin [front wall] abone the pend of the yett and cover the said pend with flag stanis 16.. Hist. Kennedy 12. 1609 Reg. Privy C. VIII. 336.
[The bridge of Leswade being] now … verie fer decayit [as well in] the pend as in the puttis 1614 Chron. Perth 15.
The north west pend and bow of the brige of Erne fell down being eveill biggit, … fillit onlie with clay and ȝeard and but ony blind pend as the brig of Tay hes bene in the samen manner foundeit 1619 Garden Elphinstoun 2105.
The Brige ou'r Dea … Knit clos with quadrat stones … Of these the pend, with arches sevene Supported is and borne 1644 Misc. Maitl. C. II. 214.
To win stanes for bigging a pend to the brig of Scapa 1668 Lauder Jrnl. 184.
Ye enter into the court by a great pend most curiously built 1678 M.P. Brown Suppl. Decis. III. 228.]
[That Garmilton should make a stone pend in the park-dyke, sufficient to let the water go out, not being of that wideness to let in or out beasts 1683 Lauder Observes 89.
In the pend or cell ther are six lead coffins 16.. Macfarlane's Geog. Coll. III. 232.
To this castle we go down a pend from the continent or firm ground which it seems hath been digged and made passable and is laid with a causey 1709 Stirling B. Rec. II. 118.
To cause build ane sufficient ston pend of frie ston over the Raploch burn(b) 1535–6 M. Works Acc. (ed.) I. 187.
The litill garding chalmer lychtis abone the peind

2. Pend-stones (Pend-stane n.) or vault-stones collectively; also, the stone-work of an arch or vault. a. Chiefly uninfl. as coll. b. In plur.a. (a) 1529 M. Works Acc. (ed.) I. 7.
For certane walstane and pend of the quarell Salisberry 1529–30 Ib. 30. Ib. 32.
Wynnand nowellis pend ande wal stane 1530 Ib. 54. 1555–6 Edinb. Old Acc. I. 179.
For twa dozane pend vij s. 1591 Edinb. D. Guild Acc. 434.
For half ane hundreth pend 1610 Aberd. B. Rec. II. 299.
The vtter course [of a bridge structure] of hewin wark, outlairis, and the pend of baythe the bowes to be of roche wark within 1611 Macgibbon & Ross V. 5.
The sydewall of the maynehous to the kithching braiss being saxtein futtis within the walls … compting twa elnes for sewin fuittis with the odyer pend 1615–16 M. Works Acc. (ed.) I. 362.
For leiding pend to the owen in the abbay xxviii s. 1616 Ib. II. 2.
To the horsmen for leiding of [154] dubill pend at x lib. the hundreth 1622 Ib. 147.
For leading and winning of xlii peit stanes to the abbay to be coostis and pend for my Lord of Maris oven 1633 Ib. 314.
Fourtie odger pend at ii s. vi d. the peice(b) 1535–6 M. Works Acc. (ed.) I. 147.
Fra … the quarrell Salusbery … wall stanis flaggis rouch peind and certane band aslarisb. 1538 Aberd. B. Rec. MS. XVI. (J).
Thre dossand of bandstanis & thre leid of pendis

3. Attrib. or comb. in sense 1. a. Of an arch or archway. b. Pend ȝet, an arched gate, a gate which has an arch over it.Also Pend-stane.a. 1578 Edinb. B. Rec. IV. 75.
Aucht wyndois ovircastin with pend stanchellis beittit and crukit be the said William 1635 Glasgow B. Rec. II. 31.
To sweip and keep clein … the pend heidis and pillar heidis abone the counsall saitb. 1632 Black Bk. Taymouth 74.
Ane dyke … about the … chappell yaird of Finlarg quhilk hes ane fair entrie from the grein be ane pend ȝett