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: 1566-1700
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Pit(t)ard, -art, n. Also: -airt; petar, pettor; pettarat; puttar, putter. [e.m.E. petard (1598), -ar, -arr(e (16th c.), F. pétard, -art, pl. -ars (1580 in Littré), f. péter to fart.] A petard.A bell-shaped or cubical engine of war which, charged with powder and fired by a fuse, was used to blow in a door, make a breach in a wall, etc.(a) 1566 Treasurer's Accounts XII. 407.
For twelf dosone of fusees … and half ane hundreth pettaratis, the poulder fourneist to him(b) 1603 Lett. & St. P. Jas. VI 44.
It [sc. Geneva] shuld haue bein takin be ane pitard 1606 Birnie Kirk-b. xix.
That lyke a pittard hes more pith nor all the rest whatsoeuer c1610 Melville Mem. 409.
The Erle Bodowell at his commyng had pittardis to brek vp ȝetis and durris 1639 Baillie I. 195.
A pittard is sett to the outter gate, and is blown up 1640 Ruthven Corr. 67.
Ane greit pittard and ane small pittard 1700 Moncreiffs 370.(c) 1602 Reg. Privy C. VI. 491.
Chargeing all … subjectis … quha hes … pittartis … that they … deliver the same pittairtis before his majestie … that nane … tak upoun hand to use … pittairtis … and … that nane of thame [sc. craftsmen] … mak or mend … pittartis 1603 Ib. 519.
[An] unlauchfull ingyne of weir callit the pittart 1610 Ib. IX. 14.
In the executioun of this commissioun to beir, weir, and use hagbutis, pistolletis, and pittartis(d) 1614 Bk. Islay 178.
There wilbe some necessary use of petarres in this service 1636 Thanes of Cawdor 281.
Twa keil pettoris of brace(e)1646 Dumfries Treas. Acc. MS 21.
To Thomas Andersone for bringing out the twa cannons & the putter out of the water c1650 Spalding I 297.
He had … six puttaris or schort peices of ordinans
