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

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First published 2001 (DOST Vol. IX).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

Skin, Skyn, n. Also: skine, skyn(e, skinn(e, skynn(e, sken(n, skein, skayne, scyne, schyn, schon. [ME and e.m.E. skinn (Orm), skin (Cursor M.), skyn (Wyclif), skynne (Caxton), ON skinn.] Skin.For many further examples see the Index to Acts XII s.v. Skin.

1. The skin of a person or animal.(1) a1400 Leg. S. ix 290.
The kinge … gerte the apostil … With gret stawis be dongyng sare, & the skyne of hyme be flayne thare a1400 Leg. S. xxviii 277.
Thai … mycht wele thru the skine The guttis se 1456 Hay I 62/4.
The King of Egipt … send him the hede of Pompee and his skyn c1515 Asl. MS I 155/22.
For the son beme bydis allway apon Affrica that it … makis thaim schort of body blak of skyn skirsp of haire c1500-c1512 Dunb. Flyt. 122.
Fy, skolderit skyn, thow art bot skyre and skrumple c1500-c1512 Dunb. Tua Mar. W. 93.
To se him scart his awin skyn grit scunner I think c1536 Lynd. Compl. Bagsche 86.
Ȝit gat he mony bludie wound, As ȝit his skyn wyll schaw the markis 1551 Hamilton Cat. 175.
In the last day I sall ryse up out of the erd … cled with my awin skein and in my awin flesch 1580 Skeyne Descr. Well A4.
The exteriour scabbis … & vther filthines of the skyn 1581-1623 James VI Poems I 161/454.
To hakke his runklid skinn 1655 Dumfries Kirk S. 15 March.
The woman answered that if she and the man hot skins togither he wold soone mend(b) c1500-c1512 Dunb. Tua Mar. W. 107.
With his hard hurcheone scyne [M. skyn] sa heklis he my chekis That as a glemand gleyd glowis my chaftis(c) c1615 Chron. Kings 180.
He wes thortorit be four gritt horsis, bot with grit deficulty gottine in schunderis, quhill that the schon wes cuttit off with rissoris(2) 1456 Hay II 137/30.
The best fische has the maist hard skyn, as is gueddes, perchis, bremes, lussis [etc.] 1513 Doug. ii viii 60.
The edder … with schynand skyn new brerd a1603 Anc. Prophecies 11.
Hurcheon … Shal neuer doun on thy skinne, nor birs be thé left 1684 Law Memor. 177.
[The elephant] has no hair upon the skin of it, but a rough tannie skin(b) 1466 Peebles B. Rec. I 155.
Thai … that brak red fesch to sell the schyn to be brokin wyth the samyn fysch

2. The skin of an animal as stripped from the body and (usu.) dressed or tanned; a hide, pelt or fur.For many further examples of skin in this sense, see various articles devoted to animals or place-names, e.g. Basan n., Brokskin n. , Buge n.¹, Chammoy n., Cunning-skin n., Foumart n., Futefell n., Gaitskin n., Hud(d)roun n. b, Lam n. 1 b, Lamskin n., Marikin(e adj. and n., May skin n., Otter-skin(e n., Rab(b)at n.², S(c)hep(e)-skin n.; and Burdeous, Cordwan(e, Spanȝe, etc. See also the Indexes to the various vols. of Treas. Acc., s.v. Skins.(a) a1400 Leg. S. vii 681.
For nothire wes lewit in that towne Hwnde, … hyde, na skyne, [etc.] 1398 Acts I 212/1.
At thai pay nocht for custume of wol, hydis, na skynnys, atour the som that thai war wont to pay c1390-1434 Sc. Merchandise 116.
The reknyng of the skyns that v^xx makis the C c1420 Bute MS fol. 170.
Of a tymyr of skynnys of toddys, qwhytredys, martrys, kattys, beuaris or swylk vthyr a1500 Henr. Fab. 774.
He tuke his [sc. the fox's] skyn and maid ane recompence a1500 Henr. Fab. 1450.
I had bene deid or slane And syne my skyn bene stoppit full off stra c1475 Wall. x 836.
Out off the holl thai tuk skynnys gud speid a1500 Colk. Sow i 281.
His banair [was] … A flekkit sowis skyn faw 1507 Lanark B. Rec. 17.
The skynis to Cristis Cot, ij s. c1500-c1512 Dunb. (OUP) 127/35.
Lat nevir the soutteris have my skin With uglie gumes to be gnawin c1500-c1512 Dunb. (OUP) 70/21.
My purs is maid of sic ane skyn Thair will na cors byd it within 1508 (c1580) Edinb. B. Rec. I 118.
That na furrouris … steip thair skynis in forehous … nor yitt ding thame on the hiegaitt 1531 Bell. Boece II 152.
Kenneth causit sindry men clad with fische skinnis to pas [etc.] 1538 Treas. Acc. VII 103.
For ane skyne … to be him ane pair of butis 1541 Acta Conc. Publ. Aff. 507.
The custumar of Dunde … to suffer the inhabitantis to pak thar skynnis and claith like as Edinburgh and uthiris burrowis dois 1548 Treas. Acc. IX 178.
For tua skynnes to be ane hois to the sammyn [sc. standard] to keip it fra weit 1549 Compl. 145/5. 1551 Treas. Acc. X 29.
Tway Spanȝe skynnis … to cover ane sadill for the said mule 1559–60 Treas. Acc. XI 12.
To Williame Harlaw saidlar for ane skin of ane monstour fische of the see [£6] 1568 (c1650) Dundee B. Laws 37.
It is statut … that the skinne have the lugges vpon the same 1569-73 Bann. Memor. 134.
Pokis of woull and packis of skynis … brocht fra Leith to the Cannogait for defence of the shutting c1575 Balfour Pract. 78. 1593 Digest Justiciary Proc. P. 8. 1696 Peebles B. Rec. II 155.
William Symsone, … being accused for … killing ane young ew … and … for putting the intralls within the skin c1700 Fugitive Poetry II xli 1/22.
An some had rount apout teir necks Cat skins se praly trest(b) 1517 Selkirk B. Ct. (ed.) 41.
Jhone of Hesleop tuk to preff … xxv schep slauchter skennes be the space of fyw yeris 1572-5 Diurn. Occurr. 215.
Skenis 1575–6 Forres B. Ct.
The haill haw scheip skennis(c) 1535 Treas. Acc. VI 250.
Skaynecoll. sing. 1633 Lithgow Poet. Remains 102.
Salmon, salt, herrings, killing, sethes and colle, With skin, and hyde, transported still to Polle

b. In the phrase under skynnys (L. sub pellibus) = in tents made of, or covered with, skins. 1533 Bell. Livy II 143/5.
The ȝoung men of Rome, exercit in ithand travell and lauboure … growis harde vnder skynnys

c. Skin and (also or, nor) birn (burn): An animal's (usu. a sheep's) skin with (or without) that part bearing the owner's brand (produced as a means of accounting for a dead sheep). Also in fig. application.For further examples see Birn(e n.² 1. 1563 Kinnaird Farm Bk. fol. 22b.
Tway ȝwis that I had nother gottin skyn nor bwrn [transcr. bwon] of 1566 Kinnaird Farm Bk. fol. 40.
Ther is nother skyn nor byrn [transcr. byon] for v scheip 1566–7 Reg. Privy S. V ii 325/1.
Guidis … of the quhilkis he sal be haldin to gif compt … or ellis the mark skin or byrn thairof 1662 J. Livingstone in Sel. Biog. I 205.
He will make answer for them: it shall not be skin and birn, but a fair and comely flock weell washen in his own blood 1685-8 Renwick Serm. 461.
A man requires no more of his shepherd, but either that he will restore every one of his sheep, else give skin and burn, as we use to say, of what is in-lacking

d. comb.(1) 1611 Dunferm. B. Rec. II 89.
Andro Stewart to have utterit contemptuous … langage … in saying, ‘Is that skinpriker comand to dimand me to ward?’ 1612 Bk. Rates (Halyb.) 296.
Skinn craip the dozen elnis viii li. (2) 1576 Edinb. Test. IV 155.
Ane dosane … of skin threid price iiij s. vj d.(3) 1559 Edinb. B. Rec. III 52.
The act maid of befoir for doun taking of the skyn merkatt … to the Freir Wynd heid 1596 Edinb. Test. XXIX 320.
Lyand in the skyn loft iiij^c lxxij schepe skynnis(4) 1586 Edinb. Test. XV 206b.
Aucht stane of skyn woll price of the stane xl s. 1649 Edinb. Test. LXIV 116.
xxiiij staine of round skine woull … tuentie nyn staine small skine wooll

3. Parchment skin, skin of parchment, an animal skin dressed and prepared for writing on; a piece of parchment or vellum. See Parchemyn n. (1) (b) and b, and Parchment n. b and c.

4. In a number of idiomatic expressions: a. To have (another's) skin, ? to bring about the death of, to kill. 1601 Melvill 494.
My commissioun … hes brought me in extream danger of my lyff, wharfor I beseik you burding me na mair with it, unles yie wald have my skine

b. To sleep in haill skin, to escape injury, remain unscathed. a1500 Henr. Fab. 1030.
Me think it better To sleip in haill nor in ane hurt skyn

c. In his skin: With preceding ppl. adj., denoting a state of rage or fury. c1420 Wynt. vi 1977.
Makbeth … Lyk all wrythyn in hys skyn a1568 Bann. MS 263b/13.
Than is scho blyith quhen he is in his skin Bowdin for baill

d. Skin and bone, extreme emaciation, caused by deprivation. a1568 Scott xxi 6.
The tormenting in tym bygon That skers hes left bot skin and bon

e. With the skin on one's teeth, with great difficulty; narrowly, barely. 1660–90 J. Walwood in P. Gillespie Rulers Sins (1718) 15.
If folk win to heaven, its very well if ye escape with the skin on your teeth

f. (Wet) to the skin, through all one's clothes as far as the skin; completely, through and through. a1605 Montg. Sonn. lxvi 7.
Draiglit in dirt, vhylis wat evin to the [skin] 1642 A Second Discovery by the Northern Scout 12.
A Scottish mist will wet an English man to the skinne

5. Something resembling, or performing a similar function to, skin. a. False skin, ? an artificial, counterfeit or imitation skin. 1675 Dunkeld Presb. II 470.
The Session was weell satisfied therwith, and ordained a false skin to be put upon a [blank] given for bringing it out of Dundie

b. Peel, rind. 1683–4 Stirling B. Rec. II 325.
Ane pound of confected limmens and orrange skines

c. A thin sheet of gold or gold leaf. 1503 Treas. Acc. II 203.
For ane skin of go[l]d to the samyn sadil, iiij s. 1506–7 Treas. Acc. III 361.
For tua gold skinnis to the play cotis 1547 Perth Guildry p. 253 (14 Oct.).
He coft to Petir Grant four barrallis irne and the remanis in v skynnis of card gold 1581 Edinb. Test. IX 185b.
Sex dosane of gold skynnis price of the dosane x s.