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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.

Stank, n.¹ Also: stanke, stanck(e, stonk, stunk, stang. [ME and e.m.E. stank, stang (both Cursor M.), staunk (1358), stange (Caxton), stanck(e (1603), OF estanc, med. L. sta(n)gnum, stancum (*1086 and c1472 in Latham).]

1. A pond; freq. one specially built or used for keeping fish and, as such, one of the appurtenances of an estate; a pool or other piece of standing water smaller than a loch. b. A stretch of slow-moving water, a ditch; a sluggish stream or river. c. A moat.Also in place-names. 12… Reg. Dunferm. 223.
Usque le Castilstank 1397 Rot. Sc. II 142/2.
Ceste endenture faite a Hawedenstank 1398 Rot. Sc. II 143/2.
Apud Houden Stanka., b. (1) 1195 Lindores Chart. 4.
[In aquis et molendinis in stangnis et uiuariis et piscariis 1304 Reg. Episc. Aberd. I 39.
Tenendam et habendam … in moris et maresiis in stangnis et molendinis 1451 Reg. Episc. Morav. 224.]
In boscis … aquis stangnis a1400 Leg. S. ii 349.
The men thar by purpos has tane To dry the stank 1386 Slater Early Sc. Texts No. 10.
The forsaide landis with al appertenances … in wais in roddis in vivaris in stankis in muris in marras [etc.] c1420 Wynt. v 4407. 14.. Acts I 109/2.
Al thai that hes cruffis or fyschingis or stankis or mylnys in watteris quhar … the ȝong salmondis or smoltis … cumis and gangis 1441 (1449–50) Reg. Great S. 69/2.
Watteris, ways, roddis, stankis, pasturis c1460 Wisd. Sol. (STS) 71.
I maid stankis to fisch, and wattiris to ryne in wodis and medewis 1461 Liber Plusc. 382.
Fill burnis wellis reueris and fontayns Baith stankis and louchis and waleis of montayns 1498 Treas. Acc. I 386.
To the stankis casting 1502 Treas. Acc. II 145.
To the fischair … that brocht … fisch to the loch and stankis in Strivelin, v s. 1505–6 Treas. Acc. III 186.
To ane othir fischair brocht lamper elis and pikis to the stankis of Strivelin, v s. 1513 Doug. vii iii 5.
Spyis … fand ane stank that flowyt from a well … This was the flude of Tibir thai had fund [L. haec fontis stagna … hunc Thybrim fluvium] c1520-c1535 Nisbet Luke v 2.
Twa bootis standing beside the pule (or stank) 1533 Boece 579.
The Erle of Marche … with his hoist … movit fordwart to Perth … filling the fowssyis and grathing passage oure the stankis 1532 Selkirk B. Ct. (ed.) 127.
All heidrowmes and stankis quhair thai be within or outoucht our burgh to be maid and casting substantiouslie 1536 Fam. Rose 204.
Yardis, gardingis … ayles, heggingis, and stankis, and all werkis pertenyng to ane gardner 1539 Treas. Acc. VII 160.
Deliverit to the gardenar of the abbay to by pykis to the stankis witht xx s. 1553–4 Edinb. B. Rec. II 283.
Payit to viij men that kost the lang stank on the syde of the North Loch, be-eist Mr. John Thortonis yaird c1563 Reg. Panmure I cxlv.
Ane wther stank standine at the east end of that foussey 1574 Glasgow B. Rec. (MC) 12.
That the said Thomas stank to be maid rys na hichtar nor the said maister Dauidis seller flure a1578 Pitsc. I 337/7. a1595 Descr. Isles 435.
Thay will cast ane fowssie or stank throw the … moss, quhairby the water may easier pas away 1589 Exch. R. XXII 41.
For casting aud redding of the auld and new stankis about the medowis of Falkland 1597–8 Reg. Great S. 214/2.
Fossam lie stank or dyk prope metas 1603 Reg. Great S. 542/1.
Lie puile sive stank 1609 Skene Reg. Maj. ii 56b.
Of standand water in stankis 1619 Kirkcudbr. B. Rec. II 244.
The stank and seuche betuix ther ȝairdis 1623 Kirkcudbr. B. Rec. II 285.
John Cannane ordanit to clange his stank or ellis to tyne the samen 1624 Falkirk Par. Rec. I 47. 1622-6 Bisset II 255/3.
[? The letting of] stankis is in season frome the middist of September, to the middist of Merche etc. 1629 Inverness Rec. II 167.
Stanck [pr. stauck] 1638 Aboyne Rec. 281.
Mosses mures gates rods waters stanks springs meadowes c1641–54 J. Gordon in Macfarlane's Geog. Coll. II 551.
The high hill of Bhearnish with the haughis and stank therof a1646 Wedderburn Voc. (1709) 5.
Stagnum, a ditch or stank 1647 Glasgow B. Rec. II 115.
To caus pleughe and harrow [the] Grein … and to mack it evine and to dres about the stanke 1660 Lamont Diary 124.
The stanks about Lundy were cast, viz. vpward from the Links to the Dowcat Wynde, and from thence round about the Birks, and vpward to the Whynny Knowe 1666 Kirkcaldy B. Rec. MS 8 Jan.
To mairche thair mosse in such a maner that thair may be a dich and stank of such breidth that all occasiones of discords may be taken away 1668 Kirkcudbr. Sheriff Ct. Deeds I 226.
Stancke 1673 E. Loth. Antiq. Soc. II 19.
For … laying of the syver in the stank at the east syde of the builing green 1679 Russell Account 442.
There was a great gutter like a stank 1688 Monimail Reg. Ct. 16 May (see 5 (3) below). 1689 Foulis Acc. Bk. 107.
At carting the flags for the stanks 16… Macfarlane's Geog. Coll. III 111.
Peffer is rather a stank than a water … and has two mouths; one running in the sea at … Lufness and the other … near Tininghame and is passable in very few places in the winter(b) c1630 Macfarlane's Geog. Coll. II 165.
It is now one litle logh being but ane stunk before when the illand was in the midst of it(c) 1543 Charter (Reg. H.) C.O. No. 100.
The landis … tilbe brukit … with toftis croftis mossis myris marrassis stangis burnis ryveres … pertenand to the samyn(2) 14.. Acts I 334/2.
Thai tak smoltis in the myll stank again the inhibicioun of law 1451 Ayr B. Ct. 4 Oct.
And the landis next Donald Glwuer on the ta part & the common stank on the tothir part 1478 Liber Aberbr. II 178.
The commone stank off the said burgh 1563 Linlithgow Sheriff Ct. 22 April.
Thre riggis land liand … betuix … the vatter stank on the south 1566 Inchaffray Reg. 128.
To the lang medo stank 1573 Grey Friars 96.
The frier stank benorth the water 1582 Perth B. Ct. 27 Nov.
The inner land … betuix … the passage of the spey stank on the south 1604-31 Craig ii 64.
To stinke like stigian stanks at Hell 1637 Lithgow Siege Breda 5.
They also hemb'd in upon the brink of the water-stank with a strong double hedge of thornes 1676 Kirkcudbr. B. Rec. MS 28 Sept.
The common stanks of the said burghec. 1535 Stewart 6734.
Ane nobill toun … wallit … with lyme and stone With dowbill stank and fowsseis mony one 1535 Stewart 12754.
Quhair that the Romanis had thair strenthis maid With stankis greit and mony foussie braid 1535 Stewart 13762.
To force the wall, wes maid on euirilk syde Stankis rycht strang that wer bayth deip and wyde a1540 Freiris Berw. 10 (B).
For it is wallit weill abowt with stane, And dowbill stankis castin mony ane

d. transf. Hell, seen as a pool of everlasting fire. 1554 Knox III 213.
Sathan and his adherentis … sal be casten in the stank [1st edn. stanke or lake] burning with fire whilk never sal be quencheit

2. The area of ground around a pond or a number of ponds; passing into a place-name in Stank of Fowles. 1589 Perth Kirk S. in Lawson Bk. Perth 183.
The sabbath-day is broken by such as carry loads through the stanks 1590 Crim. Trials I ii 194.
Sche saw Williame M^cGilliewareycht-dame, about Pasch, … delyuer to theé … ane buist of wichcraft, within the Stank of Fowles 1590 Crim. Trials I ii 195.
He … delyuerit itt to theé … within Stank of Fowles 1688 Newton Community Bk. 6b.
The grass of the stankis including the gaitsyde short & long are roped to Mungo Ramsay 1700 Foulis Acc. Bk. 273.
Thar is 3 plum imps in the wester stank in the north border of the quarter 17… Hay Geneal. Sainteclaires 136.
The whole body of gypsies were, of old, accustomed to gather in the stanks of Roslin every year, where they acted severall plays

3. ? A pothole, puddle or wet or marshy stretch of road, or perhaps, esp. in the quot. for 1627, merely further examples of sense 1. 1627 Reg. Privy C. 2 Ser. II 163.
[They] dang the loades aff the horsebacke into deepe myres and stonkes sua that the same wes … spoyled 1684 Edinb. City Archives Letters II (28).
She wes necessitat to walk as good as four myles on foot and that above the knee in sknow and many bad stanks met with

4. Appar. an anchorage. 1688 Smout Sc. Trade 294.
When it pleaseth God to send you to the stang of the Wingitt [sc. Vinga, an island off Gothenburg], ye may stop a tyde ther

5. attrib. With braa (Bra n. 1), syd, yaird; caster. Also with way, ? in a fashion so as to make a ‘stank’ rather than a hole.(1) 1579 (1581) Reg. Great S. 73/1.
And thairfra passand south as the stank bra on the eist syde of the stank lyis [etc.] … and thairfra passand west about as the new stank braa lyis … and thairfra … north as the stank braa on the west syde of the stank lyis [etc.] 1592 Marischal Coll. Rec. I 17.
Totam et integrum illum hortum lie stank yaird 1656 Brodie Diary 184.
I lay down on a filthi stank syd, and was feard for teads, and asks 1679 Russell Account 443.
Presently Clavers advanced all in a body to the stank bree(2) 1498 Treas. Acc. I 386.
To Schir Johne Ramsay, he gaif the stankis castaris in Striuelin, be the kingis command, ix s. 1625 M. Works Acc. (ed.) II 167.
The stank casteris in the park(3) 1688 Monimail Reg. Ct. 16 May.
The said day ordaines the heall tennents of Lethem to read the stanks in Lethem myre and what peats they cast to cast them stank way and not in hols