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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.

Stot, Stoit, n.¹ Also: stott, stote, stoitt, stoyt, stuit, stoat, stoot. [ME and e.m.E. stott- (1222), stot (Chaucer), stotte (c1450), OE stot(t. Cf. ON stútr bull.] A young male (? usually, castrated) ox; a steer, bullock.Freq. qualified, apparently redundantly, by young. Also (chiefly in testamentary records) with qualifiers describing the colour or appearance, and with specification of age.It is unclear whether stot in the quot. 1456 Exch. R. VI. 160 is sing. or uninfl. pl.(1) c1390 Reg. Morton I App. xl.
Thou come with otheris with thé … and … tuk away twenty-one beistis oxin and ky stotis and grys 1456 Exch. R. VI 160.
Onerat se de … v bobus cum le stot iiij vaccis j celdra avenarum a1500 Henr. Fab. 2237.
Happinnit him … to follou furth his feir Vnto the pleuch, … and he His stottis he straucht with Benedicite 1502 Acta Conc. III 180.
Ane ox five ky and a stot takin … furth of the sadis landis of the Glen 1513 Doug. vi i 69.
Sevin ȝong stottis, that ȝok bur nevir nane 1515 Swintons 39.
[9 young oxen commonly called] stotts, [48 young sheep,] commonly called gimmers, and dynmonts, [and 140 young sheep], commonly called hoggs 1531–2 Selkirk B. Ct. (ed.) 118.
In presens of alderman, bailyeis, inquisitouris, that yong stot vas presentit in tolbutht and apprysit laufully be thir four famos men … to the soum of xxii s. 15.. Wyf Awcht. 100.
Scho … stowtly steird the stottis abowt 1562 Dumfries B. Ct. 130b.
Stott 1573 Edinb. Test. I 339.
Ane copnow stott price xxvj s. viij d. a1699 Skene Agric. MS (ed.) 68.
Magdalen day in Lithgoue … is good to buy ather oxen ky or quayis or stirks or yong stotts or horse 1696 Kirkcudbr. Sheriff Ct. Deeds II 655 (19 Dec.).
Eighteen heids of kyne queyes and stotts — 1591 Edinb. Test. XXIII 20b.
Tua libbet bull stottisuninfl. pl. 1531 Ex. Processes (Reg. H) No. ii.
Johnne Simsoune … and Thomas Brovne … apprisit the … halff the saidis stott and quy to ij markis and ane half(b) 1556 Crail B. Ct. 15.
Dauid Batoun … has apprisit and rowpit ane kow ane stoyt ane quhy summa the hayll v merkis ?1588 Kinnaird Farm Bk. 111a.
Of stoitis 1594 Crim. Trials I ii 345.
Fyve stoittis, and queyis of three yeir auld 1627 Paterson Ayr & Wigton II 258.
Twa ky and ane stoitt, pryce of the piece xii lib.(c) 1564–75 Hamilton & Campsie Test. I 45b.
Tua ȝoung stuittis(d) 1672 Kirkcudbr. Sheriff Ct. Processes No. 145.
Stoot(e) 1654 Kirkcudbr. Test. (Reg. H.) May.
Ane kow and ane stoat ilk ane of thame … worth tuentie fyve pounds 1697 Kirkcudbr. Test. (Reg. H.) 27 Nov.
£7 Scots as the pryce of ane stoat(2) 1541 Prot. Bk. J. Chepman No. 30.
One hawkit stot, one garit stot and one garit quy 1549 Prot. Bk. Sir A. Gaw 6 (see (3) below). 1574 Edinb. Test. III 206.
Ane garit stott of tua ȝeir auld 1581 Edinb. Test. X 184.
Ane quhyt sydit stot 1595 Edinb. Test. XXVIII 332b.
xiiij ky with sevin followeris & ane hair stott 1621 Brechin Test. IV 56b.
Ane haird stott of tua ȝeir auld 1637 Brechin Test. V 234b.
Ane black humble stott 1645 Edinb. Test. LXI 109.
Ane black kippit stott Pleugh-song in 1662 Forbes Cantus (1666).
The red stot & the dun 1687 Kirkcudbr. Sheriff Ct. Deeds II 256.
Twa reid stots and twa blak stots(3) 1488 Acta Aud. 119/2.
xvj stottis a ȝere aulde 1547 Misc. Spald. C. V 311.
An ox of four ȝeir ald, … four stots of three ȝeir auld 1549 Prot. Bk. Sir A. Gaw 6.
Thre stottis of ȝeir aldis … and ane beld stot of ii ȝeir ald 1567 Edinb. Test. I 3.
Ane stot of foure ȝeir auld 1564–75 Hamilton & Campsie Test. I 45b.
Ane uther stote of thre ȝeir auld 1574 Edinb. Test. III 206 (see 2 above). 1596 Brechin Test. I 148b.
Ane stoit of tua ȝeir auld 1621 Brechin Test. IV 56b (see 2 above). 1679 Kirkcudbr. Sheriff Ct. Deeds II 85 (28 Nov.).
Ane twa year old quoy, ane stirk, four four year old stots 1688 Kirkcudbr. Test. (Reg. H.) 16 July.
Twa twa yeir auld stotes — 1612 Orkney Test. and Inv. 74.
1 ox stot of twa yeir auld

b. In proverb. and quasi-proverb. usages. a1605 Montg. Ch. & Slae 1100 (Wr.).
The man may able tine a stot Who cannot count his kinch c1590 J. Stewart II 9/36.
To sport ȝour hienes vith my ruid reherse, In hoip of pardon thocht sum stots I tyn a1628 Carmichael Prov. No. 926.
It is ill to gar a cow danse and keip all the stots

c. attrib. With beist, coldoch (Coldoch n.), oxin.Some quots. in Stud(e n. 2 may belong here. 1573 Edinb. Test. II 356b.
Nyne ȝoung stot oxin price of the pece iiij li. vij s. 1606 Edinb. Test. XLI 298b.
Ane stot beist of the riggit kow 1606 Edinb. Test. XLI 298b.
Ane stot beist quhyt mouthit 1638 Dumfries Test. I 3.
Ane stot beist of twa yeir auld 1655 Galloway P. 12 June.
Twa three ȝeir old stotts beasts 1668 Kirkcudbr. Test. (Reg. H.) 15 Jan.
She leawes the stot beast abowespecifeit to the said James Bell 1670 Kirkcudbr. Test. (Kirkcudbr. Sheriff Ct.) 29 April.
A stot coldoch set to John McNish in Lochans 1674 Kirkcudbr. Sheriff Ct. Deeds I 368.
Tua black yeld kyne with ane … stott codoch