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

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First published 2001 (DOST Vol. X).
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Succar, Suckar, Sugar, n. Also: succer, -o(u)r, -ur(e, sucur, sucre, (sucrer), sucker, suker, -ir, sukker, -oure, soker, suckour, suckert, sukkert, sugare, -er, -our, suggar, -er, -ir, -our, (suchir), sou-, sowgar, souggour, sewgor, seug(g)ar, schugger, shugar, -ir, shugger, shougar, shewgar, sheugar, zuccour, zucker, zokkar, -our, zoukeour, zeoukeor. [ME and e.m.E. sucar (1289-90), zuker (c1299), sucre (a1310), zukur (c1330), seukere, suger(e (both Chaucer), sugur (c1400), suggir (c1440-1), sewger (1491), suggar (1562), sugar (1592), shugar (1682), OF sucre (late 13th c. in Larousse), med. L. suc(u)rum, suc(a)ra, sugra, MDu. suker, sucker, MLG sucker.]

1. Sugar, generally.For further examples see Candeit adj., Lafe n.¹ 2 and Lofe n. b; also Acts XII Index, s.v. Sugar. 1328 Exch. R. I 96.
[Decem libras zucare 1328 Exch. R. I 97.
Sexaginta sex libras … de zucara 1364 Exch. R. II 182.
Per empcionem quadringentarum triginto quatuor librarum, cum quartario, zucure, xlij li. xviij d. 1525 Household Bks. Jas. V 67, 68.
ij vncie zuccour … viij libre zuccure 1526 Household Bks. Jas. V 79.]
Zuccur(a) 1496 Halyb. 15.
25 cassis sucur 1496 Treas. Acc. I 284.
For viij pund and x vnce of succour to the king 1498 Halyb. 206.
Item bocht … a kyst off sucur cost 3½ gis. the li. 1506 Treas. Acc. III 209.
Item, for ij pund succour [to] the potingair of Sanctandrois to mak conserva of borage 1549 Compl. 145/25.
Spicis, eirbis, drogis, gummis, & succur for to mak exquisit electuars to prouoke the pepil til ane disordinat appetit 1590–1 Exch. R. XXII 156.
To … Fleming, baikar of succour, for certane succour confectis and sweit meit furneist to bancatis maid to his majestie 1597 Household Bks. Jas. VI and Anne 28 Feb.
For succor to his majesties wyneseck 1600 Crim. Trials II 285.
Ve sowld hew prepared ane fyne hattit kit, vith succar, comfeitis and vyn 1627 Glasgow Chart. II 582.
Succer 1629 Boyd Last B. (1629) 958 (Jam. s.v. Succre.).
Poyson, confected with sucre, is moste piercing and deadlie 1661 Old Ross-shire I 151.
Sucrer and dubaces(b) 1511–12 Treas. Acc. IV 334.
Sukkoure 1560 Admir. Ct. Bk. (St. S) 183.
For his pairt of the price of sex puncheonis of suker sauld … out of the haill geir 1593 Elgin Rec. II 34.
David Gawdie, merchant, confessit that he sauld xvi d. of sukir upoun Sondaye last(c) 1598 Stirling Ant. III 310.
Soker(d) 1560 Admir. Ct. Bk. (St. S.) 182.
The schip callit the Lioun … apprehendit and tuke ane litill Portingall schip laidnit with sucker and ule de olyve 1560 Admir. Ct. Bk. (St. S.) 183.
Ane barrell of sucker price xviij lib. c1580-90 Rules of Health 6.
Ȝour la: may vse of a roistit apill or peir eftir denner or supper with suckir or with pulder digestiue 1592 Aberd. B. Rec. II 79.
Suckour 1603 Philotus 155.
For fume cast sucker in at fouth 1647 Dumfries Treas. Acc. MS 14.
Suckor(e) 1568 Edinb. Test. I 212b.
xviij pund wecht of sukkert(f) 1513 Doug. xii Prol. 145 (Sm.).
Seroppis, sewane, sugour, and synamome 1597 Household Bks. Jas. VI and Anne 1 March.
Sax vnce sugar 1597 Household Bks. Jas. VI and Anne 9 March.
Suggar 1598 Household Bks. Jas. VI and Anne 20 June.
Suggour 1621–2 Misc. Spald. C. V 97.
Wyne, suger, and tubacco 1661 Acts VII 254/1.
Sugar of all sorts ilk sextie pund weight 1665 Misc. Maitl. C. II 527.
For seck possit sugare and milk 1681 Glasgow Chart. II 215 (see Succarwork n.). 1715 Stirling B. Rec. II 353.
On King George his coronation day, for … brandy, sugar, limons, glases(g) 1598 Household Bks. Jas. VI and Anne 29 July.
Souggour 1624 M. Works Acc. (ed.) II 160.
Ane pund of sowgar that wes givein to him for his great fanting 1650 Dumfries Treas. Acc. MS 24.
Ane pynt of wyne seck 4 vnce of sugger 1673 Edinb. Test. LXXIV 272a.
Some sougar valoued to … xij lib.(h) 1661–2 Irvine Mun. II 264.
A pynt wyn, sewgor and breid with Major General Mongomrij(i) 1671 Edinb. Test. LXXIV 150a.
In his chope of seuggar tobacco and peaper to the valow of xl lib.(j) 1631 Buccleuch Household Bk. 25 Sept.
Shugger 1631 Buccleuch Household Bk. 22 Nov.
Schugger 1680 Glasgow Chart. II 208.
Shugir 1686 Red Bk. Menteith I 415.
Sheugar 1687 Bk. Old Edinb. C. XXVII 137.
Shougar c1699 Innes Sketches 548.
Sheugar(k) 1565 Treas. Acc. XI 351.
ij elnis of reid armosing taffeteis to be pokis for pulder of zuccour 1582 Edinb. Test. X 288b.
Half ane barrell of zokkar price x s. 1598 Household Bks. Jas. VI and Anne 4 July.
Zucker

b. With various qualifiers.For casnat (cassonit) succar (= unrefined cane-sugar), see Casnat n., Cassonit n.For further examples of Canarie succar, see Canarie n. a1500 Henr. Fab. 608.
The wickit mynd and adullatioun, Of sucker sweit [Bann. swete socour] haifand similitude 1539 Treas. Acc. VII 184.
Item, for ane boist of annet cumfeit witht fyne succure and with rois watter 1553–4 Dundee B. Ct. II 282b (26 Jan.).
Sextene pondis of canarie succur for sex s. the pwnd 1561 Admir. Ct. Bk. (St. S.) 200.
Twa Portugall schippis, ane laidnit with gray suker … and ane uthir with quhit suker a1568 Wedderburn in Bann. MS 239b/12.
Wemen to men as lyk the succour sueit 1576 Crim. Trials I ii 54.
And sum quhyte sucker cassin amang it 1578 Edinb. Test. VI 111.
Thrie pund of quhyt sukker price of the pund xj s. … ane pund of ȝallow sukker price … ix s. 1582 Misc. Spald. C. V 53.
Four boistis of confectiounis succur 1614–15 Ayr Common Good Acc.
Twa buist of confeittis and ane quarter of quhyte suggir 1633 Edinb. Test. LVI 143a.
Quheit sugour 1678 Stirling Common Good 120b.
Tuo pound … of whyte shougar

c. pl. Kinds of sugar; also, cargoes or consignments of sugar. ?1559 Old Dundee II 168.
Ane bark laden with suckaris and oils 1562–3 Treas. Acc. XI 253.
That nane of thame tak upoune hand to carie be sey or land ony … hydis, succouris, or uthiris spices 1586–7 Dundee Treas. Acc.
2 boistis of sukers 16 s. 1610–11 Misc. Spald. C. V 85.
Mr. Robert Bruce [propynit] with succouris, sueitt meats, and spycerie 1620 Aberd. B. Rec. II 369.
Everie ane … had succoris and desert 1624 Aberd. Journal N. & Q. II 63. 1626 Aberd. B. Rec. III 9.
That naine presume to have at any such tyme [sc. baptisms] any kynd of suggoures, droiges or confectiounes brocht from forane cuntreis 1661 Acts VII 89/1.
All suggars brought from the plantations in Scots bottomes all vnfynned sugar brought from any place [etc.] … shall be frie of any excise 1685 Edinb. B. Rec. XI 148.
The shuggers candies and strong watters and other products of the said sugarie manufactories

2. transf. As a term of endearment. a1568 Bann. MS 104a/53.
Wylcum … My sucker sweit as ony vnȝeoun 1603 Philotus 255.
Sweit sucker, neck me not with nay, Bot be content to tak him 1603 Philotus 1264.
Welcum my darling and my deir, My sucker and my sweit

3. attrib. and comb. Sugar-baker, a confectioner or sugar-refiner; sugar-bisket, a kind of rich biscuit or cake; sugar-breid, -cake, cf. prec.; shewgar-castor, a cruet for sprinkling sugar; sugar-forme, ? a mould or baking-tray (cf. Furme n.); suger-pea, a type of pea whose pod lacks the inner film normal in other species; sugar-plum, a sweet, in the shape of a plum, made of boiled sugar; succur-wirtell, ?For further examples see Alacreische n., Almond n., Lacrissye n., Lafe n.¹ 2 (2) and Pennet(t. 1582 Edinb. Test. XI 355b.
Sex dosane buistis of scrotcheartis confeittis and sukker almondis 1596 Edinb. Test. XXIX 162b.
Fyve buistis of sucker almontis at vij s. iij d. the buist 1596–7 Misc. Spald. C. V 122.
For ane dussoun buistis scorchettis, … and succer almonds — 1635 Edinb. Test. LVII 180.
Arnalt and Hans Pelt sugar baikeris at Ansterdame — 1677 Lauder Notices Affairs I 166.
The sugar-baking at Leith is declared a manufactor already — 1673 Funeral Acc. II 1/1.
For suker birskit 1677 Edinb. B. Rec. X 292.
The insufficiencie of confeits whyt sweities sugar biskitt and tablets of sugar 1681 Stirling Common Good 154b.
7 pund sugar 5 vnce cannell 3 dosen of egs & tuo quare of peaper to bake the sugar bisket 1682 Stirling Common Good 171b.
To the suggar bisket & baken bread 11 pound of suggar at 10 s. the pound 1689 Lorimer St. Cuthbert's facing 112.
For ane pound sougar bisket — 1610 Hist. Kinloss A. xii.
Ane gilt suger box 1632 Inv. Newark 6a.
Ane sugar boxe of ald work 1650 Edinb. Test. LXV 10.
Ane sugar box with ane dussane spoones 1685 Soc. Ant. LVIII 353.
A large sugger box of silver 1694 Inchmahome Pr. 160.
Ane large shugar box, and tuo lesser anes, of silver — 1615 Haddington Mem. II 288.
Ane succour buist with ane spune — 1647 Edinb. Test. LXIII 30.
Fyve pund wecht of sugar breid 1647 Edinb. Test. LXIII 215.
Ane pund of sugar bread pryce xxiiij s. 1675 Stirling Common Good 93b.
10 lib. of suggar bread at 13 s. 4 d. per pund — 1665 Stirling Common Good 36b.
Spent at burgessing of Argyll … To Alexander Turnbull baxter for seugar cacke 1663–6 Household Bks. Archb. Sharp MS 9b.
For breakfast and sugar caikes [£1 6 s.] — 1679 J. A. Fairley Lauriston Castle (1925) 96.
For a shewgar castor — 1591 Exch. R. XXII 156.
To … Fleming baikar of succour, for certane succour confectis and sweit meit furneist to bancatis maid to his majestie — 1680 Blackness Customs 2b.
Fyve hundretht sugar formes [£2] — 1549 Treas. Acc. IX 345.
For losing, cairting and careing of ane suckar kist furtht of Leytht to Edinburght 1560 Admir. Ct. Bk. (St. S.) 183.
The said Williame … sauld auchtene suker kistis in Ingland for xxxvj lib. — 1589 Cal. Sc. P. X 261.
Speciallie that the Flemishe sugerman may be commaunded to have in redines all suche confections & sweet meatis as before 1592 Edinb. B. Rec. V 64.
Anent hir graceis requeist maid in favouris of the sugerman for resaving him burges and gild 1598 Edinb. B. Rec. V 364.
For carrying the sukker manis glas veschell and his uther wairis to the banquet hous and hame again 1675 Reg. Privy C. 3 Ser. IV 347.
John Hendricksone, sugarman in Glasgow — 1696 Acts X 67/1.
That this company shall be called and distinguished by the name of The New Sugar Manufactory at Glasgow — 1701 Fugitive Poetry II xlv 5/131.
The sugar plumb being thus imposed Makes all reject things as proposed — 1703 Foulis Acc. Bk. 317.
To pay for a pund suger peas 8 sh. — 1607 Edinb. Test. XLIII 20.
Sex pund wecht of zoukeour pulder price of all v li. 1622 Brechin Test. IV 62b.
Four vnce zeoukeor pouder pryce iij lib. vj s. — 1685 Soc. Ant. LVIII 353.
A sugger pouder box of silver — 1631 Buccleuch Household Bk. 22 Nov.
A pound of resings of sumie, a pynt of seck, succur wirtellis 1631 Buccleuch Household Bk. 22 Nov.
For succur wirtillis to super 1631 Buccleuch Household Bk. 22 Nov.
For succor wirtell

b. Suchir plumbi, ? sugar or acetate of lead.Cf. OED Sugar n. 3. 1502 Exch. R. XII 84.
Et de xxiiij s. custume unius le suchir plumbi custumati per dictum tempus