A Dictionary of the Older Scottish Tongue (up to 1700)
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First published 2002 (DOST Vol. XI).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
Usual(l, adj. Also: -ale, -el(l, ussuale, uswal(l)e, useuall, wsuall(e, -le, -el, -eill, wswal(l, -le, -ail, -ell, wsewall, ouswaill, euswall. [ME and e.m.E. vsual, usuale (both Trevisa), usuel (1396-7), vsuall (c1450), usuell (1495), OF usual, -el, L. ūsuāl-.]
1. Of money: That is in ordinary use; having general currency. Also pl. See Money n. 3 (2) for further examples.(a) 1389 Wemyss Chart. 24.
Aucht penys of syluer of vsuale monay proporcyonaly 1393 Slater Early Sc. Texts No. 28.
[To] pay … v punde of vsuall mone 1396 Sc. Ant. XIV 218.
xix marcis of vsuale moneth of Scotland 1407 Slater Early Sc. Texts No. 66.
Vsuell 1413 Antiq. Aberd. & B. III 364.
To pay … a hondereth pond of vsuale mone of the kyngryke of Scotland, ilke yhere be yhere at vsuale termys proporcionali 1419 Liber Melros 502.
Fowrty pundis of gude and vsuale mone 1443 Milne-Home MSS 21.
Wsuall 1446 Reg. Episc. Brechin. I 104.
Usual 1447 Newbattle Coll. (Somerville) (Reg. H.).
Wswal 1456 Reg. Dunferm. 340.
Vswale 1460 Stewart Mem. 64.
Vsuell 1472 Reg. Dunferm. 369.
[£450] of gude and vswalle payment of Scotland 1493 Douglas Chart. 141.
Gud and vsuel money 1498 Acta Conc. II 262.
Five pundis gret [= groats] usuale of Flandris 1502 Montgomery Mem. 62.
Wswail 1503 Chart. Coupar A. II 112.
Wsuale 1506 Glasgow Dioc. Reg. II 161.
In nowmerat and vsuall mony 1509–10 Melville Chart. 56.
Wswell 1524 Selkirk B. Ct. MS 106b.
Wsueill 1560 Stirling B. Rec. I 73.
Robert Cowsland … producit ane leddorone wallat with gold, silver tua s. peces, plakis, babeis, hardheidis and sic uthir usuall money, and … Alexander refusit to resaif ony Inglis money 1561 Rec. Earld. Orkney 267.
Thre pundis money usuell of Scotland 1590 Misc. Abbotsf. C. 49.
Wswale 1603 Shetland Sheriff Ct. MS 110b.
Wswall 1617 Macleod P. (Reg. H.).
Vsewall(b) 1482 Bamff Chart. 31.
Nyne scoir of markis … of ouswaill mone of Scotland(c) 1546 Goudie Shetl. Antiq. 145.
Euswallpl. c1420 Wynt. iv 2533.
A denere comwnaly Is in oure langage a penny, Bot that denere that thai suld pay Suld have bene intyll walu ay Ten pennys usualis [C. vsuale, W. vsuall] than That in to Rome for mone ran
2. Commonly used, practised or observed; normal, customary. Chiefly attrib.attrib. 1413 Antiq. Aberd. & B. III 364 (see 1 (a) above). 1434 Reg. St. A. 424.
Sevin markis of vsuale payment of Scotland at twa vsuale termys of the ȝhere Witsonday and Martymes 1478 Acta Aud. 65/2.
lxxxv bollis of mele of the vssuale mesure of the scherefdome of Wigtoune 1519 Selkirk B. Ct. MS 70b.
At tua wsuel termes in the ȝer, at is to saye, Wytsondaye and Martynemeys in wynter 1530–1 Glasgow Prot. IV 31.
Wsualle a1538 Abell 27b.
Paip Elutheir … institut that na wsuall meit suld be wmcheuit be Christin men 1572 Lochwinnoch Par. 97.
With power in the usual form to hold courtis of lieutenendry or justiciary 1649 Aberd. B. Rec. IV 104.
As they will be answerable, conforme to the law and wsuall custome of the said brughe 1650 Glasgow Wrights Acts 6.
The said new ellectioune salbe of als sufficient power and valour as any former or wsuall ellectioune 1684 Galloway P. 7 Feb.
The usewall small multir [to go] to the millners at the milne 1689 Lanark B. Rec. 228.
Wsewallpredic. c1420 Wynt. v 5692 (W).
The Exaltatioun festuall Off the Cros, now vsuall Wes drawn and tane of that story [R. wes usualle Tane and drawyn, C. was vsualle Tane [etc.]] 1647 Aberd. B. Rec. IV 74.
That freedome quhilk is … vsuall in lyke caices 1660 Conv. Burghs III 513.
For repaying the samyn with the annual rentis … which … is vswall and is the ordinar cours of the generall conventione 1669 Meikle Old Session Bk. 15.
Amongst many other ceremonies usual to be done in the admission of ministers 1683 Elgin Rec. II 313.
Delivering him the key of the church door … as is usewall in such cases 1689 Siege Castle Edinb. 17.
The provost had, sooner than was useuall, caused lock the citie gates
3. = Usufruct n.1558 Knox IV 411.
God wold not suffer that the commoditie and usuall frute which might be gathered of the portion of grounde limited and assigned to one tribe shulde passe to an other
