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

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First published 2002 (DOST Vol. XII).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

Ȝeld(e, Yeld, Ȝeild, Yeild, adj. Also: ȝhelde, yhelde, ȝa(e)ld, yeald(e, yeeld, yi(e)ld, ȝell, ȝeill, yeill, yeel(l, weld. [Late north. ME yeld (1411), late OE *ᵹielde, ᵹelde, ON geldr. Also in the later dial.]

1. Of land: Barren, unproductive. c1420 Wynt. ii 316.
He cowth wele bayth ken and se Quhat land suld yhelde [C. ȝhelde, W. barand] or fertyll be 1548 Acta Conc. & Sess. XXIV 170.
Four akeris of the medo land callit the ȝald ȝerd

2. Of an animal: a. Barren, not bearing young. = Geld adj. b. Not giving milk. c. absol. and ellipt. d. transf. Of birds: Not having produced young.a., b. (1) 1481 Prestwick B. Rec. 29.
That … thare be na outtin scheip … haldin in the toune … owdir mylk or ȝelde 1483 Acta Conc. I *83/2.
Twa ȝeld ky, … viij ky with calf, … and sevin ferow ky 1482–3 Acta Conc. II cvii.
viij^c yowis and viij^c yeld scheip of sufficient gudis, nane of thame hoggis 1513 Doug. vi iv 32.
Ene him self … to thé, Proserpyne, A ȝeld kow all to trynschit 1543 Lochleven Compt Bk. 14b (25 April).
xij nickat ky, ij ferrow ky and thre ald ȝeld ky tobe mertis 1563 Dumfries B. Ct. 220.
As scho [sc. a cow] is ȝeld & geifis na mylk 1623 Perth Kirk S. MS 16 May.
Askit gif scho hed onye skeill to restoir milk to kye that hed gone ȝeld, scho anserit scho hed none 1699 Belhaven Rudiments 25.
Your labouring oxen and other yeld beasts(b) 1482 Acta Aud. 99/2.
Ȝeild scheip 1498–9 Acta Conc. II 310.
Weddris and yeild yowis 1528 Ex. Processes (Reg. H.) Scott v. Seytoun.
The proffittis of ane hundreth ȝeild scheip extending ȝerelie to xij stanis of woll 1531 Bell. Boece (M) II 335.
In the xvj ȝere of his regnne all the ȝowis war ȝeild but ony lammys 1560 Reg. Privy S. V i 178/1.
Et viginti boves steriles vulgo twentie foure yeild nolt 15.. Lord Fergus' Gaist 39.
The taill of ane ȝeild sow 1594 Breadalbane Ct. Bk. 73.
Ane kow quhilk suld haue bene newcaluit & wes ȝeild 1597 Oldcambus Acc. 2.
In bowntethe for byging the yeild nowt hous 1609 Peebles Gleanings 36.
That ane hird be gotten to the nolt and ane to haif the milk and ane uther the yeild guides 1624 Peebles B. Rec. I 413.
To tuentie men that keipit the yeild nowlt in the Eschill cowmone a1699 Skene Agric. MS (ed.) 69.
A yeild or shamloh kow is a kow that gives no milk at all a1699 Skene Agric. MS (ed.) 69.
When shoe [sc. a cow] becomes yeild then shoe becomes fatt and fitt to be sold to the fleshers a1699 Skene Agric. MS (ed.) 69.
A forrow kow is leaner nor a yeild or shamloh kow(c) 1535 Selkirk B. Ct. (ed.) 156.
Jhone Doun offerit in plane court to mak the yeild kow als gud as ane kow with cauf 1576–7 Douglas of Morton (App. B) 718.
[To John and Robert, her two eldest sons, she leaves two cows and followers … to James a cow and follower, with a] yield kow [to Margaret, his eldest daughter](d) 1541–2 Yester Wr. 172.
20 ȝaeld scheip 40 s.(e) 1541–2 Yester Wr. 172.
6 sowme of yeald nolt 1562 Will A. Betoun.
xxx yeald cattell price of the peece iii lib.(f) a1598 Ferg. Prov. No. 78.
A yeeld sow was never good to gryses 1673 Stitchill Baron Ct. 69.
4 lib. 2 sh. Scots money as the pryce and worthe of two yeeld ewes(g) a1595 Craven Ch. in Orkney III 103.
Yild(h) 1622 Galloway P. 6 March.
Reserving … tenscoir ruche sheip being all ȝowis half rych half ȝell … as steilbow guids 1642 Dundonald Par. Rec. 507.
Shee gatt fyve choppings of milk daylie from ane ȝell kow(i) 1642 Dumfries Test. I 103b.
xviij newckell key and xiiij ȝeill nolt 1674 Rothesay B. Rec. 329.
He is to have … twelve pennies Scots of entry money for ilk yeill kow(j) 1670 Soc. Ant. XXX 20.
To give to the said Patrick his foster too tydie kay & four yeell kay 1696 Lanark Presb. 127.
James Dick drove some of the Mains yeel nolt into William Simpsons corn(k) 1602 Reg. Privy C. VI 489.
[Stolen from Allaster McDuff four] weld horse [worth £20 each]c. 1587 Kirkcudbr. B. Rec. I 226.
Quha hes milk scheip sall keip ane yeld for ane milk and quha hes ma milk yowes nor yeld he sall pay for vj milk yowes ane stane cheisd. 1535 Stewart 55436.
In middis of wynter … [birds] Biggit nestis … In symmer syne … No nestis maid bot all that tyme war ȝeild

3. Of persons. a. Used pejoratively, in sense 2 a and/or b, of a woman. b. Yeeld nurse, a ‘dry nurse’, whose duties did not include suckling a baby. c. fig. Of a treasurer: That cannot or will not dispense money. d. Of a man: Impotent.a. 1680 Dunferm. Kirk S. 72.
That Jonet Burn called the said Ceseill yeld sou [= sow, pr. son] … Helen Donaldson deponit that she called hir witch birdb. 1695 Foulis Acc. Bk. 181.
To your doughter Megs yeeld nurse a ducadoonc. 1593–4 James VI in Cal. Sc. P. XI 277.
Ye that are ane of the number of us huntairs soulde be helpfull to all the professouris of that craft: but in earnist I thinke all oure thesauraris are gane yealded. c1500-c1512 Dunb. Tua Mar. W. 129.
He is waistit and worne fra Venus werkis … He trowis that ȝoung folk I ȝerne ȝeild for he gane is