Dictionaries of the Scots Language
Dictionars o the Scots Leid

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

Hide Quotations Hide Etymology

Abbreviations Cite this entry

About this entry:
First published 1986 (DOST Vol. VI).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

Purpur(e, -our, adj. and n. Also: pourp-; porp- and -wre, -uir; -oure, -owre; -or(e, -oir; -er(e; -re; -ir, -yr. [ME and e.m.E. purpre (Layamon), porpre (14th c.), pourpre (Ayenbite), purpire (a1340), porpere, porpor (14th c.), purpur (Wyclif), purpour, purpure (a1400), OE purpure, -an wk. fem. noun, L. purpura fem. noun; in ME, coinciding with OF purpre (porpre (c1130), pourpre (c1200), early purpure (c980)), of the same ulterior origin; and in the 14th c. associated with the ending -ure.In OE the adj. or attrib. use was expressed by the gen. noun purpuran, or later by a derivative adj. purpuren. The wearing down of either of these gave, from the 12th c., purpre as attrib. later as adj.]

Purple.Thought to apply to various shades of (? chiefly dark) red or crimson as well as to a colour approaching modern purple.

A. adj.Also comb. with the designations of other similar colours, as purpour-broun etc.See also Purpure feavre.(1) a1400 Leg. S. ix 56.
His clathis are … Sete … with stanis of purpure hew 1494 Loutfut MS 22b.
And the fedderis about hir nek is lik to be fyne gold of arabe bot beneth to the taill is of purpre colour & the taill of ros 1531 Bell. Boece I xlv.
Ane herbe, namit hadder … hes ane floure of purpure hew 1595 Duncan App. Etym.
Murex, purpura, the purple fish, the purpure collour 1596 Dalr. I 27/4.
This fowle may be seine with neb and feit of purpur hew(2) c1420 Wynt. iv 52.
He oysid mykyll for to were Purpur silk 1473–4 Treas. Acc. I 19.
vj elne of purpure chamlot of silk 1502–3 Ib. II 200.
For … purpur wellus to be ane goun to the king 1507 Ib. III 256.
Bocht in Flandrez … j^clx elne Flemys of taffeti, quhit, ȝallo, purpur, grene, and gray Ib.
Item, bocht in London, ane pece of purpur dames clath of gold 1542–3 Ib. VIII 173.
Purpuir velvet 1548 Ib. IX 185.
Purpure welwote a1586 Maitland Geneal. Setoun 34.(b) ?1438 Alex. ii 6783.
Quhare thay sat On purpour stemming and veluat 1474 Treas. Acc. I 36.
For the purfell of a gowne of purpour silk a1499 Contempl. Sinn. 990 (Asl.). 1495 Treas. Acc. I 263.
Purpour dammas, to be ane hogtoune to the prince a1568 Bellenden Bann. MS 7b/273.
Twynand the threidis of the purpour lynt 1542 Inv. Wardrobe 58. 1545 Treas. Acc. VIII 398. 1567 G. Ball. 40.
Ane certane man was riche and coistlie cled With purpour silk 1568 Skeyne Descr. Pest 31. 1576 Treas. Acc. XIII 130.
iiij elnis purpour figurat velvot 1603 Ib. MS 241.
Purpour veluote to be ane kirk claith, and ane cod thairto 1636 Edinb. Test. LVIII 18.
Ane night cape of purpour satene(c) 1488 Sc. Ant. IX 16.
A couering of variand purpir tartar browdin with thriseillis and a unicorne 1488 Treas. Acc. I 140.
Purpere 1580 Coll. Aberd. & B. 391.
Ane of the purper veluot beddis 1591 Thanes of Cawdor 198.
With purpir velwatt 1597 Edinb. Test. XXX 159.
Purpir satene 1608 Tailor's Acc. Bk. 61.
For another boultis of orange and purper Italienis weand … xiij droop wecht(d) a1597-1617 Hist. Jas. VI (1804) 277.
Under ane pompous pale of purpor veluet 1620 Tailor's Acc. Bk. 99b.
Purpore(e) 1592 Thanes of Cawdor 214.
Pourper(3) c1460 Alex. (Taym.) 4516.
Cled as ane fule in till ane purpure cote c1500 Makc. MS iv 21.
In habit purpir cled ?a1500 Dewoit Exerc. 123.
The fals tormentouris … tuke ane auld purpour mantill and kest apone ȝour tender body ?a1500 Remembr. Passion 629.
The Iowis … The quhit coit and purpour claith gaif him for scorne 1501 Doug. Pal. Hon. 215. 1502 Treas. Acc. II 288.
In pairt of payment of the offreȝ to the purpur cheseb a1508 Kennedy Pass. Christ 600, 680. c1500-c1512 Dunb. G. Targe 7.
Or Phebus was in purpur cape revest 1513 Doug. iv xi 1.
Aurora, leifand the purpour bed Of hir lord Titan Ib. ix iii 201.
Of ȝoung gallandis, with purpour crestis red Ib. i ix 124, iv iv 20, vii iv 192, etc. 1533 Boece 118.
Ane purpure skawbert mervellus craftelie wrocht c1530-40 Stewart Bann. MS 36a/49.
In purpour habit thay cled me as ane king Arundel MS 255/21.
Bund as ane theif so wes thou … Till Herod had, in purpor habit cled 1560 Rolland Seven S. 4340. 1561 Q. Kennedy Compendious Ressonyng (ed.) 180/8.
The chesabill signifeis the purpure clayth that he was cled withall 1570 Leslie 75.
Julius the secound, Paip … send unto him [the King] ane purpour diademe wrocht with flouris of gold 1611-57 Mure Dido & Æneas ii 493.
With Tyrian purpour robe arayed he shin'd 1680 Moncreiffs 670.
4 turned chairs with purper cushens(4) a1500 Henr. Fab. (O.U.P.) 1336.
The rosis reid … and the purpour viola Ib. 1655. c1500-c1512 Dunb. G. Targe 26.
The purpur hevyn Ib. (O.U.P.) l 50.
The purpour sone, with tendir bemys reid 1513 Doug. ix vii 147.
Lyke as the purpour flour in fur or sewch [etc.] Ib. xi ii 30.
Or than the purpour flour, hayt iacynthyne Ib. xii Prol. 107.
Behaldand thame [flowers etc.] sa mony diuers hew, … Sum greyce, sum gowlys, sum purpour, sum sangwane Ib. 22, etc. 1585 James VI Ess. 66. Ib. 73.
Titan … ascending in his purpour sphere 1587-99 Hume 28/81.
Calme is the deepe and purpour se Ib. 31/163.
Hir [sc. the dove's] pourpour pennes turnes mony hew Against the sunne direct(5) a1500 Henr. Fab. (O.U.P.) 1350.
His chymmeris wes off chambelate purpour broun 1501 Doug. Pal. Hon. 433.
In richest claith of gold of purpure broun a1568 Bann. MS 86a/41.
The royall rob so riche of purpure blew 1571 Treas. Acc. XII 278.
Sax elnis of fyne purpour crammosie velvot 1587-99 Hume 32/196.
And painted is the occident With pourpour sanguine bright — 1474 Treas. Acc. I 23.
The kingis doublat of broune purpure dammask 1538–9 Ib. VII 151.
vij elnis … of lycht blew purpure welvot to be ane goun to Jane the Frenche droche 1552 Coll. St. Salvator 152 n.
Reid purpoure veluot 1555 Crail Ch. Reg. 65.
Ane chesable of brown purpure veluet 1568 Hay Fleming Q. Mary 511.
Ane blew purpoure goun 1569 Inv. Q. Mary 184.
Ane selle of blew purpour weluat(6) 1513 Doug. ix vi 96.
And vp the purpour spreit of lyf he ȝald 15.. Clar. v 3023.
Quhile the blisfull sun … did his purpur visage all scheroud In the occident under the noxiall clude 1602 Colville Paraenese 109.
Vhar he callit(h) Rome the porpre or skarlat hoor

B. noun.

a. Purple colour. b. Purple cloth or clothing; often as the distinguishing dress of an emperor, king or chief ruler. c. Ambiguous as to either a or b. d. Tyrian purple, the dye from the shellfish which yielded this.a. (1) 1456 Hay I 283/13.
The secound coloure that is in armoury is callit be thir maisteris purpre, the quhilk he callis here rede colour 1494 Loutfut MS 11b.
Pourpre … is of a colour sanguine & violet & sum tymis is put in armorie 1535 Stewart 18172.
With baneris braid and standertis … Palit with purpoir plesand and preclair(2) c1500-c1512 Dunb. G. Targe 41 (M).
The rosy garth depaynt … With purpoure azure gold and gulis gent 1513 Doug. v iii 17.
The robbys fyne of purpour richly dycht Ib. xi xv 118.
The rudy cullour, vmquhile as purpour scheyn, Blaknyt and fadys quyte owt of hir face 1530 Lynd. Test. Pap. 1112.
Purpour 1537 Id. Depl. Magd. 122.
Purpure 15.. Clar. ii 1483.
The variant hewis without of purpour thine 1568 Skeyne Descr. Pest 11.
Padokis … colourit gray on the bak, of purpoure or ony diuerse coloure on the vombe 1581-1623 James VI Poems I 45/38.
This foule [the phœnix] … Quhois bodie haill uith pourpoure uas ourcledd, Quhois taile of coloure uas celestiall bleub. (1) a1400 Leg. S. xxiii 192.
He … Sytand in askis & gled in hare, Putand a-way purpure & chare c1420 Wynt. v 3889, 3891.
Set yhoure aray off ryche purpwre, Schawe yhowe now here empryowre, Yhoure purpure may noucht preystys ma Ib. 5737.
In purpowre cled imperyall Ib. 5583.
Pourpowre 1456 Hay I 43/15.
First that ever maid … habytis royalis, of purpur richely c1500-c1512 Dunb. lxxii 41 (Asl.).
All in purpour [M. purpyr] thai him cled 1513 Doug. vii xiii 80.
Hir slekyt schuldris war array With kyngly purpour 1533 Bell. Livy I 130/15.
Baith thir consullis had apperit … clothit as kingis with purpure [v.r. in purpoir] and dignite ryall 1533 Boece 198b.
Carance … tuke the purpure and crowne of Britane Ib. 236b.
Maximiane … taking the purpoure be favoure of the weremen stilit emprioure Ib. 357b. 1535 Stewart 21707. a1538 Abell 32b.
Thir twa tirannis … wer baith first denudit of thare purpur(2) a1500 Seven S. 211.
With ladyis in purpour & in pall Blythly [the empress] come scho in the hall 1513 Doug. i xi 14.
Ourspred with carpettis of the fyne purpour Ib. ix ix 125.
Hys mantill of the purpour Iberyne Ib. v iii 59. a1538 Abell 9a.
Spynnand purpur on a rok with womannis lukin 1538 (c1580) Edinb. B. Rec. II 89.
12 persouns accowterit … in gownis of veluott … viz., foure thairof in purpour, vtheris foure in tanny, and vtheris foure in blak veluottc. c1420 Wynt. v 3691.
Na in robys off purpure 1513 Doug. vi x 30.
Thir feildis … Ravestis thame with purpur schynand lycht c1522 Id. in Doug. (Sm.) I p. cviii.
With the hangingis … palit of purpur and weluet crammesyn 1533 Boece 199.
Sett in his mantill rob of purpure 1533 Gau 63/30.
Giff ȝour sinnis be … reid as purpur neuertheles thai sal be quhit as wow 1535 Stewart 7451.
Ane scalbert also quhilk was of purpure fine Ib. 18172. a1538 Abell 112b.
Paip Iuli … send to him … ane hait of purpur c1552 Lynd. Mon. 3.
Purpur c1590 J. Stewart 136 §2.
Purpourd. 1531 Bell. Boece I xliv.
Sum ar … nocht unlike … to the samin mussillis that hes the purpure