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

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

Quhin, n.2 Also: quhyn(n, whin(n; whine; whun. [North. ME quin (Cursor M.), of unknown origin. Also in the later north. Eng. dial.]

1. a. A name given to various very hard, dark-coloured rocks or stones; whinstone.Also attrib. with -craig, -quarrell, etc., and comb. in Quhin-stane n. 1513 Doug. viii iv 110.
Thar stude a pynnakill of quhyn [Sm. quhynn, L. silex] or flynt stone
1535 Stewart 1897.
Great cragis of quhin thai tuke … Syne in ane cirkill set thame
Ib. 52766. 1587-99 Hume 30/133.
Back from the blew paymented whun … The hote reflexing of the sun Inflams the aire
attrib. 1625 M. Works Acc. (ed.) II 161.
For leading of fourscoir leadis of wallstanes fra the quhin quarrell to the utter yett
1628 Ib. 216.
To ane quariour that wrocht tua dayes in the castell at the quhin craig, xxiiij s.
1672 Sinclair Hydrostaticks 278.
Gaes of whin rock render the coal next to it as it were already burnt

b. A piece, lump, slab or boulder of whinstone. c. ? A rock or boulder, generally.(1) 1513 Doug. viii v 68.
The hillys rerdis, quhil dyndlis roik and quhyn [: dyn]
Ib. ix ix 95.
With a gret quhyn, or roch of cragy stone
Ib. xii xii 14.
Mont Apennynus … with roky quhynnys hie
1552–3 Edinb. Old Acc. I 93.
For bering of quhynnis to the slop of the wal
1563 Linlithgow Sheriff Ct. 24 April. 1576 Glasgow B. Rec. I 459.
For wynning of four hunderith draght of quhynnis
1614 M. Works Acc. (ed.) I 347. 1659 Edinb. B. Rec. IX 169.
With great stones and whinns
1689 Ib. XII 21.(2) 1513 Doug. vii ix 56.
A rowtand burn … rynnys … on the craggy quhynnys [L. saxis]
Ib. viii iv 17.
Quhar as the craggy quhynnys [L. scopuli], dovn declyne
1587 Prot. Bk. J. Muschet 31.
Ane peice of wast lyand vpone the quhynnis at the syd of the kingis dyk
1680 Edinb. B. Rec. X 406.
The whines lyand betwixt his bounds and the sea mark which hes alwayes bein ane fence against the incrotchment of the sea

2. transf. A testicle.Cf. stane for a similar semantic development. a1540 Freiris Berw. 212 (M).
I dreid me sair, and he cum in this innis And find me heir, that I los both my quhynnis

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"Quhin n.2". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 31 Oct 2024 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/dost/quhin_n_2>

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