A Dictionary of the Older Scottish Tongue (up to 1700)
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First published 2000 (DOST Vol. VIII).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
Quotation dates: 1456-1479, 1601-1678
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(Scheresmith,) S(c)heirsmith, -smyth, n. Also: shear-, sheer-, schyir-, schir-. [17th c. Eng. shearsmith (1623–4 in Acts Jas. I); Schere n.1 1.] A maker of shears or scissors.In early use as a surname: — 1456 Exchequer Rolls VI 121.
Domini Johannis Scheryssmyth 1479 Acts Lords of Council I 39/1.
Will Scheresmyth 1479 Misc. New Spald. C. I 28.
Andrew Scheirsmyth 1601 Elgin Rec. II 96.
Thomas Symond, cutlar, … sayis … he is a schyir smyth 1606 Edinb. B. Rec. VI 18.
Andro Wilsoun, scheirsmyth 1615 Edinb. Test. Index II 137.
John Finlay, schirsmith 1662 Ib.
Scheirsmith 1663 Greyfriars Interments 167.
Alexander Davidson, sheirsmyth 1665 Ib. 77.
James Brown, shearsmith 1666 Ib. 354.
William Nicoll, sheersmith 1675 Edinb. Marr. 34.
Shearsmith 1678 Edinb. B. Rec. X 328.
The thesaurer … agried with Thomas Davidsone sheirsmyth for mending dressing and upholding of the touns [wells] in the Cowgait
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"Scheresmith n.". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 5 Dec 2025 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/dost/scheresmith>
