Dictionaries of the Scots Language
Dictionars o the Scots Leid

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

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First published 1963 (DOST Vol. III).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

Hevid, Heved, n. Also: hevyd(e, hevede, (hevit); hewid(e, -yde, -it. [ME. hevid, heved, etc., early hefed, hæfed, OE. héafod. Common in the earliest Sc. texts beside the contracted form hede, which is exclusively used after c 1440. Also frequent in early place-names from a 1150.] The head, in literal, transf., or fig. senses; for these see Hede n.¹(1) (a) a1400 Leg. S. i. 476.
Symon … gert apere That the ded man his hevid can stere Ib. ii. 674.
Nero … owth his hevid sittand thar Brandiste a brand c1420 Wynt. iii. 207.
He … fand syne in his [sc. the lion's] hevyde A byk of beis Ib. iv. 93.
Off ane man the hevyde thai fand For-owtyn body ?1438 Alex. i. 1733.
Baith his helme and his heuit Richt by the schoulderis away he reuit a 1450 A. P. Forbes Kal. Sc. Saints liv.
Nov thai sal ... bov in the bestis hevyd (b) a1400 Leg. S. i. 158.
The feloune folk … On his hewid schufe hym a crowne Ib. xii. 409.
With ane ax his hewyde thai strak of c1420 Wynt. i. 704.
Borne thai ar qwhyt … of hewyd and berde Ib. 759.
In hys hewyde … [are] hornys twa Ib. viii. 3259 (C).
The hewiddis of thaim al War set vp on the castel wall(2) 1375 Barb. v. 11.
The treis begouth to ma Burgeonys … To vyn the heling of thar he[ve]de c1400 Troy-bk. i. 499.
The sonne … May tak eclyps … gif it ware in the coniunctioune of the moon … Outhire in the tayle or in the hewid(3) 1391 Antiq. Aberd. & B. IV. 379.
The meris … [are] the burn of Condoll vp to the hevid, … and on the syde as Nessoke strekis vp to the hevid fra the entre of Coudoll [etc.] c1420 Wynt. i. 138.
In Ynde the hewyde is of Ganges 1431 Liber Melros 524.
Sexten akiris of land togithir vpon the hevid of Dedryg(4) a1400 Leg. S. ii.478.
Throw quham all cristne honouris thé As hevyde of al cristianite(5) c1420 Wynt. i. 1027.
Thar is in to that lande A wattyr gret on hewide rynnande Ib. iv. 431.
That rywere That on hewyd rynnand is(6) c1420 Wynt. viii. 7072.
Thare wes nane in France that levid That durst for thame hald up thare hevid

b. Attrib. with hous, mute, and comb. with strang = Hedestrang a. 14.. Acts I. 25/2.
The ayre sall hafe the tothir halfe of the hevyd hous Ib. 28/2.
Thre hevyd mutis ar thruch the yhere … And … the burges that is apon lande is … haldyn to cum til … thir thre hevyd mutis — ?1438 Alex. i. 1158.
He missit and by can gang For that his hors was hewit strang