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Dictionars o the Scots Leid

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

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First published 1971 (DOST Vol. IV).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

Mede, Meid(e, n.³ [ME. med(e, meed, e.m.E. mead, OE. mǽd str. fem. (Angl. méd), oblique case mǽdwe (see Medow n.).]An early instance is the place-name Holemede in c 1200 Liber Melros I. 131.

A meadow.Only in verse. Applied more or less vaguely to any stretch of open grassy ground, such as the setting of allegorical dreams or a field of combat. Also in plur. without obvious distinction of sense.The rhyming words include (1) (on) breid, ded (= deed), spreid, steid (= steed), womanheid, ȝeid p.t., and plur. redis (= reeds), spredis, thredis, wedis: see below. (2) deid (= dead) (Bell. Boece I. vii), heid (= head) (Ib.), leid (= people) (Gol. & Gaw. 176), theid (= people, country) (Ib.).sing. ?1438 Alex. i. 1860.
His lenth he mesurit in the meid [: ȝeid] Ib. ii. 1452.
Endlang the meid [: steid (= horse)] c1450-2 Howlat 2.
Till a grene meid [: on breid, fairhed, godhed] a1500 Gol. & Gaw. 24, 176. c1475 Wall. viii. 1190.
In euery meide, bathe fyrth, forrest and daill a1500 Bk. Chess 2008. c1500-c1512 Dunb. Tua Mar. W. 2, 514. 1501 Doug. Pal. Hon. iii. 141.
Amid the meid repleit with sweit odouris 15.. Clar. i. 1398. a1568 Bann. MS. 222 a/7.
Trewth and womanheid Springyth in ȝow as flouris in the meid 1580 Hume Promine 77.
Flouris for to spreid. Nicelie enamaling mony mirthfull meidplur. ?1438 Alex. ii. Prol. .
In mery May quhen medis springis a1500 Gol. & Gaw. 851.
Thir mailyeis with melle thay merkit in the medis [: vedis (= weeds, garments)] c1500-c1512 Dunb. G. Targe 55.
Vnto the blomyt medis [: wedis, spredis, thredis] 1513 Doug. xii. Prol. 151.
Maist amyabill wolxis the amerant medis [: redis] Ib. xiii. Prol. 9. c1552 Lynd. Mon. 1523.
The feildis greine and fluryst meidis [: weidis]