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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.

Muchkin, Muche-, Mutch(e)kin, n. Also: mwche-, mych-, mui(t)ch-, mittche-, mwich-, mwtche-, mutsch-, mus(c)h-, mus-, musk-, mis-, mu(t)ch(e)s-, mui(t)chs-, mwichs-, mowtchs-, muts-, mwts-, muttis- and -kine, -kyn(e, -king(e, -ken(e, -kein(e, -keen. [e.m.Du. mudseken (mod. mutsken) a measure of capacity, dimin. f. mutse a measure of wine. Common in the mod. dial. Cf. also Muchin,n.]

A measure of capacity for liquids equal to one fourth of a (Scottish) pint; a measure vessel of this capacity; this amount of a liquid.Also half, quarter muchkin.(a) 1425 Acts II. 12/1.
Quhilkis makis … of the new mete now ordanit ix pyntis & three muchekynis 1508 Treas. Acc. IV. 113.
Thre mychkinnis olye 1513 Rentale Dunkeld MS. 202.
Ving lagene & lie muchkyne claretj 1536 Ayr Common Good Acc.
Mwchekyn 1589 Crail B. Ct. 24 June.
Thre pynt stowpis ane chaping and ane muchking off tyn 16.. Nat. Lib. MS. 22.2.11, penult. p.
Put the same among ane halffe a muchkin of eall and mixt it weill together 1624 Huntar Weights & Measures 4.
Everie pint is devided in 2 choppins and 4 muchkins 1643 Dumfries Treas. Acc. MS. 26.
Tua muchskinis seck 1655 Edinb. Test. LXVIII. 184 b.
Thrie silver cowpes contening thrie muchkingeis apeice 1683 Coll. Aberd. & B. 101.
About a Scots muchkin at least 1687 Bk. O. Edinb. C. XXVII. 131.(b) 1542 Linlithgow B. Ct. 10 Nov.
The mettis & mesouris, … quartis pyntis chopynnis & mowtchskynnis 1572 Edinb. Test. II. 155 b.
xxviij truncheris sevin salceris ane mwtchekin 1590 St. A. B. Ct. 8 Apr.
Ane tyn quart pynte choping and mittchekyn 1617 M. Works Acc. (ed.) II. 91. 1618 Acts IV. 587/1. 1628 Dumfries Test. I a. 166.
Three pewder stouppis viz ane pynt ane choppine & ane mutchking wortht three pundis 1630 Bamff Chart. 224. 1633 Orkney Witch Trial in Reg. Privy C. 2 Ser. V. 553.
Ye … fetchit … ane mutchkin of small aill in ane chopping can 1641 Dundee B. Laws 153.
Ane mutchken 1643 Dumfries Treas. Acc. 28.
Ane pynt of seck, a mutchskin 1651 Glasgow B. Rec. II. 214.
Auchteine pynts thrie mutschkins of seck 1656 Kirkcudbr. B. Rec. II. 1016.
Anent ane daylie mutchkeine of milk 1658 Boyd Fam. P. No. 236 (27 Feb.).
Ane other pynt stoupe and a quarter mutchkin of Inglis peuther 1664 Edinb. Test. LXXI. 236.
Ane mutchking with ane half mutchkine 1663–6 Household Bks. Archb. Sharp 66 b.
Muitchskine 1665 Misc. Maitl. C. II. 529.
Mutchskine 1686 G. Stuart Joco-Ser. Disc. 15.
Will ye take a mutch-kin [gl. pint] o' wine? 1686 Mackenzie Observ. 120. 1692 Presb. Eloq. (1694) 70.
One pint of faith, a gill of grace and a mutchkine of sanctification(c) 1586–7 Dundee Acc. MS.
Mvschkin 1636 Caldwell P. 91.
Three muschkeens of malvosie 1661 Old Ross-shire I. 150.
Ane chapine and ane mushkine of Frenche wyne(d) 1590 Thanes of Cawdor 200.
Thrie muskingis aquavitye 1611 Inverness Rec. II. 84.
Muskin 1660 Melrose Reg. Rec. I. 334.
Ane muskeen of oylie 1667 Rothesay B. Rec. 143.
The aquavytie for thrie schilling iiij d. the half muskein 1678 Cullen B. Rec. 4 b (18 Jan.).
[25/6d.] for thrie muskens of wyn seck 1680 Fawside Coal Compt 65.
ii pynts aill & ane muskine 00/19/6 1699 Cromarty Corr. I. 143.
A miskin of Dr. Laurs tincture(e) 1595 Glasgow B. Rec. I. 172.
Mutskines 1599 Edinb. D. Guild Acc. 705.
Half muttiskin oyldole to the knok iiij s. 1611 Irvine Mun. II. 252.
Ane half mutskein accavytie 1618 Montgomery Mem. I. 279.
For ane galloun and a half a mwtskin and a half of aqua vytie 1663–6 Household Bks. Archb. Sharp 65 b. 1673 Lauder Jrnl. 269.
Mutsking

b. Attrib. and comb. 1662 Kingdom's Intelligencer 24 Dec.
The chopin bottle four shillings sixpence, the muskin bottle at two shillings sixpence all Scots money 1704 Sc. Ant. I. 129.
Mor a chappine and a muskine boatels — 1576 Crim. Trials I. ii. 54.
Thom baid hir tak … ane lytill quantetie of it in one mutchekin cane — 1597 Edinb. Test. XXX. 44.
Ten muchkin flaconeis, xj half muchkin flaconeis — 1593 Ib. XXV. 239 b.
xvj muchekene flakettis … price … vli. — 1575 Ib. III. 318.
Sevin buste mutcheskin glasis price vij s. — 1645 Ib. LXI. 184b.
Ane choppeine mould … and mutchkeine half mutchkeine mouldis — 1584 Ib. XIII. 191 b.
Ane mutchekin stoupe of tyn 1602 Conv. Burghs LI. 151.
In haiffing thair quart pynt choping and muchkin stovpeis conforme to the stovpe of Sterling 1604 Rec. Old Aberd. I. 34.
Muchkein stoupis 1606 Kirkcudbr. B. Rec. I. 2.
Muchekene stoupis 1623 Orkney & Shetl. Test. I. 93.
Thrie muschken stoupis and half muschken stoup 1624 Linlithgow B. Rec. 12 Nov.
Ane mwichskein stoup ane halff muichskein 1641 Aberd. B. Rec. III. 259.
Ane trien muskkin stoup 1660 Wedderburn Bk. II. 44. 1668 Rothesay B. Rec. 150.
A new quarter muskin tin stope