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

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First published 1983 (DOST Vol. V).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

Pelour, Pilour, n.¹ Also: -oure; peil-, peyl-, pyl-, pellour; peiller. [ME. peler (Minot), pelour (1436), e.m.E. piel(l)er (1545), peeler (1573), f. Pele v.¹ i, and ME. and e.m.E. pylour (Manning), pilour (Chaucer), etc., pillour (c 1400), pyllar (Malory), piller (1475), f. Pill v.; after OF. pilleur (1345 in Hatz.-Darm.) f. piller Pillé v.] A robber or thief; an extortioner or ‘blood-sucker.’Freq. merely as a vague term of opprobrium applied to a man.Also purs-peiller, see Purs n.(a) c1460 Alex. (Taym.) 17706.
He suld schame … To be ane peloure thus gate on the sey c1500-c1512 Dunb. Flyt. 70 (B).
How that thow, poysonit pelour, gat thy paikis Id. Ib. 114.
Pynit pykpuris, pelour [M. peilour] c1500-c1512 Dunb. xviii. 12.
Be I ane lord and not lord lyk Than every pelour [M. pelour, peylour] and purspyk Sayis [etc.] 1540 Lynd. Sat. 1561.
Thy heid sall beir a cuppill of knokkis, Pelour [Ch. pellour], withowt I get my pairt 1561 Q. Kennedy Compendious Ressonyng (ed.) 171/22.
Haif we nocht seyn in oure dayes … ane pultroun to be ane priour, ane pelour to be ane persone 1570 Sat. P. xiii. 5.
Quhen as He [sc. God] tholis proude pelours to depriue The lyuis from sic as [etc.] 1570 Ib. xiv. 46.
Peloure, thow peirst him gaif thé peace 1570 Ib. xviii. 76.
Wo to thay pelouris sic interprysis pretend(b) 1540 Lynd. Sat. 2469 (B).
Put first the thrie pilouris [Ch. pellours] in to the prissone strang Ib. 2483.
I trow this pylour [Ch. pellour] be spurgawd