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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.

Sex, Sax, Six, num. and n.³ Also: sext, saxt, saxe, saix, sayx, sixe. [East-midl. and north. ME and e.m.E. sex (c1250), also (chiefly) midl. and south. ME six (Layamon), sixe (c1300), syx (c1400), OE sex, six, siex, syx, etc., ON sex.]

A. num. 1. The cardinal number six in attrib. or ellipt. use. Also specif. in reference to the time with ellipsis of hours or o'clock.attrib. (1) 1375 Barb. i 39.
The land sex ȝer … Lay desolat 1398 Liber Melros 490.
Ovre runnen … sex wowkis daye eftir the lymite terme 14.. Burgh Laws c. 44 (B).
Gyf ony playnte be rysyn betwene a burges and ane vplandis man qwhar of ane athe mon be the burges sal clenge hym agayne the tuthir wyth sex burges a1500 Seven S. 1291.
Than on the morne sone be sex houris [etc.] 1533 Bell. Livy I 56/8.
Thir sex brethir 1562-3 Winȝet I 28/12.
Sex dayis to laubour 1570 Inverness Rec. I 197.
[He] alse protestis for ane sufficient oxe of sex yeiris auld at vpwark 1615 Denmylne MSS in Highland P. III 217.
I might haue bene sex houris before thame, gif I had bene sartane of thair way 1632 Aberd. Council Lett. I 358.
Sex or aucht schillingis 1669 Reg. Privy C. 3 Ser. III 98.
The said towne to be served at sex severall coallheughes 1678 Cullen B. Rec. 5 (28 Jan.).
Sex schilling Scots money 1681 Corshill Baron Ct. 153.
For ane bargane of sex best sheep out of nyne 1697 Edinb. Test. LXXX 223b.
12 trimeing cloathes and sex head cloathes(b) 1604 Stewart Mem. 114.
In simpill forme off sext dayis chairge(c) 1644 11th Rep. Hist. MSS. App. vi 56.
I leiue hir … the ring with the sayx diamonts(d) 14.. Acts I 310/2.
Sax inches and ane half a1508 Kennedy Flyt. 45 (M).
And lat him lay sax leischeis on thy lendis 1513 Doug. v x 30.
Twys sax childir c1575 Balfour Pract. 529.
He sall give thairfoir to the king sax ky a1578 Pitsc. II 118/5.
Sex cannonis with sax vthir schot 1585 Misc. Bann. C. I 144.
Sax feit weyd c1590 Fowler II 65/6.
This confusd reasoun is saxtymes repeted be ȝow 1600-1610 Melvill 221.
In Tinmouthe, whar we ley sax dayes 1613 Elgin Rec. II 135.
On Sonday sax houris 1655 Boyd Fam. P. 2 Nov.
Sax pound Scots yeirlie(e) 1549 Lamb Ressonyng 17/6.
The saxt just causis of weir salbe proponit perticularlie(f) 1569-73 Bann. Memor. 110.
Sex workmen 1619 Misc. Abbotsf. C. 83.
Scho gaiue fiue or six lytle groanes 1656 Cramond Ch. Rathven 21.
Thrie Saturdayes befor Lambas and thrie efter called the six silie Saturdayes(2) c1475 Wall. iv 679.
In feld was left of the Sothren sex scoyr 1496 Acta Conc. II 29.
The soume of sex hundreith merkis 1549 Compl. 7/29.
Sex thousand peces of gold 1567 Edinb. Test. I 59b.
Sex dosane of faldand kames 1582 Edinb. Univ. Chart. 87.
The sowm of sex scoir fyve pund sex schillings aucht penneis 1698 Aberd. B. Rec. IV 321.
Sex hundreth pound sterling(b) 1526 Misc. Spald. C. IV 25.
Sax hunder markis 1541 Renfrew Arch. Coll. I 193.
Sax dosand of cane foulis c1552 Lynd. Mon. 1308.
Sax score of ȝeris 1581 Burne Disput. 138.
Quhais number be calculation extendis to sax hundreth saxtie sax 1596 Dalr. I 78/29.
The ȝeir … saxthundereth nyntie and fyue 1622 M. Works Acc. (ed.) II 138.
Thrie thowsand sax hundreth aucht pundis sax schillingis(c) c1590 Calderwood V 15.
Having once six thowsand men heere 1659 Blairs P. 162.
In al it uil be six scor of ligs out of my uay he sent me(3) 1501 Doug. Pal. Hon. 1529.
With fingers sex on ather hand but weir c1500-c1512 Dunb. (OUP) 9/71.
Be houris saxellipt. (1) ?1438 Alex. ii 19.
Fyue dayis or sex he soiorned thare a1500 Henr. Fab. 2326.
Ȝe sall haue sex or seuin Richt off the fattest hennis a1500 Henr. Orph. 230.
And of thir sex [sc. musical notes] … fyve hevynly symphonyis Componyt ar 1540 Lynd. Sat. 1927 (B).
Moderles bairnis owthir sex or sevin c1550 Rolland Ct. Venus ii 1030.
This thay concluid all sex with ane consent 1569-73 Bann. Memor. 133.
He had slaine sex or sevin a1578 Pitsc. I 340/12.
Contrair the kingis grace hir sone and ony sex in Scottland 1606 Aberd. Eccl. Rec. 54.
To fyve or sex at the maist of the speciall freyndis of the defunct 1639 Aberd. B. Rec. III 169.
Tuelff peice of demiculvering, whairof sex belonges to the king, and other sex to oure toune 1695 12th Rep. Hist. MSS. App. viii 49.
Five or sex more of our country men(b) 1424 Dumbarton B. Rec. App. ii 1.
That the balȝeis … sal chese sax of the worthiaste [etc.] c1500-c1512 Dunb. (OUP) 101/43.
Quhen thair was cum in fyve or sax 1567 G. Ball. 210.
Gif God was maid of bittis of breid, Eit ȝe not oulklie sax or seuin a1585 Maitland in Maitl. Q. 42/34.
The tormentaris wer then so scant Chryist for to scurge scairis found wer sax c1590 Fowler I 113/33.
These other leirned sax, the Grecian sax and wyse a1605 Montg. Sonn. lxvii 8.
I am ouer sair for ȝou and other sax(c) 1632 Lithgow Trav. 261.
We sixe made vs for the mountaine(2) 1583 Cal. Sc. P. VI 634.
Be sex of the clok in the mornyn 1590–1 Crim. Trials I ii 239.
Betuix fyve and sax att ewin 1622-6 Bisset II 280/1.
Oure blissed salviour sufferred passioun on the thrid day of Apryle be oure compting feria sexta sex eftir none

b. Coupled with a higher numeral forming a compound (cardinal or ordinal) numeral.(a) a1400 Leg. S. Prol. 96.
In novmer sex & sexty 1386 Rot. Sc. II 85/2.
The yeer of grace MCCCC iiii^xx and sex 1417 Charter (Reg. H.) No. 249.
For sex & fourti mark of gude & usual monee of … Scottland 1488 Treas. Acc. I 82.
The grete chenȝe of gold contenand sevin score sex linkis 1561 Q. Kennedy Compendious Ressonyng (ed.) 168/4.
Augustyne … alevyn hundreth fiftie sex ȝeiris bypast(b) 1511 Wemyss Chart. 129.
The sax and twenty off June 1539 Glasgow Prot. IV 118.
I will the said vicar pensionar … gar thretty sax messis be said a1561 Q. Kennedy Breif Tract. (ed.) 142/12.
I call to rememberaunce thretty sax testimonyis of scriptouris

c. The sex men: In Peebles, appar. a form of town council, with certain advisory functions. See further Aberd. B. Rec. (SHS) lxxxvii. 1468 Peebles B. Rec. I 158.
It is ordanyt be the balyeis, and with consent of the commwnite and the sex men, that [etc.] 1468 Peebles B. Rec. I 158.
Thir ar the sex men that is ordanyt to geif the balyeis consell

2. = Sext adj.(a) 1490 Irland Mir. I 16/25.
The sex [sc. book] is of the sacramentis, and the vij spekis of lawis 1495–6 Treas. Acc. I 218.
The sex part of the landis of Sanfurd 1542 Reg. Cupar A. II 188. c1590 Fowler I 83/161.
It wes the sex day of Appryle 1611 Scrymgeour Invent. 47.
For redemptioun of the sex pairt landis of Craigie 1623 Linlithgow B. Rec. 14 July.
Ane sex pairt straikit of meill 1633 Misc. Spald. C. III 110.
For the sewint terme, and for the fyft and sex termes 1641 Elgin Rec. I 271.
The sex peice of the tounes wreitts(b) 1549 Lamb Ressonyng 7/21.
Thir fyif causes … ; the sax hes happinnit laitlie 1563 Acts II 537/1.
The foirsaid sax day of Marche 1640 Ritchie Ch. S. Baldred 250.
Tysday come aucht dayes, … being the sax of October 1659 Retours II Inq. Spec. Renfrew (158).
Four sax pairts of the lands of Lunderstoun and Haulkstane(c) 1655 Retours I Inq. Spec. Aberdeen (329).
Two six parts of Petgavene

B. comb. With a noun, forming an attributive compound. 1577 Inverness Rec. I 253.
[Ane] sex airis boit 1650 Glasgow Chart. II 20.
That saxe pund land … with the … coalheuchis 1674 Highland P. I 290.
With the full casualties of a sixmaill-land

C. noun. To set (something) on sax and (or) sevin, to put at hazard; at risk. 1535 Stewart 20184.
Quha … settis all his thrift on sax and sevin 1560 Rolland Seven S. 2226.
Set all on sex and seuin, and perchance cast eleuin 1567 G. Ball. 26.
To dance, And set on sax and seuin the chance