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

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First published 2002 (DOST Vol. XII).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

West, Wast, adv., n. and adj. Also: uest, weste, vest(e, vast, waste, wost, weist, veist, waist, vaist, woist, weast. Superl. waistest. [ME and e.m.E. wesst (Orm), west(e (both Layamon), weast (1553), OE west, MLG, MDu. west.]

A. adv.a. To the west, westwards. Also with of.Also, a further example of Bewest adv., functioning as an alliterative tag with vague spatial implications.(1) 1458 Liber Aberbr. II 103.
Begynnand at the sowth at Carghal and passand vest to Melgone 1489 Treas. Acc. I 116.
A man to pas to Edinburgh to haist the gunnis west 1492 Reg. Episc. Morav. 244.
The landis fra that est pertene to Kildrummy and that west to Kilrawok 1533 Treas. Acc. VI 165.
To ane marinaris expens quhilk past west with Maister George Forestar 1565 Bamff Chart. 100.
West our the mercat gait to the karne of the Bank 1607 Murray Early B. Organ. II 159 n.
His offence done to the said pursuer and his said spouse in sending west of the said feigned letter 1663 Dunlop P. III 3.
The apprehension of our brother … his going west yesterday, occasioned my not wreating to you 1684 Sibbald Scot. Illustr. ii 8.
Alchimilla … reperitur in Calendar west-from Perth(b) 1450 Reg. Episc. Brechin. I 146.
Fra Brauchtinch wost up the wattir of Cruok to Lochty 1602 Shetland Sheriff Ct. (ed.) 59.
Failyeing of the making of ane erexster for thair gudis eist and wost within x dayis(c) 1577 Prot. Bk. J. Scott 37b.
Begynnyng at the heid of the said lon passand woist abone the buithlatt gait(d) 1588 Reg. Great S. 546/1.
Ewin upwart eist throw the mos callit the flowmos … and thairfra direct wast to the Blakburne 1600-1610 Melvill 27.
They wracked all the Bordars wast and est, and tuik the castell of Hume 1657 Misc. Hist. Soc. VII 16.
Tusday: … Craigbui goinge som fortie miles wast(2) a1500 Peblis to Play 49.
Sic ane schout wes thame amang Quhen thai wer our the wald Thair west Off Peblis to the play c1639 Sc. Lore 164.
Thair wes waist of the maill lands maynes land and few lands as the rentall will testifie for the foirsaid crope that soulde have payed … i^cl lib. ix s.(3) a1500 Gol. & Gaw. 419.
Quhare wourscip walkis be west

b. specif.Of the sun: To go west, to set. Also fig. to perish, pass on.The fig. quot. may conceivably belong in Wast(e n. 7 in quasi-adv. use. a1500 Henr. Robene & M. 51.
The sone gois west, The day is neir hand gonefig. a1497, 15.. Gray MS vi 42.
Mony pape ar passit by … Women and mony wilsome wy As wynd or wattir ar gane west [: preist, kest, fest, drest] … nocht has life that heir ma lest

c. comb. 1579–80 (1581) Reg. Great S. 73/1.
Thairfra passand west about as the new stank braa lyis 1604 Elgin Rec. II 128 (see Over adv. 1 b).
West ouer 1628 Linlithgow B. Rec. 2 May.
Being west-hand at Farieweillis thaire dyik

B. prep.a. To the west of, = Bewest prep. 1. b. In the western part of. c. Further examples of Bewest prep.a. a1500 Seven S. 527.
In this cuntre nocht fer heir west Sumtyme thair stude a fair forest 1587 Reg. Great S. 480/2.
Insuper creavit dictum burgum de Anstruther super occidentali torrentis (west the burne) 1589 Reg. Great S. 573/1.
Strekand west the hie streit to the dyk 1606 Inverness Rec. II 48.
I being cumand west the hie Kingis gett … they set on me 1618 Antiq. Aberd. & B. II 371.
Ascending up and wast the said Blackmyre c1650 Buchanan's Hist. MS Index (Edinb. Univ. Lib. *R. 20/12).
Morini, the people that ly west the coast from Caliceb. 1666-74 Fraser Polichron. 337.
My father … was called wast the country, and I with himc. c1420 Wynt. i 1383.
Be west Bretane is lyand All the landys off Irlande 1525 (1527) Reg. Great S. 96/1.
Ane altar … before the pillar now foundit nixt befor Sanct Michaelis altar be west the said altar(b) 1558-66 Knox II 373.
At the halking be-weast Kynros

C. noun.1. a. The westerly point of the compass or direction, with and without the def. art. b. The western part (of(f a place).Also in a place-name. c1202 Reg. Paisley 13.
Per unum wacellum de West de Gragmenana. (1) a1400 Leg. S. xxv 362.
Fra suth to north, fra est to weste, … of my ded sa cruele The warld sal neuire cese to tel a1500 Henr. Fab. 1658.
The firmament payntit with sternis cleir From eist to west rolland in cirkill round c1500-c1512 Dunb. (OUP) 184/23.
Thocht he this warld had eist and west, All wer povertie but glaidnes c1552 Lynd. Mon. 338.
Oft haue I salit ouer the strandis, And traualit throuch diuers landis, Boith south, and north, and est, and west(2) a1500 Henr. Test. Cress. 12.
Fair Venus, the bewtie of the nicht, Vprais and set vnto the west full richt Hir goldin face 15.. Clar. ii 862.
Thinking or Phebus in the wast declyne, That he sould [etc.] 1600-1610 Melvill 280.
God … send the wound in the wastb. c1420 Wynt. i 1112.
On [the] rycht half is the west off it [sc. Asia] The left halff levys at Affrica c1515 Asl. MS I 310/15.
Of thir partis of the erth the est & west is habitable to the ferrest end of the erth 1622-6 Bisset I 7/6.
Vespacien … appased the peopill of the wast and helped thame, beand trubled be the Germannis, and recovered thame to the Romane impyre

2. specif.In Scotland. a. In specifying location: Located towart a westerly direction or at, on, to the westerly side of (a place) or having (a place) on the westerly side of the location specified. b. A place to the west of a place or area, in the west of Scotland.a. 1540 Elgin Rec. I 50.
The landis … lyand betuyx the Gray Freir vynd at the est and the landis now Sir Jonn Williamsone at the vast 1550 Murray Early B. Organ. I 88 n.
Between the lands of John Wan on the west, a vennel called the Lone on the east … and a kilsteid on the south 1587–8 Prot. Bk. J. Inglis 21 Feb.
Haifand the kyrk land at the est occupeit be Andro Chapman, at the southt the kyrkland occupeit be Andro Ogiluie, at the wost the kingis gait, & at the northt Watsonnis land occupeit be George Duffe 15… Newbattle Chart. MS (Reg. H.).
Ane pece of … land … descendand … to the land of the saidis abbot … and fray hyne ascendand towart the wost 1696 Cullen B. Rec. 76 (19 Sept.).
Ane uther croft off land … having the kings high way at the north, the ministers manse at the vast(b) 1537 Reg. Episc. Aberd. I 412.
His tenment lyand … afornent the cors of the samynge one the weist 1607 Fam. Rose 294.
The yet that passis of auld fra Knockbar downe to the toun of Daltalech at the veistb. a1500 Peblis to Play 11.
All the wenchis of the west War vp or the cok crew 1651 Nicoll Diary 54.
Thir ministeris … held thair awin secreit meetingis in the west(b) a1578 Pitsc. I 257/22.
The king … maid ane procliematioun … throw all the realme of Scottland batht eist, wast, south, north, allis weill in his illis as in the ferme land that [etc.] 1584–5 Laing MSS 38.
To have cum throw the waist of Lammermuir be Dalkeith to Halyruidhous 1663 Ellon Par. 125.
[The minister is gone] to the wast and south of Scotland to visit his friends 1666 3rd Rep. Hist. MSS 421/1.
Ve sal marche to the vaist, for all the forsis layes in redenes twixt Hedenton and Stirlen

D. adj.1. Situated in, or belonging to, the west; westerly. a. In place-names, also in the name of a people.(1) 1165–1214 Liber Melros 133.
Et de Westfulhope usque in Withedre 1214–49 Liber Melros 256.
Westlillisclive 1294 Highland P. II 129.
Totam terram nostram in Dunde que vocatur Westfeld 1359 Exch. R. I 586.
De firmis del Westwodd 1376 Reg. Great S. 216/1.
Terras de Westbernys, videlicet le Westfeld 1451 Reg. Episc. Aberd. I 258.
Edwardus de Ramsay de Vesthall 1480 Liber Melros 694.
Adam Nesbitt de West Nesbitt 1544 Antiq. Aberd. & B. III 442.
Capellanus … capellanie terrarum de Wasthall 1552–3 Edinb. B. Rec. II 279.
For twa dosone and twa laids Gilmertoun lyme xxxiij s. x d. … saxtene laid westhouses lyme xvij s. iiij d.(2) c1379 MacRae Early Sc. Texts No. 1.
Al the landys of the Plat Westhall & the Northrav 1571 Bann. Memor. 151.
The barrese bewast the Wast Port of Edinburgh a1578 Pitsc. II 166/30.
The pryour of Sanctandrois … past to the Waste Wemes 1584 Gray Lett. & P. 41.
I reseiuit aduertisment … that he lay at Beaucastell, on the Vest Mairtches 1636 Justiciary Cases I 274.
His heid and richt hand to be put up on the wast poirt(3) 1606 Highland P. III 87.
Thir cuntreis of the Wast and North Iyles 1607 Denmylne MSS in Highland P. III 104.
Anent the uest Yllis, thair is ane infeftment of few ferme past to the Erll of Ergyll of the landis of Kintyre(4) 1646 Baillie II 388.
The French are like this year to have very bad successe, both in Italie, Spaine, and West Flanders(5) 1596 Dalr. I 232 marg.
Aidan winnis the feild vpon the Peichtis and Westsaxonis

b. With common nouns in general use. Also superl. 1387 Slater Early Sc. Texts No. 11.
The durre standand in the west gavyl c1420 Wynt. i 507.
In the west art syne anone, The kynryk ras of Sycyone 1483 Reg. Cupar A. I 236.
Lattin the half of the veste sete of Enneraredy … to Wilȝam Coly for al the dayis of his lyf 1509 Rec. Earld. Orkney 82.
As fre the wast pontt of Gruttquhy beris lyne sowith-wast to wast 1531 Reg. Dunferm. 362.
It salbe leisum to the said … abbot … to caus pas in at ony of the waist eys … and oppin the samyn 1565 Antiq. Aberd. & B. III 425.
To desist … fra all forthyr … laboring of the auchtane part of the waist medowe 1574–5 Haddington Treas. Acc. 17.
Four pownd Spanye yrin to lay the pykis of the west myll 1578 Dysart Rec. 25.
Ane evill air enterit into the main heuche, the dur beane than at the wast entrie of the toun 1601 Edinb. B. Rec. V 282.
To caus loft the wast kirk and mak the samen in ane tolbuithe as it was of auld 1610 Aberd. B. Rec. II 300.
The wast bow of the said brig 1658 Binns P. 47.
He may have libertie to bring out the wast wall for a chimnay about ten or twelve inches a litle above the louping-on-stone 1689 Acts XII 54/2.
That two friggetts be gott to cruse on the west coastssuperl. 1596 Dalr. I 84/11.
Nathir was thir of Walis compellit be force … to duell in Wales, as in the waistest, bot as in the surest parte of Ingland

c. Of the wind: Blowing from the west. 1513 Doug. i iii 64.
He callis till hym … Eurus and Zephirus, Tha est and west wyndis

2. West se or seis, see Se n.¹ 4 (3) for further examples. Also attrib. 1658 R. Moray Lett. 95.
Glengarry hath braw trees also … but I will not readily advise to send about to the west seas … unlesse the cheapnesse of the timber do more then compense the fraight 1659 Glasgow B. Rec. II 423.
To acquaint him with the pilacie in the wast seaesattrib. c1500-c1512 Dunb. (OUP) 28/100.
Matremony that nobill king … Chest Sklander to the west se cost 1598 Stirling Ant. III 308.
vij^xx eist sie harreng, … xx west sie harreng

3. comb. 1578 Warrender P. (SHS) I 140.
I am nales willing to meit with yow, and at your next westcuming will do guidwill to speik yow 1592 Misc. Maitl. C. I 53.
That thai report testimoniall heirintill agane thair first west cuming in this cuntrey 1624 Moray Synod 6.
Vntill my l[ord] b[ischop] his west going for the planting of Innernes 1666 Kirkintilloch B. Ct. 149.
In westgoeing my Lord Lithgowes ragement was quartered all within Kirkintilloch 1670 Glasgow B. Rec. III 140.
The denner was made reddie for the duk Lennox his west coming