Dictionaries of the Scots Language
Dictionars o the Scots Leid

Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)

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CORSE, CORS, KORS, n. Also corss. Obs. except in senses 3 and 4 and in place-names.

1. A market-cross, market-place. Jam.⁵ (1880) gives the form kors for Cld.Ags. 1823 in Edb. Mag. and Lit. Misc. (April) 448/1:
I left them at the corse — but, hark! they're comin' this way.wm.Sc. 1835–37 Laird of Logan II. 109:
Amang the Corks of the Causeyside, as weel as upon the plainstanes at the Corse.

2. A silver coin with a cross on one side.s.Sc. 1793 T. Scott Poems 360:
Fient a corse atweel has he; Frae starvation nought'll save ye.

3. The top part of a sail when the last reef is taken in.Bnff.² 1937:
A fite squall cam' doon the Firth, an' we ran afore't wi' only the corse o' the sail.

4. A cross marked on a steelyard to show the centre (Sh. 1866 Edm. Gl.); "comm[on] in pl[ural] of two such marks: de bismer-korses" (Sh. 1908 Jak. (1928)).

5. Combs.: (1) corse-fish, a starfish, esp. the five-armed kind. Cf. Cross-fit; (2) corsfit, a starfish (Abd.¹⁷ 1919); cf. Cross-fit; (3) korsmas(s), a half-yearly festival, held on May 3 and Sept. 14 (Sh. 1866 Edm. Gl., -mass; 1914 Angus Gl.); in the Roman Catholic Church called the Invention of the Cross and the Exaltation of the Cross; (4) corse rig, a piece of land set aside for the maintenance of the village cross; (5) kirn-korses, see Kirn, n.¹, Combs. (1)e.Lth. 1795 Stat. Acc.¹ XVII. 70: 
Buckies, clams, sea-urchins, star-fish, and corse-fish, are found in the oyster beds.(2)Ayr. 1845 Stat. Acc.² V. 90: 
Corse-foot or five fingered star-fish (Asterea rubens) are found in great abundance.(4)Rxb. 1845 Stat. Acc.² III. 61:
There is a cross in the centre of the village of Melrose . . . which has a quarter of land to maintain it, called the "Corse Rig."