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Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)

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About this entry:
First published 1934 (SND Vol. I). Includes material from the 1976 supplement.
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

ABUILYIEMENTS, ABOULZIEMENTS, ABULZIEMENTS; BULZIEMENTS, BOULYIEMENTS, BULLAMENTS, BULIMENTS, BOULIMENTS, BULEMENTS, BULJAMETS, BOLUMENTS, BOILYIEMINTS, n. (Generally used in plur.)  [′bulɪmənts . + ′bʌlɪmənts Bnff., Abd.; ′bʌljəmənts Sh., Mry.; ′bɔlɪmənts Mry.; ′bʌldʒəmə(n)ts Sh.; ′bɔɪljɪmɪnts Uls.]

A. Unabridged forms. Obs. or arch.

1. Garments.Ags. 1719 A. J. Warden Burgh Laws of Dundee (1872) 434:
For employing unfree tailors to make “cloaths and bodily abulziements” for him and his family.

2. Accoutrements, arms.Sc. 1816 Scott Old Mortality vii. 145:
You ha'e ta'en it upon you . . . to keep back your son frae the wappen-schaw . . . and to return his armour and abuilyiements.Bnff. 1787 W. Taylor Scots Poems 57:
Aboulziements I hae anew, Ise gie mysel an' a' to you.Fif. 1827 W. Tennant Papistry Storm'd 111:
The southern host outspread, Busk'd in the abuilyiements o' weir.

B. Aphetic forms.

1. Garments. Abd. 1915 H. Beaton Benachie 180: 
First an' foremost, gang an' tak' aff that weet buliments.Slg. 1701 Trans. Stirling Arch. Soc. (1926), Records of Weavers' Incorp. 42:
Members discharged to maintain apprentices of all bulements nessessar, only bed and burd the time of their prentishipe.

2. Accoutrements, arms.Abd. 1824 G. Smith Douglas 22:
Wi' a' my maught the trusty tree I drew, An' shot the katrin's leader through and thro'; Syne took his bulziement.

3. Outer garments, generally of a ragged or ridiculous type.Mry.1 1928:
Boluments.Abd. 1915 T.S.D.C.:
Boulyiements.Uls.3 1931:
He was jist loadened wi' boilyiemints.

4. Odds and ends, one's belongings.Sh. 1866 Edm. Gl.:
Bullaments.Sh. 1888 Edmonston and Saxby Home of a Naturalist 38–39:
The “bulyament-box” was a great institution, and always stood in some handy place ready to disgorge its contents whenever a boy's garments wanted patching, or a girl's doll required new raiment. Bleeding fingers, bruises, burns, found suitable bandages in the bulyament-box. Sails for toy-boats, patches for quilts, covers for torn books, came out of that wonderful receptacle.Sh.2 1928:
Buljamets.

[From Fr. habiller, of which the origin is doubtful (see Hatzfeld and Darmesteter Dict. 1928). The aphetic forms are still known in n.Sc., Sh. and Uls. The change of Fr. i or e to u [y] in association with a labial consonant is found both in St. and Dial. Fr., but has not been recorded for either habiller or habit. [J.O.] The probability therefore is that the change to Sc. ui [y] and then to [u] and [ʌ] took place on Scottish soil. The earliest Sc. spelling is prob. abilzement in Act of Parl. of 1471. The lz and ly spellings indicate an l mouillé in O.Sc. See P.L.D. § 108.]

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