A Dictionary of the Older Scottish Tongue (up to 1700)
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First published 1937 (DOST Vol. I).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
Quotation dates: 1399-1400, 1475-1513, 1567-1695
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Blade, Blaid, n. Also: blad, blead, bled, blede, bleed, bleid. [ME. blade, blaad(e, blad(de, OE. blæd (pl. bladu).]
1. The blade of a knife, sword, etc. Heft and blade: see Heft n.1 (a) a1400 Legends of the Saints xl. 1139.
The blad of a knyfe a1500 Golagros and Gawane 705.
Burnist bladis of steill c1475 Acts of Schir William Wallace ii. 131.
Away the blaid it flaw c1475 Ib. 405.
The rousty blaid … him claiff 1513 Doug. xii. xii. 89.
This ontraste fals blaid c1614 Mure Dido & Æneas i. 561.
In Graecian blood his blaid who oft embrues 1661 Glasgow B. Rec. II. 471.
Thrie scoir twelfe muskits … and ane hundreth and threttie twa ammunitioune blaids 1695 Foulis Acc. Bk. 174.
For a new blaid to my wife's jack the leg knyfe(b) c1590 J. Stewart 240 § 163.
Discord vas stikit vith ane burnist bleed a1605 Montg. Misc. P. xxxii. 64.
Baith heft and blead ar in ȝour hand, as ȝit 1625 Garden Kings 52.
He in thair blood thrice boldlie bath'd his bleid (: fled)
2. The leaf of a tree, plant, grass, etc.(a) a1568 Scott xxxv. 13.
He … quhois leif and blaid sall nevir faid 1567 Gude and Godlie Ballatis 95.
As the gers that wallowis rute and blaid(b) c1590 J. Stewart 94/543.
As bled of bus 1596 Dalr. I. 39/23.
Amang the smal bledis of the herbe called trifolie 1597 Misc. Spald. C. I. 96.
The bledis of the corne 1609 Craig iii. 16.
These base Nicotian bleads 1629 Boyd Last B. 270.
As the sunne … maketh … the cornes … to shoote vp to the shote bled
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"Blade n.". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 14 Dec 2025 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/dost/blade>
