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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.

Blude, Bluid, n. Also: blode; blud, bludde, bluide, blwid; bloud, blowd (blood, bloode). [Northern ME. blude, ME. blode, blod, OE. blód.]

1. The blood of men or animals.(a) 1375 Barb. ii. 352.
The blud owt … brest Ib. v. 405.
Blude and vyne Ran all togidder a1400 Leg. S. Prol. 74.
Til his hand ran the blud c1420 Wynt. i. 824.
Adamant … That nevyr ma brek but bukkys blwde Ib. ii. 571; etc.
Thare wattyre turnyt in blude Ib. viii. 2062.
He … kest fast … the blode In-till Willame Walays face 1456 Hay I. 196/16.
Durand his breth and hete of blude Ib. II. 127/6; etc.
That makis gud blud c1460 Consail Wys Man 396.
Weng [= venge] nocht quhil thi blud be cule a1500 Gaw. & Gol. 6.
Biggest of bane and blude a1500 Seven S. 440.
The hous flure was full of blud 1513 Doug. ii. v. 51.
All hys hayr was glotnyt full of blude Ib. x. 136.
In blude and florist ȝouth Ib. iii. iv. 96; etc.
Thar blude congelit 1531 Bell. Boece I. 43.
The capitanis … baithit thair handis with mannis blude a1540 Freiris Berw. 41.
Freir Robert wes ȝoung, and verry hett of blude a1585 Polwart Flyt. 559.
With … bowels bowden with bruised blude 1596 Dalr. I. 90/1.
Quhen the blude was lattin out(b) 1533 Gau 66/4.
With members, flesch, blwid and beine a1605 Montg. Son. xxxvi. 9.
My bluid is brunt Id. Ch. & Slae 241.
Now na bluid in me remanis(c) 1569-73 Bann. Memor. 334.
He vomeited like bloud 1587-99 Hume iv. 12.
Within my vaines the bloud is skant and cald a1598 Ferg. Prov. 104.
Quhair the deer is slain, some bloud will lye

b. In references to the blood of Christ. c1420 Wynt. viii. 915.
Be Goddis blud, he sayd 1456 Hay I. 105/10.
The … lord that boucht it with his blude c1460 Thewis Wysmen 366.
Thai … mansueris Goddis flesch and blud a1500 Gol. & Gaw. 1058.
With thi blissit blude 1490 Irland Mir. I. 123/23.
Be his gret merit and precius blude a1570-86 Dunb. Maitl. F. xxxii. 46.
Be Goddis blud, quod the tauerneir c1552 Lynd. Mon. 271.
Be the vertew of that precious blude a1578 Pitsc. I. 310/12.
The blode of Christ Jessus

2. Relationship by birth; consanguinity; kinship, kindred, family, race. 1375 Barb. ix. 732.
He wes till the king in neir degre Of blude, for his sister him bare Ib. xvii. 319.
The mast party … War of his blud, and sib men ner c1420 Wynt. v. 1333.
Thare sulde na stat succede be blude, Bot thare ware undyre wertu gude Ib. 4242.
Thare wes slayne downe the Brettis blud Ib. vii. 583.
Saxon and the Scottys blude 1456 Hay I. 187/15.
To mak weris apon na Cristyn blude Ib. 253/13.
The lignie male of the blude ryall of Fraunce c1450-2 Howlat 384; Ib. 394.
The Dowglas … Baith barmekyn and bar to Scottis blud bene c1420 Ratis R. 45.
Pure men, cumyne of simpyl blude 1481 Antiq. Aberd. & B. II. 331.
The best vordyast and nerast of thair blud and kyn a1500 Bk. Chess 1270.
That he was borne bot of a bastardis blud a1508 Kennedy Flyt. 417.
I am the kingis blude 1509 Antiq. Aberd. & B. II. 266.
For tendernes, alliance and blude being amangis ws 1516 Acts II. 283/1.
That … Iohne, duke of Albany, … is nerrest of lyne & blude 1530 Lennox Mun. 237.
Conforme to thair proximite … of bluyd 1531 Bell. Boece I. ii.
Thocht thay war of oncouth blude Ib. 146.
Thay war baith of a blude c1550 Lynd. Meldrum 218.
Of the blude royall of Scotland ?1549 Monro W. Isles 14.
He and his bluid are the best men in that country 1558-66 Knox II. 71.
God … red us from the rest of the Guysiane blude a1570-86 J. Maitland M. Fol. clxxvii. 75.
Scotland … hes bene alwayis brukit be a bloud a1585 Maitl. Q. lxviii. 141.
Quha dois not knaw the Maitland bluid The best in all this land 1596 Dalr. II. 268/24.
Lenox, as nerrest the kingis blude, … suld tak a mendis

b. Of or in blude, related by blood. Also (nerrest) air of blude, etc. 1456 Hay I. 191/29.
Suppos he war nocht of blude syb cousingage a1500 Doug. K. Hart 610.
Gif that ȝe war of kyn and blude to me c1515 Asl. MS. I. 204/14.
The king of Fraunce partit with his qwene becaus thai ware of blude c1550 Lynd. Meldrum 1197.
Ane gentilman … The quhilk to him wes not in blude 1613 Crim. Trials III. 262.
The said Robert, as nerrest agnat of bluid to thame 1626 Antiq. Aberd. & B. IV. 252.
Johne erle of Mar … air of bluid to vmquhill Dame Issobell Dowglas Ib. 253.
Narrest and vndoubtit air of blud to hir

3. With reference to the shedding of blood. c1400 Troy-bk. ii. 472.
Hys temple was Fyled in the effusioune Of mannys blud c1420 Wynt. ii. 12.
Mekyll off sakles blwde he schede Ib. vi. 1498.
He gert sla men … And spylt gret blud 1456 Hay I. 57/7.
Sik destruccioun of blude was never … sene in a felde c1475 Wall. ii. 10.
It was his lyff … To se thaim sched the byrnand Sothroun blude 1508 Reg. Privy S. I. 242/1.
For … passing away with the blude of the samyn slauchter 1513 Doug. ii. ii. 26.
To sched my blude by paynful deth 1533 Gau 104/28.
The voce of his blwid cryis … to the hewine 1535 Stewart 24153.
That was ane taikin gude Of victorie, that thai gat the first blude Ib. 24155.
Distroyand … baith with blude and fyre 1549 Compl. 27/16.
The end of them that settis ther felicite to skattir & to skail blude 1570 Leslie 24.
The effusion of micle bludde micht be avoided a1585 Maitl. Q. lxi. 24.
So lat his bluid be on thair heidis 1596 Dalr. II. 291/10.
The slauchter and blode of the cardinal and preistes 1641 Aberd. B. Rec. IV. 256.
To the effusioun of other of thair blodis

b. An act of bloodshed; an assault to the effusion of blood. Also without article: Bloodshed.Bla and blude, blude and bla: see Bla n.(1) 1509 Bishop's Castle (1888) 44.
Act and discharge contra the sheriff of Drumfries for intromitting with any bluids commitid within the toune 1520 Fife Sheriff Ct. 185.
James Sleich … comperit nocht the said day to ansuere … for the committing of the said blud 1546 Aberd. B. Rec. I. 228.
Becaus the bluid wes recently committit within ane priuilegit towne 1565 Reg. Privy C. I. 411.
To preif the allegit bluid and inymitie standing betuix thame 1577 Lanark B. Rec. 73.
The bludis, forcementis, dissobediens, and wardouris breking 1582 Inverness B. Rec. I. 292.
The inqueist … hes convict hir in the blude maid vpon Iames Roy in respect scho lugit … the committaris of the said blude 1610 Glasgow B. Rec. I. 316.
The manifald trublancis wrangis and bludis quilkis … ar committit be notorious tulyeouris 1648 Stirling B. Rec. I. 194.
Trublances, bludes, & injuries to be judgit ony uther day, for bettir keiping of the Sabothe 1662 Lamont Diary 152.
George Mutray, … was absolued of a blood at Lundy, … and the same day was found guilty of the same blood att Cuper 1668 Corshill Baron Ct. 87.
Ane blood comitted … be the said Hew by the throw of ane stone one the face of the said Thomas 1678 Mackenzie Laws & C. (1699) 207.
A blood proven by confession, may be punished by an unlaw of fifty pounds(2) 1590 Reg. Privy C. IV. 516.
He causis persew thame for blude and convictis thame 1606 Lett. & St. P. Jas. VI 82.
The privilege of constabularie … hes bene to judge vpone bluide and bluidweit 1621 Black Bk. Taymouth 369.
The assyis … convictis the defender in blood, and the persewar in trublance 1674 Justiciary Ct. II. 230.
The resisting of letters of ejection … , whereupon no action of blood followed

c. A fine for bloodshed. (Cf. Bludewite 2.) 1606 Melrose R. Rec. I. 8; Ib. 9.
Thai salbe ansuerabill to satisfe the kirk for payment of the bluids 1617 Aberd. Chart. 361.
All bluidis, vnlawis, … casualties, … belanging to the said office of admiralitie 1641 Acts V. 627/2.
The bluides, bluidweittes [etc.] … to receave and vptak