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

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First published 1951 (DOST Vol. II).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

Gere, Geir, n. Also: ger, geire, geyr(e, geyir, geere, gear(e. See also Gair n.² [ME. gere (a 1300), earlier gære (c 1205), ON. (*gerwe,) gerve, with reduction of rw to r as in ON. gera (from earlier *gerwa) Ger v.]

1. a. Arms and armour; a weapon. 1375 Barb. v. 110.
The men … , that within wer, … full effraytly gat thair ger Ib. ix. 709 (E).
Thai … tuk thair ger rycht hastily, And schot furth, fra thai harnasyt war a 1380 Rep. Hist. MSS., Var. Coll. V. 77.
We ar marche men and dwellys owtmest and may ill be absent owte of our ger for gret scathis apperand tyll us c1420 Wynt. iv. 680.
Wagyouris armyd at all rycht In to thare gere all flawmand brycht Ib. viii. 4806.
He … schayre a thwayng all at laysere And thare wyth festnyd wp his gere ?1438 Alex. i. 1982.
He smot the douchty Gaudifere Throw scheild, haubrek, and all his gere Ib. ii. 7887.
Now pray I that ȝour geir be dicht And ȝour hors shod all at richt a1500 Rauf C. 769.
I sall gif thé to begin glitterand geir a1500 Gol. & Gaw. 472.
To gar the gayest on grund grayne vndir geir 1494 Edinb. B. Rec. I. 68.
Thair defensabill geir, sic as jak, sellat [etc.] Ib.
That ilk persoun haif this said furnist geir besyde him 1512 Reg. Privy C. I. 367/1.
To se that thai be sufficiently bodin in wapinnis and geir accordin to the proclamatioun 1513 Doug. ix. iv. 10.
Euery man stud reddy in hys geir Enarmyt weill, and in his hand a speir 1538 Lynd. Justing 67.
Thare hors, harnes, and all geir was so gude, Louyng to God, that day was sched no blude c1550 Rolland Ct. Venus ii. 285.
Sa gay thay schine all in thair glitterand geir: Hewmond on heid, sword, buklar, scheild and speir a1570-86 Maitland Maitl. F. xvi. 11.
Go dres ȝour hors, ȝour harnes, and ȝour geiris To rin at listis 1678 Mackenzie Laws and C. i. xii. § 8.
Albeit he had come to seek the length of his gear who was to fight with his son

b. Apparel, dress, personal equipment. c1420 Wynt. iv. 52.
He oysid mykyll for to were Purpur silk and browdyn gere 1456 Hay I. 154/32.
The hors that I ryde on, and myn othir gere that is nedefull to me a1500 Henr. Fab. 1352.
His gowue wes of ane claith als quhyte as milk, … Thus was he gudlie graithit in his geir c1475 Wall. iii. 80.
We will nocht soiorne here, Nor change no weid, bot our ilk dayis ger a1500 Gol. & Gaw. 158.
With ane girdill ourgilt, and vthir light gere a1500 Lanc. 2777.
I have gart ordan all the gere That longith to ȝour body for to were 1502 Treas. Acc. II. 158.
To the wif … making the Gray Freris abbis and surplis, in part of payment of thir gere making 1584 Sat. P. xlv. 683.
While he was grathed into his geir Siclyke as he was wont to weir a1605 Montg. Misc. P. xiii. 25.
Love maks men galȝard in thair geir

c. Apparatus, implement(s), tackle. Also fig. 1375 Barb. xvii. 702(E).
Jhone Crab, that had his ger all yar, In his fagaldis has set the fyr c1420 Wynt. iii. 866.
Thai wywys … poyntyt to thaire prewa gere That betwene thaire lymys stud a1499 Contempl. Sinn. 224.
Our crevist cabillis all at a cast will crak, … Stand at ȝour geire, than cummis ane better neire c1500-c1512 Dunb. Tua Mar. W. 232.
A tender peronall, … That hatit men with hard geir 1513 Doug. v. i. 27.
Commandis he euery feir Do red thar takillis, and stand hard by thar geir 1560 Rolland Seven S. 570.
Thay … Cut thair cabillis, and ouir burd cast thair geir 1581 Lanark B. Rec. 78.
Berket leder, schon, and sik like onie lefull geir of thair craftes 1595 Edinb. Test. XXVIII. 350 b.
The couper boit with hir geir

2. Articles or personal possessions of any kind; goods or property. In later use freq. gudes and geir.Very common in the 16th c. in the form geir.(a) a1500 Bernardus 403.
[Those] Quhilk mary thame bot for thar gud and ger c1475 Wall. viii. 1150.
Scho graithit hir apon a gudly wis With gold and ger 1488 Lanark B. Rec. 3.
For the ger uplaying aud doun, vij d. 1517 Treas. Acc. V. 117.
For tursing … ger out of the castell c 1535 Lennox Mun. 348.
Nodir … land nor ger in this wardyll(b) a1400 Leg. S. xxx. 315.
I think to get of thi gere For the gud lare I sal thé lere c1420 Wynt. viii. 2516.
Thai … partyd amang thame … The armowris and othir gere That thai wan fra thame 1456 Hay I. 235/5.
The quhilkis [ambassadors] … hyris … hors and cartis and chariotis to lede thair gere with to Paris Ib. II. 159/26.
I may lefully tak fra thame … bathe gold and othir gere 1461 Liber Plusc. 397.
Thus mon he tak of thaim that has maist gere 1501 Treas. Acc. II. 23.
Giffin for tua cadgeatis … to turs sarkis, bonatis, hattis, and smal gere 1533 Boece iii. vii. 100.
Diuers crymynal persons … quhilkis … be hope of lukir & gere apprisit the euorme lustis of thare prince 1590 Crim. Trials I. 208.
Thow … blew up his durris … of his house, and stall out sic gere as thow plesit(c) 1477 Edinb. Chart. 141.
All ald graith and geir to be vsit and sauld in the Friday merket before the Gray freris a1500 Bk. Chess 504.
Scho hecht him gold, scho hecht him vther geire Ib. 1964.
The gentill man that waistis all his geire a1508 Kennedy Flyt. 367.
I haif cultur and pleuch, Substance and geir 1535 Stewart 50049.
Tha … leve [us] … nother corne or stoir, Siluer or gold or ony vther geir 1546 Edinb. B. Rec. II. 121.
Robert Scott referrit him in the townis will for vpstrikin of his geir and offerring thairof to sell in the said towne 1567 Sat. P. v. 82.
Keip clene your handis fra wrangus geir 1563-1570 Buch. Wr. 24.
Sum papistis, sum fenyeit protestantis that hes na god bot geir 1576 Edinb. Test. IV. 148.
The five merkland … with the gudis and geir that is vpoun the grund 1614 Conv. Burghs II. 449.
All merchands that sellis thair awin geir … , to give vp at thair first arryvall before boulk be brokin … , the iust quantitie of thair geir c1650 Spalding I. 94.
He wald … caus the awneris compone and pay for thair awin geir 1663 Edinb. Test. LXXI. 189 b.
Followes the goodes & geir evill appreciatpl. 1498 Dunfermline B. Rec. 85.
Dischargeand the alderman and balyes … to intromit with the guidis, geirris, and cornis of … Margret Waluode 1562-3 Winȝet I. 9/16.
Ȝour forbearis, quha distributit thair awin iuste geris and landis … to sustene the pure(d) 1489 Treas. Acc. I. 115.
To a serwande of Lady Margetis, to by gr curcheis, sarkis, and odir smal geyre 1513 Doug. iv. vi. 21.
He … bad thai suld … dissymyll, gif ony axit quhy Thai thus addressyt thar geyr sa suddanly 1519 Reg. Episc. Aberd. II. 174.
The inuentare of all the geyr left be bischoipe Alexander Gordoune seruandis within the bischoippis palice 1543 Lanark B. Rec. 19.
The persone that tha aw the det to [sal] haif the said geyr 1558-66 Knox I. 38.
Goddis maleson and ruyne I geve to thame that knowis of this geyire, and restoris it not 1562 Inverness B. Rec. I. 82.
For … [the] portioun of geyiris pertenyng to him as narrest … ayr to thame 1574 Conv. Burghs I. 26.
That the merchantis … vse na trafficque of thair gudes or geyr in West Flanderis 1604 Urie Baron Ct. 5.
The commeittaris of the onlauchfull delyng saill be punddit his radiest guidis and geyr(e) 1573 Inv. Q. Mary p. clii.
The said James gaue me certan geere in an evell favored clowte a1651 Calderwood II. 479. Ib. IV. 29.
Myne owne particular … in blood, lands, or geere 1681 Act in London Gaz. No. 1648/4.
The goods and geer belonging to the said tennants(f) c1568 Lauder Minor P. i. 79.
For feir of … lose of gud[i]s, gear, or wardlie rent a1585 Maitl. Q. lxxxiii. 54.
He tuik the onlye for thy gear, And thow chust him for lance and speir 1595 Duncan App. Etym.
Auctio, rowping of geare Ib.
Hæres, ane aire of land or geare 1600-1610 Melvill 10.
Four hounder of my brother-sonnes gear 1671 M. Bruce Good News (1708) 43.
I know I have committed wife and bairns, goods and gear to him

b. Live stock, cattle. 1584 Edinb. Test. XIV. 171.
That the calf waird of the Broklocht be commoun to my wyf and the said Petir and na geir to gang nor feid thairin bot thair calfis