A Dictionary of the Older Scottish Tongue (up to 1700)
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First published 1963 (DOST Vol. III).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
Quotation dates: 1500-1631, 1682
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Licor(o)us, Licorese, n. Also: lycorus, lykor-, li(c)ker(o)us, -os, liccarous, licrus; likeres, lickres; licoris(h, licaris; liquor-, liquere(i)s. [ME. licoriz (Layamon), licoris, -ys, lyc-, e.m.E. licorice, likorice etc., licor-, lykeres etc., liquorice, liquerice, lyqueryce, -esse etc., AF. lycorys, OF. *licorice, e.mod.F. liquerice, late L. liquiritia. Cf. Jus licoris (and Lacrissye, Alacreische).] Liquorice, the preparation made from the juice of liquorice root. Also attrib. with -ruit.(a) 1550 Treasurer's Accounts IX. 426.
Tua polkes annat sedis, ane polk lycorus 1568 Edinburgh Testaments I. 153 b.
xiij li. likeros 1586 Ib. XVI. 365 b.
Thrie stane … wecht of likerous at xl s. the stane 1599 Exchequer Rolls XXIII. 318.
Liccarous 15.. Nat. Lib. MS. 22.2.11.
First tak ane vnc of gingibir bread … tuo vnc of licrus cuted small 1612 Bk. Rates (Halyb.) 310.
Licorus 1619 Thanes of Cawdor 251.
I think it wer not a mise to send Donald for licorous … for now is the tyme of lykorous seting 1627 Orkney & Shetl. Test. I. 170.
Thrie pund weght of lickerousattrib. c1590 J. Stewart 226 § 107.
Me thocht scho [Lechery] souckand vas ane lickerus ruit(b) 1576 Criminal Trials I. ii. 54.
Thom baid hir tak ane pairt of ginger, clowis, annetsedis, licorese and sum stark aill 1617 Edinburgh Testaments L. 36 b.
Ane hundreth pund weycht lickres, price thairof auchtene pundis 1631 Ib. LV. 35.
Fourtie pund likeres at iiij s. the pund wecht(c) 1682 Apothecary's Acc. MS. (Coll. Phys. Lib., Edinb.) 13.
1 half pund licoris best 8s. 6d. 1682 Ib. 13 b.
2 lib. 4 unce licorish at 15 sh.(d) 1576 Edinburgh Testaments IV. 155.
Thrie stane of liquereis price of the stane … xxvj s. viij d. 1591 Ib. XXIII. 266 b.
Ane hundretht … of liquores, price of the hundretht vij li. vj s. viij d. 1613 Rec. Convention of Royal Burghs II. 396.
Brissell annetseides and liqueres
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"Licorus n.". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 5 Dec 2025 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/dost/licorous_n>
