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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.

Loft, v. [e.m.E. (1518) to store in a loft, (1563) to provide with a loft; f. Loft n.]

1. tr. To ceil (a building or room) with the boarding which constituted a loft (Loft n. 4); to insert one or more upper floors into a building; to floor (an attic or upper room). 1466 (c 1580) Edinb. B. Rec. I. 22.
He biggand … the twa hous of the mylne with stane and lyme, … and [to] loft the said twa hous sufficiently a1586 Maitland Ho. Seytoun 39. 1560 Edinb. B. Rec. III. 78.
[The treasurer ordained] with all diligence possebill, to loft and flure the ovir irne hous 1572 Reg. Privy C. II. 167.
To burde and loft the steeple of Linlithgow with sic diligence as may be a1578 Pitsc. I. 336/7.
Ane faire palice of greine tymmer … and everie quarter … thairof … as it had bene ane blokhouse quhilk was loftit and iestit the space of thrie house hight 1580 Kirkcudbr. B. Rec. I. 137.
To loft the hall the lauchhall and the chalmer of thair place quhilks ver unloftit 1600 Edinb. B. Rec. V. 282.
Ane chairge of the lordis commanding the toune to caus loft the wast kirk and mak the samen in ane tolbuithe as it was of auld 1623 Rec. Univ. Aberd. 283.
That the eist tour of the … college sould be new gestit and loftit in all the loftis thairoff 1680 Echt-Forbes Chart. 147.
The said house being gested and lofted from end to end

b. To furnish (a boat) with a deck. 1676 Sc. Ant. VIII. 77.
And likewise for buying of dealls for flooring and lofting the boat

c. To fit the base of a bedstead with the wooden spars or the webbing on which the bedding rested. 1501 Treas. Acc. II. 28.
For xv skeynȝeis [of girths] by that, send to Strivelin to loft beddes xj s. iij d. 1503 Ib. 391.
To the said James he laid doun for webbis to beddis to loft thaim with

d. Of an aisle in a church: ? To furnish with a loft or gallery; but perh. merely, to ceil. 1680 Kingarth Par. Rec. 124.
That the sherreff Bute … have the whole isle on the north side … high and low, allowing him if he please to loft the said isle for to make it convenient for him

2. ? To put (material, goods) into a loft for storage. 1618 M. Works Acc. (ed.) II. 110.
To four warkmen that helped to turne and loft the tries 2 dayes 1684-9 Glamis Bk. of Record 85.
The second loadning of oatts was lofted at Stirlen, and on Jon Lyon a shoemaker there had my commissione to sell them

b. Said of raw wool, as the designation of some preliminary process in manufacture: ? To dry in a drying-loft. 1687 New Mills Manuf. 141.
Pryces apoynted to the scriblers for drying, sinngining, scriblen the pound; … for whyte English warp … that is scribled 1½d. the pound, for English that is only lofted ⅔d. per lb.