A Dictionary of the Older Scottish Tongue (up to 1700)
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First published 1971 (DOST Vol. IV).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
Quotation dates: 1499-1500, 1604-1609
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Meldrop, n. Also: (myldrop). [ME. (? once only) maldrope (c 1325) mucus from the nose, OE. mǽldropa phlegm, ON. mél-dropi foam froin a horse's mouth. f. mél snaffle-bit and dropi drop: also in mod. south Sc. and north. Eng. dialect.] Mucus from the nose or a drop of this. — a1500 Henr. Test. Cress. 158.
Out of his nois the meldrop [Th. myldrop] fast can rin 1604-9 Grahame Anat. Hum. 30 b.
Snotty nos'd gentlemen with their drouping mustaches … becomes a harbroy [sic] to meldrops
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"Meldrop n.". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 15 Dec 2025 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/dost/meldrop>
