A Dictionary of the Older Scottish Tongue (up to 1700)
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First published 1983 (DOST Vol. V).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
Quotation dates: 1540-1639
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Oyster-, Oister-, Oster-s(c)hell, n. [Late ME. (c 1450) and e.m.E. oyster-s(c)hell(e. Cf. Oyster,n.] A shell of an oyster; an oyster-shell.(a) a1585 Polwart Flyt. 687 (T).
Thow [sat] … Seik be the ingle, amangis the oister schellis 1590 Criminal Trials I. ii. 218.
In ane oister shell 1591 Ib. 245.
Thair wes ane taid … droppit betuix thre oisters chellis and nyne stanis 1639 Master of Works Accounts MS. XXIX. 22-39 b.
Oister schellis, oyster schellis(b) 1540 Lynd. Sat. 2082 (Ch.).
My patent pardouns ȝe may se … Weill seald with osterschellis 1615 Master of Works Accounts (ed.) I. 364.
For foure punscheouns full of oster schellis 1616 Ib. (ed.) II. 4.
For ane tun of oster schellis
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"Oster-shell n.". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 5 Dec 2025 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/dost/oster_schell>
