A Dictionary of the Older Scottish Tongue (up to 1700)
Hide Quotations Hide Etymology
About this entry:
First published 1983 (DOST Vol. V).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
Quotation dates: <1375, 1375, 1429-1436, 1512-1599, 1700+
[1,0,0,0,0,1,1,0,0,0,0,0,0,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,1]
Plum(m)ar, -er, n. Also: plumb- and -air. [ME. and e.m.E. plomer (1273, as a surname in Trans. Phil. Soc. 1925–30 (1931)), plomber (1385–6), plummer (1399), plumber, plomere (both Prompt. Parv.), OF. plummier (1266 in Godef.), ploumier, plommier, mod. F. plombier, med. L. (Latham) plumbarius (c 1112), -erius (1428), plomarius (1307), L. plumbārius plumber, f. plumbum Plum(b n.] A worker in lead, a plumber.(1) 1283 Reg. Paisley 383.
Johanne Plumer 1326 Exchequer Rolls I. 55.
Nigello plummer 1429 Ib. IV. 472.
Plummar 1436 Ib. III. 677.
Per solucionem factam Nicholao Plumbar ad satisfaciendum certis artificibus pro bumbardis [etc.] 1532 Reg. Cupar A. I. 313.
[To] Robert Murray plumbar … for … reparing watter theicht our abbay kyrk … stepill … and all vthir ledin werk within the said abbay 1537–8 Master of Works Accounts (ed.) I. 225.
To … plumbar for … maid werk in leid … to the gutter of my Lady Drummondis chalmer 1576 Treasurer's Accounts XIII. 147.
To … plummer for certane leid wrocht be him 1595 Perth Guildry 4 Oct. 1702 Sc. Eccles. Soc. 312.
That John Scott plumer have no voyce … amang the wright and couper traid … until [etc.](2) 1512 Treasurer's Accounts IV. 456.
To the plummair for vi mawmeris to the litill berk … contenand iij stane of maid werk 1513 Ib. 529.
To the plumbar for mending of the quenys oratour x s. 1531 Bell. Boece II. 455.
Ane plumbar … left ane of his hait irnis in ane crawnest 1531–2 Master of Works Accounts (ed.) I. 73. 1552 Treasurer's Accounts X. 97.
To … plumber for mending of certane holis in the hous thekit with leid in the Caustell of Edinburght 1561 Reg. Dunferm. App. ii. 454. 1579 Reg. Privy S. VII. 355/1.
For beting mending and keiping of his hienes palaces [etc.] … watterticht that ane ordinar plumbar attend thairupoun thairfore makand James Cowpar plumbar to his hienes a1595 Cullen Chron. Aberd. 43.
Thair was xvi cowipill … thikittit with leid … George Wscheartt Rychart Elphiston [being] plumaris 1599 Master of Works Accounts (ed.) I. 318.
The extract of the plumbers compt
You may wish to vary the format shown below depending on the citation style used.
"Plumar n.". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 14 Dec 2025 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/dost/plummar>
