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A Dictionary of the Older Scottish Tongue (up to 1700)

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First published 2001 (DOST Vol. IX).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

Souk(e, v. Also: sowk(e, sowik, souck, sowck(e, suike, swik, suick, suk, swk, suc, soulk, sulk, suck(e. P.t. also soukid, sought. P.p. also soucket, suckin. [ME and e.m.E. suk (c1220), souke (Rolle), sooke (Wyclif), sowke (Chaucer), souk, sucke (Trevisa), OE súcan, also súgan. Cf. ON súga.]

1. tr. To ingest (a liquid) by sucking. Also const. fra, and (furth, out) of (the source).pres. a1500 Prestis of Peblis 522.
The hungrie fleis wil cum and souk his blude a1570-86 Dunb. in Maitl. F. 345/18.
Than meit and drink to feid ws get we nane Bot it we sowik out of thair breistis bane 1531 Bell. Boece I lvi.
Butter, cheis, mele, milk, and vinacre, temperit togidder; be quhilk thay saiffit thair liffis mony dayis … soukand the jus and humouris thairof 1554 Knox III 196.
He sendeth thame, as it were, … to suck watter of hoit burnyng coillis c1590 J. Stewart 171 § 2.
Ȝe souck Ambrosiane liquor sueit From sacred source of the Aonian band 1581-1623 James VI Poems II 56/48.
[God] maide thaime [sc. Jews] out of rokkis souke honny synep.t. a1500 Henr. Fab. 2653 (Bann.).
My lippis … sowkit mylk fra pawpis of my dame 1591-2 Rob Stene 14.
Sum sowkit blud, and sum did swelly

b. To souk out, to remove (blood, venom) by sucking. a1400 Leg. S. xi 321.
Tha … bad the edris suk owt faste Al the venyme 1531 Bell. Boece II 272.
Ane tod was ouirset with ane bike of fleis continewally soukand out hir blud 1600-1610 Melvill 282.
As the Psylli, a vennemus peiple in Afric, soukes out the vennom of the wounds of sic as ar stangit with serpents 1622-6 Bisset I 63/22.
Quhais bluid, … he sowked out 1662 Crim. Trials III 603.
He marked me in the showlder and suked owt my blood at that mark

2. To suck (the breast) in order to obtain milk. a1400 Leg. S. xxvi 37.
To suk bot anys one the day His modir pape a1400 Leg. S. xlii 184.
To fra me ryfe has thu na schame Sic [sc. a breast] as thu swkyt of thi dame? 1513 Doug. iv vii 10.
Thou sowkyt nevir womanis breist, weil I wait 1629 Dumbarton B. Rec. 30.
Janet Dod hes a young bairne sukkand hir breist

b. With the mother or wet-nurse (also, a female animal) as object.(1) a1400 Leg. S. xxvi 40.
One Fryday bot anys wald he The nowrys suk 1513 Doug. v v 74.
To hym a servand woman, hayt Pholoa, Was geyf, and, sowkand hyr, hir twynnys twa 1586 St. A. Kirk S. 578.
The tyme that hir awin barin sowkit hir(2) c1420 Wynt. iii 1029.
Thai twa soukand wes A wolf 1513 Doug. xii Prol. 180.
The sprutlyt calvys sowkand the red hyndis 1531 Bell. Boece (M) I 214. 15.. Wyf Awcht. 56.
The calfis brak lows and sowkit the ky a1585 Polwart Flyt. 179 (H).
Thow sowkit syne ane sweit bed sow 1597 Misc. Spald. C. I 107.
Thair came ane hear be tymes, and souckit a milk kow 1597 Misc. Spald. C. I 158.
I sall remeid this, and sall gar the cow tak with the calff, and the calff swik the cow 1681 Colvil Whig's Suppl. (1751) 35.
He solves the questions every one, … If Rome's founders wolfs did suck?

c. To suck a flower or root, in order to obtain its juice or essence. c1590 Fowler I 218/6.
No honey beyes there wings more suift did steire To see the paynted flouers and sulk the same c1590 J. Stewart 226 § 107.
Me thocht scho [sc. Lechery] souckand vas ane lickerus ruit

3. fig. In the above senses.(1) (a) 1581 Hamilton Cath. Tr. 138.
Doctrine quhilk the … Caluinistis hes soukit out of the impoisonit breistis of sik damnabill heretikis 1570 Sat. P. xxiv 80.
That bludy bouchour ever deit of thrist, Soukand the soules furth of the sanctis of God 1581 Burne Disput. 81.
This is ane commone place, quhairfra ȝe souke sophisticall argumentis to dissaue the ignorant pepill c1590 J. Stewart 20/189.
I souck the sour, schersing the sueit assay 1590-1 R. Bruce Serm. 12.
Is it possible that I can sowck ony vertue out of onye thing, except I get the substance first? 1596 Dalr. II 215/23.
Quha venum verie poysonable and deidlye in Germanie had souked out of Luther 1598 James VI Basil. Doron 144/2.
Studdie thaime [sc. stars] that oute of thaire harmonie ye maye souke the knauledge of all faculties 1581 Hamilton Facile Tr. in Cath. Tr. (STS) 245/3.
That ye may sie what venemous poyson thay souk out of the ministers breists who ressaues thair doctrine for the healthsome fuid of thair saules 1600 Hamilton Facile Tr. 428.
Be this thay [sc. the Presbyterian ministers] suke the bluid of the pure and indigent people 1638 Henderson Serm. 420.
Learn to souk consolations out of thir breasts of the promises(b) c1590 Fowler I 149/7.
Her faire eyes … pouring poysoun … Quhilk harte dois sulk as therbye I lye slayne(c) 1581-1623 James VI Poems II 71/36.
Since lezardlike I feede vpon her face And suckes my satisfaction from her sight(2) 1571 Bann. Memor. 141.
The insatiable myndis of our brethir, who gois about lyk lyonis, to suike out the bloude of thair brethir 1594 Hawick Arch. Soc. (1898) Oct.
Quhas blude wes soucket oute be paying … of the said grite excessive ocker and usurie 1616 Crim. Trials III 587.
The Scottismen … drinkis out the sap of ȝour cuntrie, and soukis out ȝour merche 1581-1623 James VI Poems I 155/391.
Thou soukid out … The bloode out of my ueynes(3) a1599 Rollock Wks. I 313.
Souk in be faith ane drop of that lyfe of Christ 1625 Garden Kings 50.
A world of vice … Bvt offring once vnto my brest a breshe, I greedilie both sought and soukit in 1698 Donaldson Postscript Husbandry 34.
We have suck'd in that tenet. It cannot be fine enough, if it be our own homeward making(4) c1616 Hume Orthog. 18.
Quhilk noe man, … can denye that ever suked the paepes of reason

b. To souk up, to swallow, absorb. 1572 Bann. Memor. 270.
Gif it be trew that the earth is accursed that souketh vp the bloud of innocentis 1591-2 Rob Stene 17.
He [sc. the fox] … Sowkkis vp ȝour substance and ȝour blude

4. a. To inhale (smoke). b. To breathe in, savour by smell or inhalation. Const. to (oneself).a. 1604-31 Craig i 40.
From pype of loame and for thy saike I souke, The flegm-attractiue far-fett Indian smoukeb. a1692 Kirk in Il Cappellano delle Fate 152.
Lyk as a very long-fasting man will suik to him the smel of bread a fyring, at several miles distance thorow clear air

5. In various specialised fig. senses. a. Of the sun: To extract, draw out (forth, up) with its heat. b. Of the sea, or a whirlpool: To drag, pull. c. Of a quicksand: To suck into itself, draw in or down.a. 1461 Liber Plusc. I 382.
He michti Makar … Ger all the cloudis of the hevin habound And souk vp all thir watteris 1585 James VI Ess. 52.
When the sunne doth souk the vapours small Forth of the seas 1585 James VI Ess. 73.
By dewe … Which then was soukit by the Delphienns heit Vp in the aire … weit 1581-1623 James VI Poems I 10/10.
Fra tyme that onis thy sell [sc. Phœbus] The vapouris softlie sowkis … Whilks syne in cloudds are keiped clos and wellb. 1513 Doug. iii vi 133.
Scilla lurkand … To sowk the schippys amang rowkis onsure 1513 Doug. xi xii 71.
Lyke as the flowand sey … With hym he sowkis and drawys mony stayn 1531 Bell. Boece I xlviii.
The see, … sum times yettand out the tid, and sum times swelleand and soukand it in aganec. 1535 Stewart 33327.
Fywe thousand men war suckin be the sand

6. intr. a. To perform the action of sucking. 1513 Doug. iv xii 83.
Syne with my mowth at I may sowk [L. ore legam], and se Gyf spreit of lyve left in hir body be

b. Of a baby (also, a young animal): To suck or feed from the breast. Also const. of, on, about (the breast). a1400 Leg. S. xvi 679.
Thai … fand the child at the pape Lyand rycht as he sukit had a1500 Henr. Orph. 69 (Bann.).
Scho set him on hir kne And gart him souk of hir twa paupis quhyte c1500-c1512 Dunb. (STS) iv 26.
That … tyrand Tak[is] on the moderis breist sowkand The bab 1513 Doug. iii vi 74 (Sm.).
A grete sow fereit of grysis thretty heid, … About hir pappis sowkin 1562 Kinnaird Farm Bk. 15.
Of lamis sukand at the rakning of this compt—ix sukleris a1578 Pitsc. II 53/23.
They tuik the ȝoung babe of hir breist sucand a1605 Montg. Flyt. 359 (T).
Schame and sorrow on hir snowt that sufferis thé to sowk a1605 Montg. Flyt. 494 (T).
Vnto the cocatrice in ane creill they send it, Quhair sevin ȝeiris it sowkit [etc.] 1597 Misc. Spald. C. I 91.
Hir sone sowkand on hir breist 1623 Perth Kirk S. MS 16 May.
The bairne suld newer ly in the craidill … and newer souk bot die and be tayne away a1699 Skene Agric. MS (ed.) 69.
Commonlie they lett not the calf sowcke longer than fowrtie dayis because if they sowck longer they become so browdden that they cannot be halden of the paipe 1688 Reg. Privy C. 3 Ser. XIII 258.
The deponents wyf haveing a young chyld suicking took seeknes and died

7. To give souk, to feed with milk from the breast, to suckle. Const. indirect object, or to.Although later perceived as a noun, souk here is properly an infinitive verb. Cf. ME to give … to suck (Chaucer, ff.), also Germ. zu saugen geben, and Du. te zuigen geven.(a) 1490 Irland Mir. I 147/10.
Sche nurist him, sche gave him souk a1550 Lang Rosair 20.
Mothir of God, quhilk did gif oure Saluiour souke with maist dulce mylk off thy virgin breist 1513 Doug. viii x 86.
The sukkyn wolf … hir lang rovnd nek bane bowand raith To geif thame sowke 1533 Boece 183b.
Apoun sum [pennies] was prentit ane wolf femell gevand sowke to Romulus and Remus 1533 Bell. Livy I 18/12.
[The wolf] nocht alanerly gevand thame souke with hir pappis bot als [etc.] 1563 St. A. Kirk S. 162.
Sche gave sowk to ane bern quhilk wes called and haldyn for the berne of Berbara Sandelandis(b) 1512–13 Treas. Acc. IV 403.
To ane Irische nuris that gaif my Lord Prince sulk the tyme he wes seik 1527 Treas. Acc. V 319.
Soulk(c) 1560 Rolland Seven S. 1715.
To thre nuresis to foster he him gaue, The first nureis to giue him suck and feid [etc.]