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

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

Swey(e, Sway(e, n. Also: suey, suay, swie, suie, swy, swi. [ME and e.m.E. sweyh, sweigh(e (Chaucer), swyȝe (Lydgate), sweygh (1426), swey (c1540), sway (1568); Swey(e v.]

1. A blow, ? delivered with a swinging motion. 1535 Stewart 31670.
This schiphird carle he gaif him sic ane swey With that greit burdoun on his bak he buir, This carle that wes baith stalwart stark and stuir … Doun of his hors he drawe him to the erd

2. Controlling influence over events; prevailing power. a1500 K. Hart 640.
No dar I nocht be no way mak travale, Bot quhair I se my maister get a swy c1590 Fowler II 21/5.
Quhair honesty can haue na suey: modestie can haue na strenth 1616 Misc. Hist. Soc. II 164.
[The king] & his mother … carying … a cheiff suay in the manage & governement of the state c1630 Scot Narr. 44.
The death of Atholl intervening … , Morton beareth the greatest sway 1649 Testimony-bearing Exemplified (1791) 51.
There was a prevailing party of malignants brought into the army, who had the sway of counsels and actings therein ?c1675 J. Gordon Hist. III 182.
They had but the name, and others the swaye

b. To bear the swey, to exert or enjoy the controlling influence. 1565 Facs. Nat. MSS III xlix.
So long as some of them bore the whole sway with us, this matter was never called in question; but now when they cannot be longer permitted to do and undoe all at their pleasure [etc.] 1600-1610 Melvill 445.
The ministers sought … to … lead the peiple be the nose, to bear the swy of all the Government 16.. Maidment Balfour Ballads 6.
Churlish mindes, that now the swey doth bear a1658 Durham Subtile Self 66.
Little praying and little use making of Christ in prayer makes self predomine, and bear so much swey in us as it doth

3. ? A wooden pole, ? a cart-shaft. 1535 Stewart 61192.
The erle of Athole … Naikit that tyme fast festnit on ane tre Out throw the toun tha gart him drawin be, Vpoun ane suey ay swappand vp and doun

4. A lever or crowbar; a crane. 1535–6 M. Works Acc. (ed.) I 191.
Axis, patillis, sweyis, hollis, matokis, grapis, debillis … to the Franche gardyner 1535–6 M. Works Acc. (ed.) I 184.
To William Hyll for … beting of ane gret swey 1537–8 M. Works Acc. (ed.) I 216.
For ane swey twa giwillokis twa quarrel mellis [etc.] 1545 Treas. Acc. VIII 423.
Small barrellis of pulder, battard bullattis, leudderris, sweyis … and other necessaris pertening to the said monitioun 1547 Treas. Acc. IX 88.
Thair ten cairttis laidint with pulder, bullatis, dalis, jeistis, extreis, sweyes, sowmes, ȝokes, oxin bowes and other necessarres for the said artalȝere 1669–70 Aberd. Shore Wk. Acc. 602.
For 32 fathom of a gryt tow for the swayes 1684 Sheriffhall Coal Accompt 5 April.
For putting in a new sway 1685 Sheriffhall Coal Accompt 23 May.
For mending the swordis of the sway

b. specif. The lever operating the machine used to press coins in the mint. 1641 Cochran-Patrick Coinage I xxxi.
That this way of coinage by the mylne press and swey is a great deall more dispatcheing, bot more expensive then the vther by forgeing and striking with the hamer 1642 Cochran-Patrick Coinage II 67.
Fyftene hundreth stane weight of copper … to be printed be swey and presse in tua pennie peeces 1663 Cochran-Patrick Coinage II 150.
[The silver coins] to be coined in maner afterspecifeit viz. to passe in lignetts throw a milne to be cutted be cutters to be troned weighted and justed peice by peice, and to be printed by presses that goes with swey and scrue 1675 Reg. Privy C. 3 Ser. IV 359.
The … merk … to be printed by presses that goe with swey and screw

c. attrib. With trie, the beam of a crane. 1663 Glasgow Trades House 391.
For a swey trie to James Duncanes land

5. An (iron) bracket. 1635 Dumfr. & Galloway Soc. XVII 315.
To Jon Hamylton for the irne suay 1685 Soc. Ant. LVIII 363.
In the girnell house … A great iron swie 1688 Edinb. B. Rec. XI 242.
The Lord provost reported that … he had bought at London for the use of the good toun twentie and foure lanthorns … The Councell … appoints the saids lanthorns to be fixed with iron sweyes upon the most convenient places of the high street and Cowgate

b. attrib. With airne, ? = iron swey in sense 5above. 1668 Boyd Fam. P. No. 289.
2 suie airne

6. Swibar plait, an iron plate (Plate n.¹ 1) ? reinforcing the sway-bar of a carriage. [Cf. 19th c. Eng. sway-bar (OED Sway-).] 1692 Foulis Acc. Bk. 147.
For 2 transum plaits, 1 swibar plait, a perch plait, a mainshekell, a houkit clout to the poull end