Dictionaries of the Scots Language
Dictionars o the Scots Leid

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

Hide Quotations Hide Etymology

Abbreviations Cite this entry

About this entry:
First published 2002 (DOST Vol. XII).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

Weddir, Woddir, Wadder, Wether, n.² Also: wed(d)er, wed(d)yr, -er, uedder, weadder, weeder, wod(d)er, -ar, wodir, vodder, wad(d)ar, vaddir, wader, waidder, vudder, wethir, wother, wather, weather. Pl. also weddris, waldris, wedderris. [ME and e.m.E. weðer (c1250), weþer (Cursor M.), wedir (Rolle), wether (Wyclif), weder (Trevisa), wedyr (c1425), weddur (c1440), wethire (c1450), wedder (1523-34), weather (1588), OE weðer.] A male sheep, castrated, or, in comb. with hog or lam, if not yet castrated, immature. Also possess. and proverb. Also in fig. context. b. comb. and attrib.With hog, lam, scheip; muttoun bowk, skin.See also Bel(l)-weddir n.(a) 1375 Barb. vii 115 (C).
And ane of thame apon his hals A mekill bundyn weddir [E. wether] bare 1424 Acts II 4/2.
Ane weder or ane ȝowe … xij d. a1500 Henr. Fab. 2476.
Ane wedder [Ch. uedder] wichtlie wan on fute: ‘Maister’ quod he [etc.] 1487 Aberd. B. Rec. I 42.
No catall sale haf pastour of gyrs apone the lynkis … except the flessouris wederis 1489–90 Acta Aud. 140/2.
That William Wache … sall … pay ten skore of gud and sufficient rouch wedderis & ȝowis 1497–8 Acta Conc. II 102.
That the lord … tak … at the first tyme ane wedder, the secund tyme a cow 1497–8 Acta Conc. II 116.
The wrangus spoliacione … of foureskore vij weddris 1504 Exch. R. XII 673.
xlij vedderis 1513 Doug. vii i 155.
Ane hundreth wollit wedderis … for offerand 1544 Antiq. Aberd. & B. IV 21.
Summa of land wedderis, 49 1549 Treas. Acc. IX 324.
Wedderris 15.. Christis Kirk 104 (M) (see Wed v. 4). 1569–70 Inverness Rec. I 183.
Weddyr 1576 Edinb. Test. IV 220b.
xii wedderis of tua ȝeir auldis outgane a1585 Polwart Flyt. 205 (H).
For store of lambes and long taild wedderes 1595 Duncan App. Etym.
Vervex, a wedder; aries castratus 1605 Black Bk. Taymouth 342.
Of gressume wedderis 1619 Argyll Rentals I 2.
2 mairts, 2 mart wedders, 1 wedder 1622-6 Bisset II 210/26.
Ane geld ox is apprysed to fyftene maillis and ane wedder is foure maillis 1665 Grant Chart. 347.
Threscore … old uedders 1681 Colvil Whig's Suppl. (1751) 85.
Two three beggars … Who stealing public geese and wedders [: feathers] 1697 Foulis Acc. Bk. 214.
To buy 13 weders … at 52 s. the peice(b) c1500 Lindores A. 411.
Ane cwstome wodder 1534 Selkirk B. Ct. (ed.) 138.
Vodderis 1550–1 Reg. Episc. Aberd. I 452.
Half ane woddir 1552–3 Reg. Great S. 167/2.
Woddaris 1577 (1577–78) Reg. Great S. 758/2.
Lie custume wodderis 1600 Kirkcudbr. B. Rec. I 379.
To pey to him xlviij s. money for ane ruche vodder 1660 Kirkcudbr. Sheriff Ct. Deeds I 68.
Ane wodder suficient and fatt 1678 Argyll Justic. Rec. 94.
Ane wodir 1697 Brabster Rental in Old-lore Misc. VIII 11.
Shoe rests a woder and a fleice(c) 1501 Acta Conc. III 55.
xlv rouch waldris the price of the pece xj s. viij d., fifty twa rowch yowis … v s. 1502 Will A. Betoun 223.
lxxi waddars and dytmonds 1541 Exch. R. XVII 625.
Payand thairfoir yeirlie … j chalder lxvj stanis meill … j wadder, price ij s. c1604 Urie Baron Ct. 178.
Vaddiris 1627 Edinb. Test. LIV 43b.
lxxxi wadderis & hoggis 1686 Galloway P. 12 April.
Waders 1687 Reg. Privy C. 3 Ser. XIII 175.
His sone … geat ane recept for two custome wadders 16… Ouchterlony in Macfarlane's Geog. Coll. II 39.
Lethnet & … Lochlie both highland countries but pay a great rent in moe, besydes casualiteis, of cowes, waderis, lambs butter [etc.] 1702 Seafield Corr. 353.
It is nou about the tym of taking up my custam wadars, so I hop you will be carfull in taking them up that both the oull and wadars may be good(d) 1515 Wigtown B. Ct. 43a.
Vudderis 1644 Lochwinnoch Par. II 175.
Ane quarter of a ruch wadder … Ane quarter ruch wadder … Half a wedder(e) 1595 Skene in Misc. Stair Soc. I 137.
Waidderis(f) 1668 Forbes Baron Ct. 270.
That the haill tennentis … sall pey … all byrun costumes foules, weadderes and quhatsumever costumes restand for the crop 1679 Galloway P. 29 April.
Weeders(g) 1375 Barb. vii 164.
Thai … halff the wethir till him send. And thai rostyt in hy thar mete [etc.] 1551 Armstrong Hist. Liddesdale I 35.
An old shepe, wether, or yewe 1596 Dalr. I 27/18.
This ile hes a pasture … that may feid sum wethiris c1616 Hume Orthog. 28.
He is the noat of the male; as … he is a fat wether 1620 Old Ross-shire I 272.
Watheris 1643 Dumfries Test. I 130b.
Sevin old sheip wotheris and tippes at xl s. the peace 1657 Brechin Test. VI 118b.
Ane custome weather 1664 Brechin Test. VI 284b.
To the master … ane custome wather 1689 Rep. Menzies MSS 26.
A good kow be sold at 19 marks and a weather at 2½ marksproverb. 1569-73 Bann. Memor. 111.
He wold give the wolf the weddir to keip a1598 Ferg. Prov. No. 441.
Give never the wolf the wedder to keippossess. 1517 Rentale Dunkeld. (SHS) 46.
Lie wedderis silwirfig. 1540 Lynd. Sat. 4264.
Quhat halines is thair within Ane wolfe cled in ane wedders skin?attrib. 1557 (1598) Reg. Great S. 223/1.
Custum-mert-sylver custum-wadder-silver 1591 Burntisland B. Ct. 12 Nov.
To … pay … the saidis sextene skinis sufficient merchand wair wadder and wadder feirb. comb. 1513–14 Rentale Dunkeld. (SHS) 278.
Wedder hoggis, … dynmontht 1582 Prot. Bk. J. Robertsone 19a.
Twa woddir hogis and twa ȝow hogis — 1514–15 Rentale Dunkeld. (SHS) 277.
[11] ȝou lammes, [13] wedder lammes — 1504 Treas. Acc. II 449.
Tua wedder scheip 1569 Canongate Ct. Bk. 70.
Robert Marschell flescheour to … pay … five pundis … for xiiii wedder scheip coft and ressavit 1597 Kirkcudbr. B. Rec. I 341.
Certane vodder scheip 1606 Edinb. Test. XLI 315b.
Nyne ȝoung wodder scheipe of tua ȝeir auldis 1619 Argyll Rentals I 1.
2 muttoun mairtis … 1 wedder scheip 1619 Argyll Rentals I 1.
1 kayne wedder scheipattrib. 1642 Edinb. B. Rec. VIII 17.
The best wedder muttoun … bowk — a1568 Scott ii 128.
Bettir we bath wer byand hyddis And weddir skynis at hame 1578 Kirkcudbr. B. Rec. I 77.
vj s. xj d. for ane wedder skyn 1699 Cramond Ch. Aberdour 38.
A wether skin and some hogs' skins

c. attrib.As weddergang(is (Gang n. l c), a ? specific range of pasture, ? passing into a place-name. Also in other place-names.(1) 1561 Reg. Dunferm. 427.
The bouplaces and wedder gangis within the parrochin of Dunfermling, lxxxxvj li. 1561 Reg. Dunferm. 431.
The haill money within the parrochin of Dunfermling of penny meall custome borrow meall fed oxin silver mart silver within the weddergangs 1585 Acts III 413/1.
The landis of Rescobie Weddergange Gellottis … Lymkillis port town … togidder with the lettres of bailȝerie of all landis … perteining to the said abbacie [sc. of Dunfermline] 1609 (1610) Reg. Great S. 154/1.
Cum pastura super Pitmidle et lie Weddergang earundem ad 120 lie sex scoir wedder scheip(2) 1198–1214 Liber Calchou 109.
Vsque in Wederburne et ita per Wedyrburne usque Humpulles c1250 Liber Calchou 241.
De beneficiis … de Wederleye