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Dictionars o the Scots Leid

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

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

Wormewod, Wormot, n. Also: worm(e)wood, wormvood, voormwood, wormed, wormit, -et, virmet. [ME and e.m.E. wermot (a1200), wormod (Wyclif), wormwode (a1400-50), wyrmwode (Prompt. Parv.), OE wermwod, MLG vermede, F. vermout.] Wormwood, the plant Artemisia Absinthium, also, a bitter liquid, medicine or tonic derived from the plant. b. fig. Bitterness. c. attrib. With aill and wine, flavoured, infused with wormwood. Wormet seid, the seeds of wormwood used in flavouring ale, etc. Cf. Wormeseid n. c1500 Makc. MS xiii 20.
Hoc absinthium, wormot c1520-c1535 Nisbet Rev. viii 11.
The thrid part of watris was made into wormet and mony men war dede of the watris for thai war made bittir 1549 Compl. 67/4.
Virmet … vas gude for ane febil stomac 1588 St. A. Kirk S. 621.
Sche hes skell of persell, syffis, confort, wormed, aylay-cumpanay a1595 Misc. Spald. C. II xxx.
To cause ane byill braik or gadder ane heid Tak ane onyeoun and rost weill and tak wormewod and syne bra them in ane morter and la to the byill 16… Adv. MS 22. 2. 11 4th last p.
Wormwood a1606 Dioscoridis Annot. 146.
[Absenthium], Anglice Voormwood, Scotiæ concessa 1661 Elgin Rec. II 294.
She saw the chyld seik … and … she gaue ane pickle of wormewood and let it ly besyd the chyldb. 1632 Lithgow Trav. iii 107.
Venemous also is the wormewood of his braine 1633 Johnston Diary I 75.
Remember then, O saule … that the wrayth of God afflicting thé, and the sight of thy sinnes kendling that wrayth, had filled thé with bitternes; had maid me drunk with gall and with wormed; and had drouned me in unutterable griefc. (1) 1665 Household Bks. Archb. Sharp in Misc. Maitl. C. II 528.
For wormewood aill and other aill in the morneing [£3] 1663–6 Household Bks. Archb. Sharp MS 13.
For a pynt of wormvood vyne in the morneing and a quart claret at night £1 19 s. 1680 Foulis Acc. Bk. 22.
For a mutchkin wormit wine … 5 s. 1681 Foulis Acc. Bk. 85.
For wormit eall and plain eall … 6 s. 6 d. 1690 Foulis Acc. Bk. 120.
Wormit wine(2) 1586 Edinb. Test. XVI 366.
Ane pund of wormet seid price thairof xviij s. 16… Adv. MS 22. 2. 11 last p.
Steepe thrie pyntis of raging now eale, upon that same herbes, and adde to them two handfullis of hysope two handfullis of dry wormed seed, ane unce of reed mader