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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.

Wyr(e, Weir, n. Also: wyir(e, -er, vyr(e, vyer, wire, wiyr, wer(e, weyre, weyir, veir, wear, uear, weer, wayer. [ME and e.m.E. wir (c1205), wyre (Piers Plowman), wire (Trevisa), wyer (1547), OE wír, MLG wire, ON *vírr in víravirki filigree work.]

1. Wire, the substance. a. Gold or silver wire used in the decoration of fabric, also applied to fabric incorporating gold wire. Also in comparisons with a person's hair.(1) 1505 Treas. Acc. III 172.
iiij hankis of silvir wyre, ij s. iiij d. 1507 Treas. Acc. III 270.
iiij unce gold wyre 1513 Doug. i ix 123.
Ane rych garmont brusyt with stife gold wyre 1513 Doug. xi xv 20.
Hys rych mantill, of quham the forbreist lappys, Ratlyng of brycht gold wyre [Sm. wire] 1539 Inv. Wardrobe 32.
Ane gowne of quhite velvot all droppit oure with gold wyre pasmentit with the samyne hude and parliament all lynit with gold wyre c1550 Rolland Ct. Venus ii 694.
Hankis … of reid gold wyir(2) 1503 Treas. Acc. II 210.
xj elne damas gold wyre to be ane cote to the king, ilk elne xix li.(3) c1409-1436 Kingis Q. § 1.
Hir tressis like the goldin wyre a1500 Henr. Test. Cress. 177.
As goldin wyre sa glitterand was his hair 15.. Clar. iv 1007.
Ane lustie madine with giltine traces … Hir ȝellow hairis keaming as the wyre

b. Wire more generally, esp. of non-precious metals used for various purposes. Also attrib.(a) 1507 Treas. Acc. III 394.
xviij dosan of leifis to the tre of esperance … Item, for wyre to hing the said leiffis 1509–10 Edinb. Hammermen 68a.
For wyr to the fessinyng of the hammeris & the crovnis & the rod & triangulis ij s. 1508 Treas. Acc. IV 113.
For wyir to the pottar of Strivelin to bind the gun muld c1500 Makc. MS xiii 17.
Hoc herilicium, wyer 1513 Treas. Acc. IV 508.
Tyn for the meltyn of iij gunnys … and for iij hankis wiyr, ilk hank viij s. 1539 Treas. Acc. VII 223.
For clay, hair, wyre, flokis, ole, and uthir necessaris debursit be Peris, gunnar, for casting of the saidis muldis 1575–6 Treas. Acc. XIII 97.
xij hankis wyre to be a voleir 1588 Spyte of Spain § 19.
Whipes of wyre Sharper than brier They did diuise … Our flesh to teare 1646 M. Works Acc. (ed.) II 431.
510 foot of new glas and wyre at 5 s. the foot(b) 1528 Household Bks. Jas. V 175.
Weir 1599–1600 Ayr B. Acc. 201.
[For rope and] weir [for the knock, 14 s.] 1610 Brechin Test. II 82a.
Sewintein hankis rustit veir brokin & haill 1617 M. Works Acc. (ed.) II 91.
For mae paisboordis weyre and vinager 1617 M. Works Acc. (ed.) II 92.
For weyir of sindrie sortis(c) 1686 Carmyllie Kirk S. 19 March.
For new glass & uear to a window in the church 4 lib.attrib. 1587 Edinb. Test. XVII 206a.
Sax veir beltis at xxx d. the pece 1626–7 Dumbarton Common Gd. Acc. 50.
For helping the weir string of the knok

c. With qualifiers. See also Chaplet n. 2, *Crampane wyre n. (cf. also Crampan n.), Huke n.¹ 5 (2), Irne n. 4, Lattoun n. 1 b (1) for further examples. 1508 Treas. Acc. IV 125.
Lattoun, wyre 1535–6 Treas. Acc. VI 256.
Ane dosane lute stringis and xij hankis of small wyre, price thairof xx s. 1591 Edinb. Test. XXII 363a.
Tuelf hankis of narrow wyre for fische huikis 1597 Misc. Spald. C. I 149.
Ane peice cruikit weir, lyk ane fische huik, quhilk thow vsit as thy wichecraft 1597 Bk. Rates 12.
Inuarte Custumes … Veir of irne the stane … v li. Veir of lattoun … v li. 1612–13 Misc. Spald. C. V 90.
14 ellis of ȝeallow wear to be latchettis for seruing the vindouis 1616 Edinb. Test. xlix 160b.
Fyftene hankis Nevringberg wyre at fourtie fyve schillingis the hank 1617–18 Dumbarton Common Gd. Acc. 21.
For twelf faddum of girt weir to the knok 1618 Edinb. Test. L 62b.
Thrie hankis great lyne wyre at xxv s. the hank 1680 Blackness Customs 3b.
Fyftie pund weycht of iron wyer in tuelfe hanks 1680 Paisley Tolbooth Acc. 8 July.
For … great wyer to goe between the knock and bell 8 s.

2. A piece or length of wire. Also pl. and coll.sing. 1634–5 Dumbarton Common Gd. Acc. 80.
Festning of the belstring and weir of the knokpl. 1538 Treas. Acc. VII 28.
Ane dowsoun of wiris to the kingis grace xxxvj s. 1594 Edinb. Test. XXVI 284b.
Ane pair of siluer wyres(b) 1595 Cart. S. Nich. Aberd. II 395.
Payt to Adam Gordon for the dichtin of the kirk knok and settin vp of the half our and makin of the weris to the same iiij lib. v s.coll. 1574 Edinb. Test. III 93a.
Tuentie wyre of glaspis

3. Wire or thin metal bars or straps used to create a two- or three-dimensional structure; wirework. specif. Applied to a. (Bird)cages. b. Reinforcing or supporting framework for sleeves, hoods, etc. Also attrib. c. A sword handle. Only attrib. d. A metal grille for a window. Also attrib. with windo. Also ellipt.a. 1502 Treas. Acc. II 346.
To by wyre to cageis 1605 Wedderb. Compt Bk. 56.
Ane … caidge of weir for a laverokb. 1551 Treas. Acc. X 37.
Wyire 1551 Treas. Acc. X 38.
Thre elnis rubben silk to cover the wyre of the hudis 1600 Montgomery Mem. 250 (see Rab(b)at n.¹).
Vyrs 1603 Montgomery Mem. II 246, 249.
For ane cordit wyr to ver on my haed x s. … for ane vyr to ver with ane French rouf v s. … for ane vyer to my haed … , for ane perenyk of har to cover the vyr 1603 Montgomery Mem. 251.
For ane Franch vyr to my hed with ane hup of harattrib. 1600 Treas. Acc. MS 67b.
Buckasie … to put about the wyre sleifis 1602 Tailor's Acc. Bk. A 22b.
Bukrame to be wyre sleivisc. 1685 Soc. Ant. LVIII 356.
A Spanish rapire with a silver wayer handled. 1694 Boharm Kirk S. 4 Nov.
Ane accompt of glassing the mickle window … being 20 foot and ane half of glass and 40 foot of weirattrib. 1608–9 Glasg. Univ. Mun. III 562.
xii irne battis to the wyre windois vj s. viij d. 1638 Alyth Par. Ch. 71.
For ane weir window within ane glassin window 1652 Rec. Univ. Aberd. 599.
Weer 1654 Ellon Par. 143.
The little wear window in the east gavell 1654 Ellon Par. 144.
The wright for making the wear cases [for the church windows] 7 merksellipt. 1639 Sc. N. & Q. XII 59.
Ane glassin vindow set up in the gewill of the queir with an weir without 1663 Trans. Glasg. Archaeolog. Soc. I 261.
Fyve glass windoes in George Mure's house and wyres [pr. wyrees] in the forsyd 1690 Sc. N. & Q. VII 174.
To the foresd glazier for making glass and weir within and without

4. ? Iron. Cf. a similar usage recorded in OED s.v. Wire n. 1618 Montgomery Mem. 279.
For thrie wyre chandilleris 1631 Buccleuch Household Bk. 26 Sept.
Tua wyre candill sticks 1661 Edinb. Test. LXX 154b.
Ane wyre looking glas