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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.

Ȝerd(e, Ye(i)rd, n.² Also: ȝaird, yard, yaird, yeard, erd. [ME and e.m.E. ȝerd (c1175), ȝerde (c1250), yeird (Cursor M.), yerd (c1275), yarde (c1425), OE *ᵹierd, ᵹyrd, ᵹird (Angl. ᵹerd).]

1. A staff, stick, rod. c1520-c1535 Nisbet Matth. x 10.
Wil ye nocht weld gold … nouthir schoon, nouthir a yerd [P. ȝerde; L. virgam] (or wand) 1593 Kirkcaldy B. Rec. 134.
Breking of his heid with the yairdis and plumat of the said James frend

b. transf.The penis. c1500-c1512 Dunb. Tua Mar. W. 130.
Bot I may ȝuke all this ȝer or his ȝerd help c1500-c1512 Dunb. Tua Mar. W. 220.
He … dois turne to me his tume person And with a ȝoldin ȝerd dois ȝolk me in armys

2. A yard, the spar attached to the front of a ship's mast in order to support and extend a sail. Also comb. with rapis, the permanent rigging of a yard. 1699 Anal. Scot. I 356.
Some of our seamen wer hoisted to the main yeard and let doun 4 or 5 tymes in the sea and were brotheredcomb. 1329 Exch. R. I 162.
Per vnum hauser et duas yerdrapis ad galiam Symonis Fleming

3. The unit of measurement equivalent to three feet or thirty-six inches.(a) c1475 Wall. iv 239.
A loklate bar … Wallace … raist out off the stent; Thre ȝerde off breide als off the wall puld out 1513 Doug. iii ix 12.
Hys berd Rekand doun the lenth neir of a ȝerd [Ruddim. ȝerde](b) 1597 Oldcambus Acc. 22.
Coft to hym tua erdis of blew pryce thairof lv s 1597 Oldcambus Acc. 26.
Coft of freis adao viij erdis(c) 1603 Montgomery Mem. 250.
For twellue yardis of cobub lan to my rufis … two yards and ane half of lan to be me ane comincloth(d) 1614 Laing MSS 138.
Foure yeardis and ane quarter of cloithe of sume prottie cullour(e) 1648 Edinb. Test. LXIV 36.
Ȝairds(f) 1674 Rothesay B. Rec. 323.
Yeirds