A Dictionary of the Older Scottish Tongue (up to 1700)
Hide Quotations Hide Etymology
About this entry:
First published 1937 (DOST Vol. I).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
Quotation dates: 1388-1639
[0,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,0,0,0,0,0]
Contract, Contrak, n. Also: contractt, -trac(k, -thrak, -trake. [ME. (Chaucer) and OF. contract, L. contractus.] A compact, bargain, or agreement; a contract.(a) 1390 Acts I. 216/2.
It is done me til vndirstand that thare is a certane contract made betwene schir Malcolme … and schir John 1456 Hay I. 147/22.
In this contract thare is bot ane obligacioun For a ȝeris service 1456 Ib. II. 106/4.
To … brak thaire contractis and condiciounis 1506 Glasgow Dioc. Reg. II. 153.
This contract wes maid within the kirk of Glasgw the acht day of Januare 1536 Protocol Book of Thomas Johnsoun 20.
This appunctment and contract to be considert and seyn be men of law 1558 Maitland Maitland Folio MS xvi. 5.
The contract of maryage honorabill Betuix the quenis maist nobill maiestie [etc.] 1577 Reg. Privy C. II. 582.
Quhen he come to Scotland, he changeit the contract that wes maid with him in Flanderis and maid ane new contract 1597 Edinb. B. Rec. V. 204.
[The council] agreyet that the contract with the brewares gang fordwart(b) 1388 Bamff Chart. 22.
For tyl bere witnes to the forsaid contrac made. This contrac wrytyn wyth the hand of Thome of Balewny, schyrreff clerke 1436 Reg. Panmure II. 199.
His fadyr geff na douar … to my douchtir his wif, as it was appointit in contrake of mariage betuix him and me 1463 Charter (Reg. H.) No. 375 b.
Eftir the tenore of the contrac & appuntment maid c1475 Acts of Schir William Wallace xi. 851.
Off this contrak he had a mar plesance Than of fyn gold [etc.] 1489 Treasurer's Accounts I. 394.
To the clerkis that wrayt the contrakkis betwis the Lordis and the Imbassatouris of Spanȝe 1542 Grant Chart. 89.
For faythfull obseruyng … of all … the punctis of this present conthrak 1542 Ib. 95. 1560 Rolland Seven Sages 7004.
With ane masoun he maid ane derne contrak Out fra this hous to mak ane small passage 1575 Waus Corr. I. 101.
Quhair ye wald mistane me an hundryth pundis, and sais the secund contrack garris me av 1607 Lett. & State P. James VI 120.
The contrake maid betuix ȝour maiestie and ws 1639 Misc. Hist. Soc. I. 109.
Since ye will compaill me to byde be that miserabill contrak which I putt my hand to
You may wish to vary the format shown below depending on the citation style used.
"Contract n.". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 10 Dec 2025 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/dost/contract_n>
