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

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First published 1951 (DOST Vol. II).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

Da, Dae, n.¹ Also: daa, dha, day, de, dea. [Northern ME. da (midl. and southern do, doo), OE. dá.]

1. The female of the fallow-deer; a doe.(a) a1400 Leg. S. xx. 48.
Wyld bestis … That in the forest rest can ta, Hart & hynd, da & ra 1424 Acts II. 7/2.
Stalkaris that slais dere, that is to say harte, hynde, daa or raa 1456 Hay II. 23/14.
To hunt and hauk at hert and hynde, daa and raa a1500 Henr. Fab. 892.
The da, the ra, the hornit hart, the hynd 1506 Treas. Acc. III. 356.
To ane man brocht ane daa fra Faukland 1567 Sat. P. iii. 45.
With hundis hunt he couth baith da and deir 1577 Reg. Privy C. II. 648.
Accusit as a contravenar of the Actis … forbiddand to schute at wyld beist, da, ra, and uther vennesoun 1594 Acts IV. 67/1.
Foirseing that his haill woiddis, forrestis, … da, ra, hartis, hyndis, fall deir … ar greitlie distroyit 1600 Reg. Great S. 381/2.
Sufficienti numero cervorum, damarum et homulorum (lie deir, daa and raa) venationi regis(b) 1513 Doug. xii. Prol. 181.
The ȝong fownys followand the dun days 1531 Bell. Boece I. p. xli.
Gret plente of haris, hartis, hindis, dayis, rais [etc.] 1535 Acts II. 344/1.
Thame that slais days, rais, thare calfis or kyddis ?1549 Monro W. Isles 16.
Beside this lyes ane iyle callit Cumbray of the dais, because there is many dayis intill it(c) a1500 Henr. Fab. 892 (B).
The de, the re a1578 Pitsc. II. 173 n.
Thair was of wyld dae and rae xviij hundreith 1581 Digest Justiciary Proc. K. 14.
Slauchter of deir, hart, hynd, dea, rea 1596 Dalr. I. 7/15.
The gret multitude of dae and rae in thame a1605 Montg. Ch. & Slae 21.
The hart, the hynd, the dae, the rae, … War skowping all fra brae to brae

2. Attrib. with deir, kid, net, skin. a1500 Gol. & Gaw. 226.
Thay drive on the da deir be dalis and doun 1502 Treas. Acc. II. 342.
Ane man … , that hed the daa kiddis to Strivelin 1597 Bk. Rates 10 b.
Ten dhais and rhais skinis 1612 Bk. Rates 329.
Dae skins 1685 Soc. Ant. LVIII. 358.
In the transe in the laigh hall hings a dae net with all its furniture