A Dictionary of the Older Scottish Tongue (up to 1700)
Hide Quotations Hide Etymology
About this entry:
First published 1983 (DOST Vol. V).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
Pellican, Pelican, n. Also: pellicane, pelligane, pelecant; pillicane, pillycane. [ME. and e.m.E. pellican, -cane, late ME. and e.m.E. pelican, etc., late OE. pellican, late L. peli-, pelecānus, also F. pélican (12th c. in Hatz.-Darm.).] The, or a, pelican.Also as the name of a ship. c1460 Alex. (Taym.) 11221.
Syne satt thare [in Porrus' paiace] on ane pillare hir allane Ane mekill foull was callit ane pelligane Ib. 13502.
Syne efter sall ȝow fynd the pillicane Apoun hir nest … Off quhilk the birdis euermare ar dede borne [etc.] 1494 Loutfut MS. 24 a.
The pellican is a foull in Egipt 1530 Lynd. Test. Pap. 1100.
My birneist beik I laif … Onto the gentyll, pieteous pillycane [: twane] 1570 Sat. P. xv. 45.
Thow pelican, prepair thy beik And grind it scharpe and lang To peirs our breistis that we may seik How to reuenge this wrang — 1583 Exch. R. XXI. 565.
James Broun in the quenis ferrie, maister of the schip callit the Pellicane 1588 Dundee Shipping L. 226.
The schip callit the Pelecant
You may wish to vary the format shown below depending on the citation style used.
"Pellican n.". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 23 Apr 2024 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/dost/pellican>
