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

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First published 2000 (DOST Vol. VIII).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

Saw, Salve, n.¹ Also: sav; salf, saufe. Pl. also sawuis, saues. [ME and e.m.E. sallfe (Orm), salve (Ancr. R.), sau(e (once, Chaucer), salffe (15th c.), saulve (1530), salve, sawf (1663), OE salf, sealf.]

1. (A) healing ointment, unguent, balm.pl. a1400 Leg. S. xlvi 102.
Bot mekly vald scho wesch thar fet & with soft sawis thare saris bet Ib. l 687.
All hir vondis … Enonte with sawuis soft & swet a1500 Gol. & Gaw. 883.
Lechis war noght to lait with sawis sa sle a1500 Henr. Practysis 21.
Is nowdir … Seiknes nor sairnes … Bot I can … leiche thame fra lame & lesure With sawis thame sound mak 1548 Treas. Acc. IX 176.
To Jhonne Robesoun barboure to by sawes to the warkman that my lord Borthuikkis man hurt, xliiij s. 15.. Clar. v 1510. 1576 Edinb. Test. IV 154b.
Sindrie kyndis … of sawis droggis & oylis 1578 Creswell Royal Coll. Surgeons Edinb. 14.
Emplasteris and sawis 1579 Edinb. B. Rec. IV 124. 1584 Sempill Sat. P. xlv 386. a1605 Montg. Flyt. 224 (T). 1588 Crim. Trials I ii 163.
That scho saw the guid nychtbouris mak thair sawis with panis and fyris 1607 Ib. II 535.
Dilaitit of … rubbing him with sawis maid of dyuerse grene herbis 1612 Brechin Test. II 253.
Certanis vllis & sawis in pigis(b) 15.. Clar. i 560.
[They] laid soft salves to thair woundis reid Ib. 1162.
Pretious salves and balmes 1563-72 Ferg. Serm. iii Malachi in Tracts 62.
[Like surgeons] in applicatioun of thair salues and plaisteris 1632 Edinb. Test. LV 269.
In his buith of medicein and salves with instrumentis of chirurgerie 1649 Crim. Trials III 599.
That he had goode salves … whair-with he wold cure hir dochtirsing. (1) 1576 Crim. Trials I ii 53.
Thom gaif hir … ane thing lyke the rute of ane beit and baid hir … seith and mak ane saw of it Ib.
Sa son as sche rubbit the saw vpoun the patient … and it drank in, the chyld wald mend 1597 Ib. II 28.
Scho maid a saw of reid nettellis and butter and wodbind and laid it to the patientis lunȝie 1650 Elgin Rec. II 273.
She coft poysone … to mak a saw to cure a bairneattrib. 1687 Bk. Old Edinb. C. XXVII 137.
I thought upon what would be the best forme of a salve box(2) 1596 Paisley B. Rec. 175.
xxx s. money as for expenses depurssit be hir for saw and heilling of hir heid 1597 Crim. Trials II 28.
Lyke as scho tuk in hand to haill the young Laird of Bargany … with cure of saw maid of quick-siluer and rubbit it on the patient 1660 Rothesay Par. Rec. 25.
Jonet Morisone … bund vp her head and gave a peice saw to rub to her breist 1685 Soc. Ant. LVIII 355.
A whyte iron box with saw in it 1691 Foulis Acc. Bk. 137.
For searching the horse cap^ns foot and puting in saw quhen he was pricked(b) 1513 Doug. xii Prol. 146.
Precyus invnctment salve [Ruddim. saufe] or fragrant pome 1560 Rolland Seven S. 5660.
Let vs go in our garding and seik Herbes to be salf that is of maist vertew 1633 Orkney Bp. Ct. 87.
Ane sponefull of salue maid of meikill wort 1650 Maxwell Mem. I 351.
The forsaid salve of sousely leafes

b. With defining terms. 1604 Dundonald Par. Rec. 54.
[She] bad his vyf vasch him with vinegir and grein sav 1650 Culross I 238.
Ane orange-coloured saw 1687 Sc. Ant. VIII 157.
For eye sav 1 d. 1699 Foulis Acc. Bk. 249.
To Mrs. Hair for 3 unce neit saw for the young coatch hors

2. fig. A remedy, cure.(a) 1490 Irland Mir. III 67/25.
Pennaunce … is the werray saw and hevinly medycyn that is maist proffitable to the man a1508 Kennedy Pass. Christ 257.
Till all his sair he soucht na saw bot ane The quhilk wes ded 1571 Sempill Sat. P. xxviii 106.
With dispensatiounis, sawis for euerie sair c1590 Fowler II 162/12.
Italye … exspecteth quhat person may aryse … to applye medecins and saues to her auld cancred disease and yssew(b) c1450-2 Howlat 720 (A).
Haile moder of our makere … Haile succour & salf for the synnis sevyne a1500 Henr. Test. Cress. 411 (see Saw v.²⁾. c1550 Rolland Ct. Venus ii 946.
And refuge nane I haif Without ȝour grace with sum salue wald me saif c1590 Fowler I 50/86.
And how that be ane other knott agane he hes him bound Whiche onlye is the salve [It. rimedio] that may in contrare lowe be found 1603 Philotus 446.
To seik for salue of her that gaue the sair 1605-6 Welsh Forty-eight Serm. 498.
There is never a stripe that his back keeped but it will be an healing salve to thy soul 1611-57 Mure Dido & Æneas iii 38.
No salue butt death could cure her inward sore 1638 Adamson Muses Thr. 157.proverb. a1628 Carmichael Prov. No. 172.
A salve for al sairs