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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.

Scarlet(t, -lat(t, n. and adj. Also: -leth, -late, -lait, -lo(i)t; skarlet(t, -lete, -lat(t, -late, -lot(t, -lote, -loth, -lit(t, -led; skerlet, -latt, -lot; skerllat. [ME and e.m.E. skarlet (c1250), skerlat (a1533), OF escarlate (c1160 in Larousse), med. L. scarlata (c1155 in Latham), Pers. saqirlāt, anc. Arabic siquillāt, MGk. *sigillatos, L. sigillatus, ornamented with little figures. Cf. ON skarlat.]

A. noun. 1. a. A rich cloth, of various colours, freq. bright red. Passing into b. Cloth, or clothing, of scarlet colour. c. pl. Various sorts of scarlet cloth as in a or b above. 1230 Reg. Episc. Aberd. II 267.
[Vna vlna scarleti 1373 Exch. R. II 439. 1429 Ib. IV 499.]
Quatuor ulnis de scarletoa., b. (1) ?1438 Alex. i 2522.
Scarlot furrit with riche furring 1473 Treas. Acc. I 41.
Skarlete … for ij cotis a1500 Henr. Fab. 1351.
His hude off scarlet [H. skarlate] bordowrit weill with silk 1495 Treas. Acc. I 225.
Scarloit 1501 Ib. II 23.
Scarlate to hing the kingis inner chamir in Strivelin 1502 Ib. 150.
Scarlait 1516 Ib. V 96.
For doublattis to the saidis servitouris ilk man haffand x quartaris skarlot 1517 Lanark & R. 196.
Scarlett 1530 Lynd. Test. Pap. 1047.
Skarlote and crammosie, With meneuer, martrik, grice, & ryche armyne 1537 Id. Depl. Magd. 118.
The honest burges … Sum in scarlot, and sum in claith of grane, For till haue met thare lady souerane c1550 Id. Meldrum 1167.
Threttie he put in his luferay, In scarlot fyne, and of hew grene 1559 Reg. Episc. Aberd. I xc.
A stand of red scarlet 1565–6 Treas. Acc. XI 467.
Skarlote 1567 G. Ball. 196.
Preistis, leif ȝour pryde, Ȝour skarlet and ȝour veluote soft a1578 Pitsc. I 320/15.
The lord Hammilltoun … tuik his clok of skarlat and cust it wpoun him 1581 Edinb. Test. X 76.
Frensche reid stamyn scarlot at iij li. the eln 1584 Gowrie P. 36.
The scaffeld … was covered with linin cloth, then sand, next cloth, then scarleth 1608 Argyll Acc. 17 Nov.
For skarlatt to be ane sedill cuffering 1629 Dumfries Test. Ia 215.
Ane cloak of reid skarlatt 1666 Household Bks. Archb. Sharp in Misc. Maitl. C. II 539.
For … skarlet … to be my ladies petticoat(b) 1494 Loutfut MS 120b.
The habit of ane erll … salbe a mantillat of skerlatt opinnyt before 1511 Treas. Acc. IV 193.
v elnis skerlet to be the king ane schip sclop with ane hud 1519–20 Stirling B. Rec. I 2.
ij pair of hois of skerllat xl s. 1539 Ex. Processes No. x (Scott v. Scott & M^cDowall).
Ane pair of hois of skerlot price iiij li.(2) 1501 Treas. Acc. II 30.
For v quarteris Londone scarlat to lyne the samyn [doublet] lx s. Ib. 35. 1502 Ib. 295.
Scarlet of Ingland 1506 Ib. III 50.
Inglis scarlet(3) 1525 Treas. Acc. V 253.
Narrow skarlotc. 1457 Acts II 49/2.
That na man … that levys be merchandice bocht … and thare wifis weire clathis of silk nor costly scarlatis in gownys 1531 Bell. Boece I xxiv.
Of this woll is maid the fine skarlettis, with mony uthir granit and deligat clathis

2. Scarlet colour, bright red. 1490 Irland Mir. III 87/18.
The litstar that will put the maist noble colour of scarlet in a claith first he inducis and causis vthir colouris in the claith and disponis it to the recepcioun of the maist noble colour 1697 Dundee B. Laws 561.
All litting by weight is discharged after the above writen deat, except bodayes and ingrand collers, such as scarlet

B. adj. 1. a. ? Made from scarlet, the cloth, see A 1 above. (? Only in early examples, and even in some, or all, of these, perh. properly belonging to b below.) b. Scarlet in colour.a., b. 1453–4 Coll. St. Salvator 153 n.
[A] rede skarlet cape lynit wyth sylk and furret wyth ermyn [and] a new other skarlet cape off Florence skarlet broune cugnyt lynit wyth sylk and furret wyth menyuer 1506 Treas. Acc. III 351. 1506–7 Ib. 252.
Grene dames to breke the hale scarlet hos 1513 Doug. xii Prol. 125.
Crysp scarlet levis sum scheddand, … Kest fragrant smell Ib. ii 38.
As quha byspark wald the quhite evor Indane With scarlet droppis c1550 Rolland Ct. Venus iv 667.
Quhat may ȝone fell freik be, With the quhite berd and scarlat ene dois bleir a1568 Bann. MS 257b/37.
A skarlet huid 1628 Wemyss Corr. 46.
Scarlett 1636 Sutherland Bk. II 168.
Send me … skarlet or fyin gray Lundon cloith [etc.] 1638 Black Bk. Taymouth xxiii.
iii ell of reid skarlett freise a1650 Row 462.
What meanes … this short skarlet cloake, and all this gay graith of yours? 1649 Wemyss Chart. 232.
Skarlitt 1650–1 Fam. Rose 349.
8 ell of greine and skarlett rubene 1663–6 Household Bks. Archb. Sharp MS 42b.
2 yeardis and ¼ of skarled bais(b) 1457 Peebles B. Rec. I 119.
A gon and a hud and a bonat scarlat 1567 G. Ball. 104.
Ȝe Ismalitis, with scarlat hat and gowne, Ȝour bludie boist na syith can satisfie 1581-1623 James VI Poems I 44/40.
This foule … Whose taill of coulour was celestiall blew, With skarlat pennis that through it mixed grew 1610 Reg. Privy C. VIII 614.
The justice-generall … sall weare a reid scarlatt gowne … and the justice-depute and justice-clerk principall sall weare blak gownis(c) a1500 Henr. Test. Cress. 250.
Mercurius … Doctour in phisick, cled in ane skarlot goun, And furrit weill, as sic ane aucht to be 1501 Doug. Pal. Hon. 537.
Purpour colour, punik and skarlote hewis 1512 Treas. Acc. IV 370.
Ane reid skerlot bonet 1565 Ib. XI 418.
Weluote to lyne ane skarlote cloke 1567 Ib. XII 51.
Skarloth a1570-86 Maitl. F. 196/33.
A wrache to weir an nobill skarlot goun 1627 Brechin Test. IV 292.
Ane vyllicot skarlot cuminge hame from Lundoun that I send thair to lit(d) 1597 Tailor's Acc. Bk. A 12b.
Half ane quarter of skarlit stemyng, x s. 1638 Household Bk. M. Stewart 24.
Ane rid skarlott ryding coat

2. comb. Qualifying the name of another colour, esp. rede (red).In 1453–4 quot. it is not clear whether a comb. is intended. a1500 Prestis of Peblis 211.
Riche was his gownis … For Sonday silk for ilk day grene & gray His wyf was cumly cled in scarlet reid 1535 Stewart 38147.
In rob royall wes all of scarlat reid c1550 Lynd. Meldrum 121.
Hir kirtill was of scarlot reid 1612 Edinb. Test. XLVII 87.
Ane new skarlet rid wylicoit — 1453–4 Coll. St. Salvator 153 n. (see B 1 above).
Scarlet broune 1584 Edinb. Test. XIV 132.
Scarlot gray stamyn