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

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First published 2001 (DOST Vol. X).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

Tarras, Tarres, n.¹ Also: terrace, teras. [e.m.E. tarrace (1596), tarras (1612), early mod. Du. tarasse, terras, tiras, OF terrace, late L. *terracea earthy, earthen.] A kind of mortar or hydraulic cement made from a rock of the pozzolana or pumice type, derived from volcanic ash. 1482 Edinb. B. Rec. I 44.
Of ilk last pik teras [pr. ter ass] or siclyke gudis 1599 Edinb. B. Rec. V 249.
To pas to Flanders to fey and conduce masouns and warkmen … to the poynting and repayring of the kirk ruif and als to bye ane materiell callet tarres quhairwith to do the sam 1609 Hilderstoun Silver Mines I 209b.
Tua barrellis of tarras … to the mylnis 1674 Edinb. B. Rec. X 210.
Robert Mylne obliges him … to lay the volt with tarras and lyme 1675 Edinb. B. Rec. X 427.
[The] volt and cistern is to be pavemented with good brotcht pavement weell dinted and polished in the joynts and laid with good tarras and lyme 1675 Edinb. B. Rec. X 429.
The joynts [of the cisterne] … is to be set with good tarras 16… Soc. Ant. XI 194.
Cause a four squarre pitt to be digd … and terrace it in the bottome and sides and all about with plaister of Paris … and when it is all weill terrased about … fill the pitt with … hors dung [etc.] … Betwene the dung and the terrace put sand the thicknes of a hand, to the end ȝou hurt not ȝour terrace [etc.]