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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.

Thesaur(e, Treso(u)r(e, n. Also: thesawre, thessaure, thezaur, thesour, theasoure, theassour, tresowre, -ur(e, tressour(e, -ore, treasour(e, treasor, treassour(e, treasur(e, thresour(e, thresor, threas(s)or, threasure, trasoure. [ME and e.m.E. tresor (1154), tresour (Manning), tresoure (Rolle), thresur (14th c.), tresure (c1475), treasoure (Caxton), treasure (c1530), thesaure (1532), OF tresor, pop. L. *tresaurus, L. thesaurus.]

1. Treasure, riches, in the form of precious metals and/or coin, or a horde or supply of this; wealth, (a supply of) money, more generally.The K. Hart quots. in sing. and coll. below may be interpreted both literally and figuratively. See n. 764 in Bawcutt Shorter Poems of Gavin Douglas 238-9.sing. a1500 K. Hart 764.
Quhair is the thesaure now that ȝe have woun
1491 Acts II 230/1.
In taking of all inditmentis … of the stelaris concelaris of the said gold or thessaure
a1538 Abell 125b.
Oure king without consent of the lordis with ane gret thesaur salit to France
15.. Clar. iv 560.
Garring be tursit the thesawre that he hade … win from the Turkis
c1575 Balfour Pract. 503.
To the king's … crown pertenis the cause of fraudful hyding … of ony hurd or thesaure
1661 Cochran-Patrick Coinage II 145.
The exportation of gold and silver [is] … ane evill which in tyme will weaken the thesaur and strenth of the kingdom
(b) a1400 Leg. S. v 168.
The preciuse tresore Of fyne gold & of stanis dere
a1400 Leg. S. x 450.
Ewfagenea … al hire tresur hale can ta & gef the clergy
a1400 Leg. S. xxxiii 384.
Tresoure
c1420 Wynt. iv 2193.
Off thare tresowre a gret dele Bath off mone and jowelle
c1420 Wynt. iv 2396.
Octowyane … Off Rome the tresoure ekyd he … That thai than ekyd till his name August
c1420 Wynt. v 4076.
[He was] off his tresore liberal, Till ilk man famylyere
c1515 Asl. MS I 207/7.
The said King Alexander … brocht in Scotland all the tressour & iowellis that ware in the saide castellis
1513 Doug. ii xii 15.
The ȝyng childring … Abowt the tresour [Ruddim. tressour] quhymperand wondir sayr
(c) ?1438 Alex. i 523.
Thy treasure and thy nobill steidis … Thow geuis frely but dangeir
?1438 Alex. ii 6999.
Treasour
c1552 Lynd. Mon. 4557.
He left behynd hym one treassoure Off gold and syluer
1560 Rolland Seven S. 2804.
He had in his treasoure Of gold siluer, the quhilk fulfild ane towre
a1597-1617 Hist. Jas. VI (1825) 147.
To heap up a great treasor
1620 Melrose P. 380.
He commanded the water to be put in a phiole of gold and … kept amongst the most pretious jewels of his infinit treasor
1691 Kirk Secr. Commonw. (1933) 80.
A marvelous illapse and vision strongly struck the imagination of two women in one night … about a treasure hid in a hill
(d) 1546 Lynd. Trag. Card. 257.
Of gold my ryche threasure
1587-99 Hume 42/32.
The strang wald quite his strength, The rich … his threasor great
pl. 1533 Boece 118b.
Carictoun … was the cheif habitacion and palace of Caratake his regale ornamentis and thesauris
1533 Boece 183.
Scottis before that tyme vsit na cunȝete money … bot owther the cunȝe of Romanis or Britouns … quhilk verifyis the auld thesauris and hurdis fundin in diuers placis replete of strange money
1533 Boece 440b.
Thai … suld present to him al armour, thesauris of money, gold or siluer
a1570-86 Maitl. F. 440/110.
Thair ryches … King Cresus thresouris may summount
1596 Dalr. II 340/9.
How sune tha cam to London the king shawis her the thesauris of Ingland
1587-99 Hume 55/121.
Their thresours rich, wherein they put their trust
coll. 1375 Barb. v 394 (C).
Syne all the gudis tursit thai … Siluer, tresour, and ek clething
a1400 Leg. S. xxii 142.
Tresowre
c1420 Wynt. vii 157.
In ilke famows plas, That seculare or relygyows was, He rypyd, and saw thare gret tresore Off jowellys
1456 Hay II 156/1.
That he be of cheritable will, nocht cuvatous to gader golde in tresour till himself
a1500 K. Hart 772.
Gif that ȝe wourde of thesaure indigent
a1500 Lanc. 1713.
Tressore
c1500-c1512 Dunb. (OUP) 19/126 (B).
Tresor
a1538 Abell 126a.
Quhat sche hed in thezaur wes left to hym be legace
1537 Lynd. Depl. Magd. 69.
Thocht all the men had bene at his command Of France, Flanderis, [etc.] … With fiftie thousand millioun of tresour
15.. Clar. iii 1136.
Clariodus … Is to the michtie Caineis pailȝeoun went Whair infinit of thesaure importent Was keipit
15.. Clar. v 2795.
Unto the kirk he liverit grit thesawre
1570 Leslie 158.
He … left greit somes of money in thresoure to compleit the samin
1609 Garden Garden 37.
God gaue to me … Of worldlie wit a reasonable store; Of thesaure too
1638 Bk. Pasquils 20.
[The bishop of] Dunkeld is rich in thesaure
(b) 15.. Clar. iv 506.
Trasoure

b. attrib. With hous and kist. See also thesaurary hous (Thesaurary n. 3 attrib.) to which some examples may possibly belong.(1) 1488 Treas. Acc. I 85 marg.
Thir boxis put in the thesaur-hous in the grete kist nerrest the windo
1494 Treas. Acc. I 241.
To put in the copburd in the tressourhous
1501 Treas. Acc. II 107.
For ane cart to Strivelin with the cipir kist of the thesaure hous with the silver in it
1507 Treas. Acc. III 390.
For ane lok to the thesaur hous in the Abbay, x s.
1533 Bell. Livy II 44/31.
The baneris and ensenȝeis war brocht haistelie be the questouris out of the tressoure hous to the camp
1552 Stirling B. Rec. I 60.
Put be hym in the thesaure hous
1596 Dalr. II 264/7.
The palice of Halyruidhous … the thesaurhous, and mony vtheris places he occupies
(2) 1497 Treas. Acc. I 365.
Tua hingand lokkis to the thesaure kist

c. Treasure-trove.The Kirk Secr. Commonw. quot. in sing. (c) and the Boece 183 quot. in pl. above may belong here. c1575 Balfour Pract. 519.
All thesauris and hurdis fund in ony place … within this realme pertenis to … the king
1681 Stair Inst. ii iii § 60.
A treasure is money hid in the ground, the owner whereof is not known
1681 Stair Inst. iii iii § 27.
Shipwreck, and waith-goods, or treasures in the ground, whose owner appeareth not, are confiscated as caduciary

2. a. fig. or transf. Some thing or person of great value, a rich source of some quality, etc., an asset or resource.a. c1420 Ratis R. 113.
Thi fyve wyttis sere That is the nobile gret tressour That God gaf mankynd her-before
1456 Hay II 163/19.
Here … the subjectis of princis … ar comperit … till a lordis tresour and that thai suld be kepit as tresour. Alexander, … witt that thay subjectis suld be kepit as thy tresouris, for thai ar thy tresour
1490 Irland Mir. I 100/9.
In hire was put Jhesus, the tressoure of our redempcioune
1490 Irland Mir. I 163/35.
Tressoure
a1500 Lanc. 1766.
For larges is the tresour of o king And not this other iowellis nor this gold That is in to thi tresory with-holde
c1500-c1512 Dunb. (OUP) 39/1.
My hartis tresure and swete assured fo
a1570-86 Dunb. in Maitl. F. 250/24.
Be ryche in patience gif thow in gudis be pure Quha leveis mirrelie levis michtelie Without glaydnes avalis no trasour [OUP tresur]
15.. Clar. v 1696.
Thair joy is ouer measoure, Of love thay have now fund the theasoure
1567 Sat. P. vii 73.
Our prettie prince, the peirle of all this land … That riche relick and thresour of Scotland
1579 Dickson & Edmond Ann. Sc. Printing 293.
Sex Thesour of Helth
1580 Skeyne Descr. Well 17 Intro.
The medicinal water, which not only orneth the towne of Aberdene but blesseth the territorie about it with a treasure of health
1581 Hamilton Cath. Tr. 146.
And 2. Corinth. 4 ve haue this treasor in veschellis of layme. And the scripture in all placis testefeis that ve ar innouat or maid neu … day be day
1581 Burne Disput. 20.
Cum follou me, and thou sall have ane threasor in heavin
1584 Melvill 180.
As out of the fontean and threassor of all wesdome
1596 Dalr. I 7/32.
Mony hidd thesauris sche [sc. Britain] hes in her bowelis. In sum places is funde … tinne [etc.]
1600-1610 Melvill 44.
He brought ham with him … that … theassour of all guid letters and lerning, bathe of humen and devyne things
1600-1610 Melvill 24.
Treassour
1633 Johnston Diary I 189.
To the end … I may lay up ane thresor of solid comforts against the neu day of tryal
b. a1568 Bann. MS 135a/28.
A woman keipit in fetter Is ane ill tressour
a1628 Carmichael Prov. No. 1096.
Measure is tresour

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"Thesaur n.". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 28 Mar 2024 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/dost/thesaure>

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