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

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First published 2002 (DOST Vol. XI).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

Visar, -our, -orn(e, Vesar, n. Also: visare, -air, -(i)ere, -ard, wysar, wisseour, wissor(en, vissorne, vizard, -orn, -orme, -erne, veseir, wesar. [ME and e.m.E. vyser, viser (both 14th c.), visure (c1400), vesoure (1459), vysiere (Caxton), viserd, vizard (both 1558), visard (1579), AF viser, OF visiere.]

1. A visor, the front part of a helmet, usu. moveable, functioning to protect (part of) the face. b. ? Appar. a means of attaching a visor.(a) a1500 Rauf C. 839.
Schir Rauf caucht to cule him, and tak mair of the licht, He kest vp his veseir c1475 Wall. x 386.
Graym … smate that knycht … Towart the wesar, a litill be neth the eyn 1506–7 Treas. Acc. III 367.
For ane vesar to ane gret hewmond(b) c1475 Wall. viii 830.
Ane othir awkwart apon the face tuk he, Wysar and frount bathe in the feild gert fle c1500-c1512 Dunb. (OUP) 111/76.
Saturnus doune withe fyry eyn did blent Throw bludy visar 1531 Bell. Boece II 112.
He rasit up his visour, to be the mair fervent in speche 1531 Bell. Boece II 190.
Visare 1534 Treas. Acc. VI 185.
For iiij fyne visaris to his grace, lvj s. 1540 Treas. Acc. VII 395.
To Jakkis armorar for ane foir pece of harnes to cover the ene and ane uther pece callit ane bauerone [pr. banerone] and ane visere … xliiij s. c1550 Lynd. Meldrum 477.
The squyer liftit his uisair Ane lytill space, to take the air 15.. Clar. ii 904.
For the lady had his helme to beir Ane false visar for kening he did weirb. 1494 Loutfut MS 46b.
How a knycht suld be armyt in tournay … Item a heaume … Item ii chenȝeis … ane for the suerd the tothir for the bastone and ii visieres for to festyn the heaume [F. et deux visieres pour la heaume atacher]

2. A mask, worn to conceal the face, as part of a disguise. 1572-5 Diurn. Occurr. 67.
Thair met hir hienes ane convoy of the ȝoung mene … thair … leggs … cullorit with blak in maner of Moris … on thair faces blak visouris, in thair mowthis rings 1578 Inv. Wardrobe 238.
Twa dussane and ane half of masking visouris 1584 Sempill in Sat. P. xlv Pref. 43.
I may compair thé … to a visorne cled with trym attyre Covering a skyn vncomlie to behald 1603 Moysie 83.
Young men … wisseouris of black cullour on thair faces lyk Mores … that dancit befoir hir grace 1617 M. Works Acc. (ed.) II 92.
For a wissoren xxx s. 1623 Elgin Rec. II 177.
Theas past in ane sword dance … in the kirkyeard with maskis and wissoris on ther faces. Penaltie of ilk gwysser 40 s. 1632 Edinb. Test. LVI 24b.
Four dussoune visornes pryce of all xi li. c1600-1633 Johnston MS Hist. in Mill Mediæv. Plays 203 n.
Ȝoungkeiris … with visareis on thair faces lik till Moiris 1660 Dumfries Kirk S. 20 Dec.
Persones … who walk disordorlie by puting vizorns wpon thair faces & walking with them into severall famylies in the night season to the grit afrightmen of severall people 16.. Rudiments 14a.
Hee … that taketh pairt in a play, or disguised, one wearing a vizard

3. fig. and in fig. context. a. The face, the ‘mask’ or appearance of youth. b. = 2 above. c. The mask of night which conceals the day. d. A pretence or appearance concealing something different. e. A persona.a. a1500 K. Hart 333.
Ȝouthheid had him maid ane courtlie cote … Ane wysar that wes payntit for the sicht As ruby reid and pairt of quhyt amang a1500 K. Hart 471.
Sen thow man pas fair ȝouthheid … To warisoun I gif thé, … This fresche visar, wes payntit at devyseb. 1558-66 Knox II 406.
The Devill hes gottin a vissorne [a1651 Calderwood II 237, vizerne] upon his face. Befoir he come in with his awin face, discoverit be opin tyrannie … And now the Devill cumis under the cloke of justice 1650 Carstairs Lett. 62.
The painture upon this tombe hes not bein rubbed off, and the rottenness within seen—the vizorme and cover hes not bein pulled of this face which hes longe … much deceaved a worldec. 1632 Lithgow Trav. iii 81.
When the welkin had put aside the vizard of the nightd. a1658 Durham Scandal (1740) 198.
Thereby to take the visorn off old newly revived errors a1658 Durham Comm. Rev. 622.
He is called … the false prophets, because that vizorn of respect to the Lamb, which formerly he pretended, is now taken awaye. 1595 Duncan App. Etym.
Persona, a person, a visard