Dictionaries of the Scots Language
Dictionars o the Scots Leid

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

Hide Quotations Hide Etymology

Abbreviations Cite this entry

About this entry:
First published 1937 (DOST Vol. I).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

Birny, Byrny, n. Also: birney, -nie, birne, byrne. [Variant, by metathesis of r, of ME. brinie, brynye, brunie, etc., OF. brunie, ON. brynja.] A mail-coat; a cuirass or breastplate. 1375 Barb. ii. 352.
The blud owt at thar byrnys brest Ib. xii. 559.
Throu the byrneis brist the blud ?1438 Alex. i. 3214.
Eminedoun … smot him … Vpone the birnie that was bricht c1475 Wall. viii. 1204.
A clos byrny with mony sekyr clasp a1500 Gol. & Gaw. 94.
Suppose thi birny be bright, as bachiler suld ben a1500 Rauf C. 764.
That thow be fundin reddy With birny and brand 1510 Rentale Dunkeld. 5.
A foir geir and a birny 1513 Doug. vii. x. 95.
In his breistplait strang and his byrne 1535 Stewart 5982.
With bow and brand, brasar and birny bricht Ib. 12728.
Speiris brak and birneis all did brist 15.. Clar. ii. 1002.
Alse fair ane knicht As ever was cled in helme or birnie bricht Ib. v. 2029.
Bukillis brekis and birneis gois to ground

b. Used in the plur. form for the singular. a1500 Gol. & Gaw. 844.
That knight . . Braissit in birneis and basnet full bene c1475 Wall. ii. 106; Ib. iii. 145.
In to the byrneis the formast can he ber, Throuch out the body stekit him to dede c1500-c1512 Dunbar Turnament 73 (A).
His birnes [M. birnis] brak and maid a bratill