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

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First published 1951 (DOST Vol. II).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

Gray, Gra, a. Also: graye, grae; grey. [ME. gray(e, OE. grǽᵹ.] Grey in colour.The earliest examples are in personal names as Johannis Gray (13th c.), Andrea Gray (1332), Johannes Gray (1364).

1. In usual general and special uses.(a) 1375 Barb. i. 383.
In wysage wes he sumdeill gray, And had blak har
?1438 Alex. ii. 8087.
The King sat on the marbill gray
a1500 Henr. Fab. 757.
Ane flane with fedderis gray
c1475 Wall. iii. 100.
The worthi Scottis … To Lowdoun hill past in the gray dawyng
a1500 Gol. & Gaw. 769.
For greif his gray ene brynt
1574 Edinb. Test. III. 137 b.
Tuelf litill ferikynnis of gray saip
(1606) Calderwood VI. 589.
Eight scheats of gray paper, full of English money knitte up in forme of sugar loaves
1628 M. Works Acc. XXI. 18.
100 … cast of gray sklait
1655 Wemyss Chart. 242.
Ane eagles stone, quhich is graye and ratles
(b) 1565 Prot. Bk. W. Cumming 34.
Twa vark hors viz. ane gra and ane broun
1622 M. Works Acc. XVI. 15 b.
Divyding the grae vallayes from the reid vallayes

b. Of fabrics or garments, cf. Gray n. 1; also, of hides or furs. 14.. Acts I. 303/2.
Of ane hundreth gray gryse and skurel, dycht and letheryt
1455 Acta Conc. II. xiv.
Ane mantill of rede … furryt with cristy gray grece
1458 Peebles B. Rec. 130.
A gra gon and a red bonet
a1500 Henr. Fab. 58.
This nobill clerk Esope, … In gray vestiment
Ib. 493.
Aurora, with hir curcheis gray
c1500-c1512 Dunb. Flyt. 144.
Ane pair of auld gray sox
1531 Treas. Acc. VI. 18.
For … gray weluet, to begarye the said goune
1546 Stirling B. Rec. I. 45.
Ane gray coit
c1552 Lynd. Mon. 5869.
Cowlis blak, gray, nor begaird
1589 Edinb. Test. XXI. 89.
Tua gray binakis or hydis
1590 Treas. Acc. MS. 213.
Six quarteris argentie gray serge to be a pair of lang sokis
1605 Edinb. Test. XL. 103 b.
Tuelf pair of bed plaidis, with thrie pair of gray plaidis
c1650 Spalding I. 347.
Gray claith, hardin, bleichit and vnbleichit

c. Of natural objects or aspects. (Poetic.) ?1438 Alex. ii. 5019.
Graues, that gray war, waxis grene
1513 Doug. vii. Prol. 63.
The grond stud barrant, widderit, dosk, or gray
c1552 Lynd. Mon. 1529.
Frome clattryng cragis, gret and gray, The erth was weschin quyte away
1560 Rolland Seven S. 3891.
All that was grene, to ȝow it suld seme gray
1570 Sat. P. xv. 5.
Ȝe greinis, grow gray; ȝe gowanis, dune
a1585 Maitl. Q. lxv. 12.
The roring of the raiging seyis gray

2. a. Of the hair or beard of a person. Also = greyhaired. 1456 Hay II. 132/15.
Ane ald wyf … is calde and dry, nakit and trembland, gray and gretand, and all for elde drawand to … dede
1513 Doug. vi. v. 10.
Apou his chyn feil cannos harys gray
a1570-86 Maitl. F. clxx. 200.
Ȝour gray heid sall withe glaidness ga to graue
a1585 Maitl. Q. lxviii. 148.
His auld baird gray

b. Of animals (esp. horses) or fowls. (See also Gray hen.) c1420 Wynt. iv. 729.
Thare morel, bayard, dun and gray, Wyth wowndys flyngand ran away
?1438 Alex. ii. 3663.
With hors on many maneris, Brasin and broun, quhyte and gray
c1450-2 Howlat 786.
He couth … Mak of a gray gus a goid garland
a1500 Henr. Fab. 983.
Nane, except ane stude gray meir
1504 Aberd. Sheriff Ct. I. 50.
The spoliacioun of ane gray hors
1535 Stewart 59452.
The erle of Buchane on ane cursure gray, He met this duke in middis of the way
1556 Fam. Rose 220.
Pro interfectione ceruorum lie gray deir
1576 Reg. Privy C. II. 485.
Ane gray cursour hors of sex yeir auld
1626 Elgin Rec. II. 194.
Alexander Petry [etc.] … censureit for ryding the gray meir

3. a. Gray brede: Coarse bread made of rye, perhaps also of oats' (J); also, gray bannokis. 14.. Acts I. 32/2.
Baxtaris … sall bake quhyte brede and gray eftir the consideracion and prise of the gud men of the toune eftir as the sesson askis
1518 Edinb. B. Rec. I. 178.
At the samyn [breid] be of fyne stufe weill baiken and dryet, and the gray breid vj vnces mair than the gray breid baiken within this burgh
1535 Stewart 58471.
Wes nane … to mak him remeid, Or him support with ane byte of gra breid
1606 Rollock Comm. 2 Thess. xvi. 201.
He is the honester man that will … sit down with gray bread conquest by his labour, nor he who eates all dilicates with idlenesse
1631 St. A. Baxter Bk. 92.
George Muffett to pay xl s. for baiking & selling of gray bannokis

b. Gray aittis, corne, meal, the half-meal or light grain oats; ‘the refuse and sweepings of a meal-mill, used for feeding poultry; properly, dirty meal’ (J). 1598 Dunblane Test. III. 6.
Sex bollis aittis of gray corne … Threttie bollis small gray aittis
1599 Ib. 14.
Sex bollis small gray aittis anserand to half meall
1647 in Laird of Logan (1889) 578.
John Braedine, in Kilbirnie, was called before the Presbytery of Irvine, 1647, for calling his minister's doctrines Dust and Grey Meil
1677 Dunblane Acc. Bk. 22 Feb.
Best whyte aitts, … Brocked aitts, … Gray corne

4. In other special uses: gray naillis, cf. Gray wark; gray plak, one containing an alloy of silver. 1561–3 Edinb. Old Acc. I. 433.
vjc gray breid heidit naillis
1591 Acts III. 526/2.
All vther allayed money, quhilk is subiect to refyning, as babeis, thre penny grotis, twelf penny grotis, and gray plakkis

5. Comb. with -bairdit, -hornit. 1479 Hist. Carnegie 20.
I ressauit a sesing ox, gra hornyt and quhit chekit
1576 Crim. Trials I. 51.
He was ane honest wele elderlie man, gray bairdit
1581 Prot. Bk. J. Robertsone 18.
Ane blak gray hornit ox

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"Gray adj.". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 29 Mar 2024 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/dost/gray_adj>

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