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

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First published 1963 (DOST Vol. III).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

Hepe, Heip, n. Also: heipe, haip, heep, heap, hap. [ME. heep, hepe, OE. héap.]

1. A heap or pile; a stack (of corn, etc.). Also fig., of things immaterial.(1) c1420 Wynt. iv. 742.
Off slayne bodyis … Hepys hey wpstandand ware 1503 Treas. Acc. II. 274.
For … Estland burdis … ilk pece ij s.; and x s. mair was giffin in erlis of the hale hepe 1513 Doug. ii. xii. 5.
Thyddir in a hepe was gadderit precyus geir Ib. ix. viii. 137.
Ane huge weght or hepe of mekill stanys 1533 Boece ii. iv. 63 b.
Be quhat craft … stanys of sa grete wecht mycht in ane hepe be placit(b) c1400 Troy-bk. ii. 1733.
The schippes … Draif in one heipe, dyngand on vthir ?1438 Alex. i. 995.
He him to the ground gard ga, In to ane heip, baith hors and knycht 1567 Crim. Trials I. 499.
Tuming it [the powder] furth of the polks in ane bing and heip upon the flur 1567 G. Ball. 117.
Jerusalem, as appellis [= apples], lay in heip(c) 1560 Edinb. Old Acc. I. 356.
viij dosoun daill, … for laying of thame by of the haip 1584 Cart. S. Nich. Aberd. 386.
Yerd and grunmale … quhilk was lyan in middingis and haippis(d) 1662 Crim. Trials III. 609.
Owt sall the feaveris goe, [som] to the hill, som to the hap, som to the stone, some to the stok(2) c1420 Wynt. ii. 444.
Dame Ceres … Fyrst gert corne wyth mesure mete … Quhare befor bot in to stake, Or hepys on erde thai oysyde to make 1572 Reg. Privy C. II. 160.
Thai … sall leif the cornis stakkit in heip 1589 Antiq. Aberd. & B. III. 190.
Thair haill cornis being in brokin mowis in the barne and thraschin cornis being in heippis thairin 1596 Dalr. I. 96/5.
Of heipes of corne … breid wil thay mak quiklier(3) fig. 1562-3 Winȝet II. 36/3.
That … werk … in the quhilk, be grete heip of probationis, he confoundit … Porphirius a1605 Montg. Sonn. liii. 4.
Sorouis gritest heep

b. Phr. To or till heip, to a point, to a conclusion; to bring till heip, to bring about. 1456 Hay I. 245/15.
Men may find mony excusacioun, that, quhen all cummys till heip [etc.] a1500 Rauf C. 83.
Micht we bring this harberie this nicht weill to heip

c. In heap, in the mass, in general. a1652 Dickson Psalms 268.
The Lords deep thoughts. .yet must we not cease to look upon them and speak of them in heap when we cannot attaine to them in tail

2. A heaped measure of capacity.Also fig. 1545 Edinb. B. Rec. II. 119.
That thai gif the laid of malt with siclyke mesour and heippis as the awld vse hes bene 1587 Acts III. 521/2.
Malt beir and aittis hes bene … measorit be heip; … the heip in proportione is the iust thrid of the firlot or peck 1609 Ib. IV. 409/1.
Malt beir and eattis, quhilkis of before wer vsit to be mesurit be heip, … sould be mesurit be straik

fig. 1658 R. Moray Lett. 9/19 March.
It is as great a fault to have given me thanks by the heap to pay myself at the millar of Carstaris rate as to have met them out by your own hand

b. Attrib. with mesour, met(e. 1561 Aberd. B. Rec. I. 335.
The samyn to be mesourit with ane straik mett corresponden to the hep mesour 1582 Glasgow B. Rec. I. 95.
That all the heipe mettis and furlottes of this toun be brokin 1689 Corshill Baron Ct. 182.
Robert Dickie … declaires that he took the heap meassure for strait meassurfig. 1637 Rutherford Lett. (1894) 490.
The New Covenant seeketh, not heap-mete, nor stented obedience