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

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First published 2001 (DOST Vol. IX).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

Sour(e, Sowr(e, adj., n. and adv. Also: sower, -ir, seur, sewr. [ME and e.m.E. sur(e (Orm), sour (a1310), sowr (c1440), sower (1509), OE súr. Cf. also F. sur (c1130 in Larousse).]

A. adj. 1. Of food, etc.: Inherently tart or sour in taste. 1456 Hay I 20/22.
Herisy makis the haly scripture sa bitter … that it apperis … bitter as the sour herbe is in the mouth a1500 Henr. Practysis 88.
Thir gressis and gers, Outhir sawrand or sour a1499 Contempl. Sinn. 1338 (Asl.).
As the moder fra mylk spanand hir child With sum sowre sals hir pape scho will ourplant a1605 Montg. Ch. & Slae 429 (W).
Ȝone slaye, suppose thou think it soure May satisfie to slokkin Thy thrist 1636 Re-examination of the Five Articles 6.
They … did eat of a sallet made of sowre heerbs

b. In various figurative, allusive or proverbial contexts. c1420 Ratis R. 1216.
Resone gevyne vas to al men To gare vs vndirstand and ken … Quhat is soure and quhat is swet a1500 Henr. Fab. 345.
Thy guse is gude, thy gansell sour as gall c1500-c1512 Dunb. (OUP) 187/19.
Off quhais subchettis sour is the sals a1568 Scott i 107.
As beis takkis walx and honye of the floure So dois the faythfull of Goddis word tak frute As waspis ressauis of the same bot soure So reprobatis Christis buke dois rebute a1628 Carmichael Prov. No. 1404.
Sueit in the mouth, sowre in the bellie a1628 Carmichael Prov. No. 1734.
Ye cast up the seur russle 1648 Rec. Kirk Scotl. 503.
The sowre leaven of malignancy c1660–70 Sel. Biog. I 265.
Such a crosse is mine, and the sweet kirnell of the blessing under the sour slough that is without

2. Rendered acid-tasting by fermentation or decay. a1500 Henr. Test. Cress. 441.
Tak mowlit breid, peirrie and ceder sour a1500 K. Hart 766.
This drink … Sone eftir this … salbe staill and soure 1498 Halyb. 188.
The tother [sc. barrel of fish] was sowr and gaf bot 17 s. c1500-c1512 Dunb. (STS) v 30.
The aill of hevin wes sour a1568 Bann. MS 72b/64.
Soure meitis ar not nvrissand 1632 Aberd. B. Rec. III 49.
Fishe, full reid and sweit, and nather ar gillit nor sour fishe

b. Of water: Stagnant. a1500 K. Hart 76.
Ane water void, Blak, stinkand, sowr, and salt as is the sey

3. Of wood: Green. In fig. context. a1500 Rauf C. 910.
Ȝe Sarazeins ar succuderus and self willit ay Sall neuer of sa sour ane brand ane bricht fyre be brocht

4. fig. Of events, etc.: Distasteful, disagreeable, unpleasant.Freq. contrasted with swete. a1500 Henr. Fab. 1809.
Heirefter ȝe sall find als sour as sweit Quhen ȝe ar speldit on ȝone carlis speit a1500 Henr. Fab. 2312. a1499 Contempl. Sinn. 325 (Asl.).
Mair swetnes is in to sure consciens … Than is in ony carnale complacens … Quhilk has sowre surchargis for conclusioun a1499 Contempl. Sinn. 779 (Asl.).
Than sall the juge dowble dome discrive … Ane sweit ane sowre for sentens dyffinitive a1500 Prestis of Peblis 1208.
And he to me wit thou maid ony falt To thé that wil be ful sowre and salt a1570-86 Kennedy in Maitl. F. 234/18.
O bittir ȝouth that seymit delitious O swetest age that sum tym semyit sowir c1500-c1512 Dunb. Tua Mar. W. 144.
And thus I sell him solace thoght I it sour think 1513 Doug. xiii v 70.
The glor of Mars in batale or in stowr Is conquest with sik aventouris sowr 15.. King Berdok 48. a1570-86 Maitl. F. 206/23.
This proverb now I mon propone Exempill is said als sweit als sour c1590 Fowler I 138/9.
The sweit soure iarres, the ioyes, the noyes, and caire 1596 Dalr. II 217/24.
He keipet the king … in a verie sour seruitude a1628 Carmichael Prov. No. 956.
It is a sewr raik quhair the gude wife dings the gudeman

5. Of a person: Discontented, gloomy, morose. a1500 Prestis of Peblis 323 (Asl.).
Ȝour tennentis and ȝour husband men purd And quhen thai ar pure than ar ȝe soure [ed. poure, Ch. pure]

6. Expressive of or characterised by displeasure, discontent or hostility: a. Of outward appearance, looks, etc. a1500 Colk. Sow i 84.
In all thair semblance sour 1501 Doug. Pal. Hon. 649.
Sum glowmand grim, sum girnand with visage sowre c1500-c1512 Dunb. (STS) liii 37.
God waitt gif that scho loukit sour! 1610 Sermon Preached at Glasco in the Generall Assembly 5.
Godlinesse standeth not in solempne or sowre lookes c1630 Scot Narr. 111.
[The bishops] will look sour if they want the styles among their brethren 1634 (1649) Sel. Biog. I 383.
I never dreamed that death had such a sour and austere gloom

b. Of behaviour or bearing towards (to) others. 1460 Hay Alex. 2850.
Thai louit nothing the empriour For he was ay fraward to thame and sour

c. Of language. 1513 Doug. x vii 13.
Quhile with prayer, now with wordis sowr, [L. dictis amaris] Thar curage he enflambis to the stowr a1568 Bann. MS 21b/39.
And save ws fra thair sawis sour 1596 Dalr. II 142/21.
The king … his lettres delyuiris to Lyon Harratt, wrytne in verie sour and proud wordes 1596 Dalr. II 347/7.
Til her scho alluiret thame partlie with fair promises, partlie with craibet, busteous, and sour wordes

d. Of actions.These quots. may properly belong in Sure adj. c1500 Makc. MS x 39.
Thow send ws help fra hewynis towr … And saif ws fra his saltis sour c1550 Rolland Ct. Venus ii 276.
All Hispanie he wan be battell sour

7. Of weather, esp. wind: Unpleasant, severe; harsh, bitter. 1456 Hay II 130/29.
The ayre worthis cald, and the wynde sourar 1560 Rolland Seven S. 4197.
This day is sour, sa wonder schairp and cauld 1638 Henderson Serm. 489.
They sall never get a foul day, nor a sour blast of wind or weet

8. comb.Sour-brede, -cake, a kind of oatcake baked of sour leaven. Sour-coug, ? = sour cogue, s.v. SND Sour adj. 1 (5), ‘a kind of curds made from sour cream’. Sour-dauch, fermenting dough; leaven. (Only in Nisbet, after Purvey.) Sour-kit, ? = buttermilk. Cf. SND sour cogue (see above), conjectured to be synonymous with hattit kit Hattit adj. a dish of milk with a top layer of cream.(1) 1513 Treas. Acc. IV 491.
For caryage of the birsket and sour breid and licht breid of quheit fra Edinburgh to Leith 1646 Edinb. B. Rec. VIII 91.
The second sort of wheat breid callit sour breid 1666 Edinb. B. Rec. X 10.
The 6 d. loafe of the second sort callit sowr bread to weigh 8 ounce 4 dropcoll. 1513 Treas. Acc. IV 488.
To the said greit schip x^m sour breid … half quheit half ry 1513 Treas. Acc. IV 493.
Resavit … in the controllaris name v^m vij^c iij scor and x sour breid(2) 1591–2 Exch. R. XXII 205.
For sour caikis and broun breid 1596 Exch. R. XXIIII 93.
Assignit to Williame Murray for baking of the kingis majesteis sowre caikis a pairt of the said beir of Fyffe 1597 Misc. Spald. C. I 111.
The said Katheren … gef to thé ane sour caik, and ane coig full of milk 1657 Misc. Hist. Soc. VII 14.
Presented some sower cakes to Craigebui [sc. in prison] which was taken by the garde as a paket of letters 1658 R. Moray Lett. fol. 247.
If you long for a stocky of sower cakes or Scots grottes my cummer hath sent me some of them too 1690 Foulis Acc. Bk. 121.
For eall and a sourkaik(3) 1661 Soc. Ant. XXII 251.
The forsaid women tooke hir furth to Ferytounfields … to get ane sour coug(4) c1520-c1535 Nisbet Matth. xiii 33.
The kingdom of heuenis is like to sourdauche quhilk a woman tuke and hid in thre mesuris of meile till it war all sourit c1520-c1535 Nisbet Matth. xvi 12.
Than thai vndirstude that he said nocht to be war of the sourdauch (or lauen) of laaues, bot of the teching of Phariseis and Saduceis c1520-c1535 Nisbet 1 Cor. v 6.
Wate ye nocht, that a litil sourdauche corrumpis all the gobet (or peece)?(5) 1549 Compl. 42/35.
Thai maid grit cheir of euyrie sort of mylk, … sueit mylk and sour mylk, curdis and quhaye, sourkittis [etc.] — 1661 Glasgow B. Rec. II 465.
Ordaines the sour milk mercat, quhilk is now keeped at the croce, be transported from thence and keeped at the Gallowgait brige

b. With p.p., as a parasynthetic compound. a1652 Dickson Psalms II 160.
The sin of envy … as a soure-leavened vessel, turneth all things put into it unto sournesse

c. With -like (Like adj. E 2): Sour, sour-looking or -seeming. 1663–9 Sel. Biog. I 134.
An man of an soure like disposition and carriage

B. absol. as noun. Only in fig. contexts: That which is sour; the sour as opposed to the sweet. a1500 K. Hart 324.
The scharpe and als the soft can with him deill The sweit the sour [etc.] a1500 K. Hart 657.
Quha gustis sweit and feld never of the sowre … how may he seasoun iuge a1500 Prestis of Peblis 226 (Asl.).
Quhy suld he haf the sweit had nocht the sowre? a1500 Prestis of Peblis 1122.
Sower c1500-c1512 Dunb. Tua Mar. W. 289.
I … leit the sueit ay the sour To gud sesone bring 1529 Lynd. Complaynt 282.
I gat the soure and thay the sweit c1600 Poem (verso T. Pont).
Great contentment I ay wish And all our sowres translate in sweet

C. adv. In a sour or harsh manner. c1550 Rolland Ct. Venus Prol. 300.
Auerrois quhilk was ane greit doctour Repreuvit [pr. Reprouvit] sair Aristotell and sour