A Dictionary of the Older Scottish Tongue (up to 1700)
Hide Quotations Hide Etymology
About this entry:
First published 2001 (DOST Vol. X).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
Quotation dates: 1375, 1549-1606
[1,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0]
Thresum, Thriesum, Threesome, n. (adj.). [Thre num. and -sum suffix. Also in the later dial.] a. noun. Three (persons) together, a company of three. b. adj. Of a dance: Performed by three persons together. —a. noun. 1375 Barb. iii 420.
[The boat] sa litill wes that it Mycht our the watter bot thresum flyt 1549 Complaynte of Scotland 131/35.
It is nocht possibil to gar thresum keip consel a1578 Pitsc. I 275/34.
Mccleine him self eschapit and thriesum with him —b. adj. 1606 Craig ii 66.
Twixt Fortune, Love, and most unhappie mee, Behold a chase, a fatall threesome reele
You may wish to vary the format shown below depending on the citation style used.
"Thresum n.". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 5 Dec 2025 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/dost/thresum>
