An Etymological Dictionary of the Scottish Language
Chapter 100 : Gael. _buarach_. BOURBEE, _s._ The spotted Whistle fish, S. _Sibbald._ _To_ BOURD, _v.

Gael. _buarach_.

BOURBEE, _s._ The spotted Whistle fish, S.

_Sibbald._

_To_ BOURD, _v. n._ To jest, to mock, S.

_Ramsay._

Fr. _bourd-er_, id. But this seems to be merely an abbrev. of _behourd-ir_, _bohord-er_, to just together with lances. _Bohord_, _behord_, is originally a Gothic word, as being used by old Northern writers.

BOURD, BOURE, _s._ A jest, a scoff, S.

_Kelly._

_Houlate._

BOURIE, _s._ A hole made in the earth by rabbits, or other animals that hide themselves there; E. a _Burrow_.

_Monroe._

From the same origin with ~Bourach~.

BOURTREE, BORETREE, BOUNTREE, _s._ Common elder, a tree; Sambucus nigra, Linn.; A. Bor. _Burtree_.

_Lightfoot._

It seems to have received its name from its being hollow within, and thence easily _bored_ by thrusting out the pulp.

BOUSHTY, _s._ Expl. "bed." Aberd.

_s.h.i.+rrefs._

The same with _Buisty_, q. v.

BOUSTOUR, BOWSTOWRE, _s._ A military engine, anciently used for battering walls.

_Wyntown._

Su. G. _byssa_, _bossa_, signifies a mortar, an engine for throwing bombs; Bombarda, Ihre; formerly _byssor_; from _byssa_, theca, a box, or case; because in these tubes, as in cases, bullets are lodged.

BOUSUM, BOWSOM, _adj._

1. Pliant, tractable.

_Palice Honour._

A. S. _bocsum_, _buhsum_, obediens, tractabilis, from _bug-an_, Belg. _buyg-en_, flectere.

2. "Blythe, merry," Rudd.

_To_ BOUT, BOWT, _v. n._ To spring, to leap, S. "_bouted up_," Rudd. vo.

_up-bolt.i.t_.

_Lyndsay._

Teut. _botten_, _op-bott-en_, to rebound, resilire.

BOUT, _s._ A sudden jerk in entering or leaving an apartment; a hasty entrance or departure; the act of coming upon one by surprise; S.

BOUTGATE, _s._

1. A circuitous road, a way which is not direct, S. from _about_, and _gait_ way.

_Ross._

2. A circ.u.mvention, a deceitful course, S.

_R. Bruce._

3. An ambiguity, or an equivocation, in discourse.

_Bp. Forbes._

BOW, _s._ A boll; a dry measure, S.

_Monroe._

BOW, BOLL, LINTBOW, _s._ The globule which contains the seed of flax.

_Bow_ is the p.r.o.n. S.

_Polwart._

Germ. _boll_, id. oculus et gemma plantae, caliculus ex quo flos erumpit; Wachter.