quey Sc. and north. dial.
(kweɪ)
Forms: α. 4 qwy, 5 qui, 5–6 qwye, 6 quy, 6–7 quye; 5 que, 5–9 quee; 8– quey; 6 koy, 6–9 quoy, 9 coy. β. north. 5–9 why(e, 6 qwhy, 7–8 whee, whie, 7–9 whey, 9 wy(e, etc.
[a. ON. kv{iacu}ga (Sw. qviga, Da. kvie), app. f. k{uacu} cow.]
A young cow before it has had a calf; a heifer.
| α 1374 Durh. Halm. Rolls (Surtees) 124, xij stots et qwyis. c 1425 Voc. in Wr.-Wülcker 669/10 Hec juuenca, quee. 1485 Will in Ripon Ch. Acts (Surtees) 277 That Elyne Peke have a quye. 1508 Dunbar Flyting 142 Beggand koy and ox. 1513 Douglas æneis iv. ii. 19 Ane vntamyt ȝoung quoy. 1673 Depos. Cast. York (Surtees) 196 A quye..which now pines away. 1725 Ramsay Gentle Sheph. ii. i, Ye..sauld your crummock, and her bassand quey. 1768 A. Ross Fort. Shepherdess iii. 112 The beef of the new slaughter'd quoy. 1818 Scott Hrt. Midl. xxxix, If Gowans, the brockit cow, has a quey. 1884 G. S. Streatfeild Lincoln & Danes 263 The garthman..will be proud to show you..the stots and quees. |
| β 1483 Cath. Angl. 416/1 A Why, bucula, juuenca. 1565 Wills & Inv. N.C. (Surtees 1835) 230, vj oxen iiijor kye or qwhyes. 1614 Inv. in Trans. Cumbld. & Westmld. Arch. Soc. III. 113, 20 stotts, 5 whies, 14 younger neats. 1726 Dict. Rust. (ed. 3), Whee or Whey, a Word us'd in Yorkshire, for an Heifer. 1802 in Anderson Cumbld. Ball. 23, I carried our whye to the bull. |
b. Comb. quey-calf [
= ON. kv{iacu}gukalfr,
Sw. qvigkalf,
Da. kviekalv], a female calf.
| 1568 Wills & Inv. N.C. (Surtees 1835) 293, I gyue vnto..my dowghter one quye calfe. 1575 in R. Welford Hist. Newcastle (1885) II. 465 The first whey calf that God sends him. 1725 Ramsay Gentle Sheph. iii. ii, Twa quey cawfs I'll yearly to them give. 1855 Stephens Bk. of Farm (ed. 2) I. 506/2 The quey-calf occupies the near, and the bull-calf the off-side horn. |
Hence
ˈqueyock (also 6
quiok, 7
quoy-,
quyach, 9
queyoch, etc.);
= quey.
| 1513 Douglas æneis viii. iv. 76 In the cave..a quyok lowis. 1536 Bellenden Cron. Scot. (1821) I. p. iv, The quiokis war nevir slane quhill they wer with calfe. 1609 Skene Reg. Maj. 2 b, Item for the Serjant, ane colpindach (ane quyach, ane ȝoung kow). |