† mortechien Sc. Obs.
Forms: 7 mortiechein, morticheyne, 8 corruptly mord de chien, 9 mortersheen.
[Of difficult etymology.
Identical with the alleged F. mort d'eschine (lit. death of the spine), for which Fitzherbert 1534 (Husb. §119) quotes the proverb ‘Mort de langue et de eschine sont maladyes saunce medecine’. It is probable that mort here is a mistake for morve, running of the nose, glanders (for which, or its dial. variant mourve, Cotgr. has erroneously mourrüe). The notion that the morbid matter of glanders came from the spine was generally held. The 16th c. Eng. name for the disease, mourning of the chine is prob. a corruption of the original form of the Fr. term. Fountainhall's mord de chien is pseudo-etymological (as if ‘bite of dog’).]
= glanders.
| 1637 Rec. Elgin (New Spald. Club) I. 257 Anent horses that ar suspectit to haue the mortiechein. a 1670 Spalding Troub. Chas. I (Bannatyne Club) II. 299 Seing the uther tuo hors regimentis..wes scatterit heir and thair, and mony deid in the morticheyne [ed. 1792 mortichien]. 1759 Fountainhall Decisions I. 406 Anent the horse infected with the mord de chien. ? 1816 Duff Poems 86 (Jam.) And now he's [sc. a horse] tane the mortersheen. |