Forms: α. (chiefly Sc. and north.) 4–6 stowpe, 6–9 stowp, 6 stolp, 6–7, 9 stoupe, 6– stoup; β. 6–7 stoope, 7–9 stoop; γ. (4 Latin stopa), 5–8 stope, 6–7 stoap(e; δ. Sc. 6 stoip, 7 stoype. [a. ON. staup neut. (Norw. staup, Sw. stop) = OE. stéap masc., MDu. stoop masc. (Du. stoop masc. and fem.), MLG. stôp masc., OHG., MHG. stouf (mod.G. dial. stauf masc.):—OTeut. *staupo-. Cf. STOP sb.1
Prob. some of the forms are due to the influence of the MDu. or MLG. equivalent: see note to sense 2.]
1. A pail or bucket; also water-stoup. Now only Sc. † Formerly also, a large jar or small cask for holding liquids. (Cf. STOP sb.1 1.)
α. 1397. in Finchale Priory Charters, etc. (Surtees), p. cxvii. Item iiij stowpes de coreo.
1574. in Richmond Wills (Surtees), 242. In the brewe house … vij. seaes, ij skiles, ij. stoupes.
a. 1670. Spalding, Troub. Chas. I. (Bannatyne Club), I. 44. It is said that their sister, with ane trein stoup, slew ane called Mercer … Dumbar.
1708. Invent., in E. D. Dunbar, Soc. Life Former Days (1865), 212. A laddle, a watter stoup, three cies.
1822. Galt, Provost, xxxiii. Even lasses were fleeing to and fro, like water nymphs with urns, having stoups and pails in their hands.
1912. R. M. Ferguson, Ochil Fairy Tales, 13. Two wooden stoups or pitchers full of water.
β. 1634. Brereton, Trav. (Chetham Soc.), 53. Here along this passage are thirty-six stoopes placed at equal distances.
γ. [1390. Earl Derby’s Exped. (Camden), 9. Pro j stopa et di mellis. Ibid., 14. Pro vijxx viij stopis vini Rochell.]
1411. in Finchale Priory Charters, etc. (Surtees), p. clvi. Item vj tankards et j stope de corio.
1427–8. Durham Acc. Rolls (Surtees), 142. In iij. ollis nuncupatis Stopez.
14[?]. Nom., in Wr.-Wülcker, 728/28. Hec cupa, a stope.
1554. Acc. Ld. High Treas. Scot., X. 234. Item, for platis, dischis, bukatis, and stopis, xv s.
1595. Duncan, App. Etym. (E. D. S.), Amphora, a stope.
2. A drinking-vessel, of varying dimensions; a cup, flagon, tankard. Also as a measure of definite quantity; often with defining word, as gill, pint, quart stoup. Now Sc. and north., and as a literary archaism. (Cf. STOP sb.1 3.)
In some of the quots. used to represent a foreign form, e.g., Du. stoop, Sw. stop.
α. 1500–20. Dunbar, Poems, xl. 26. Off wyne owt of ane choppyne stowp, They drank twa quartis, sowp and sowp.
1533. Acc. Ld. High Treas. Scot., VI. 179. For mending of ane of the Kingis silver stolpis … viij s.
1543–4. Extracts Burgh Rec. Edin. (1871), II. 115. Stowppis of mesour.
1573. Sc. Acts Jas. VI., c. 57 (1597), 27. Everie Barrell of herring and quhit-fisch, [sall] conteine nine gallones of the samin stope.
1586. Extracts Burgh Rec. Edin. (1882), IV. 475. All persouns quha hes any fals stowpes clowrit in the sydes.
1610. Beaum. & Fl., Scornf. Lady, II. ii. Lets haue a bridling cast before you goe. Fils a new stoupe.
1617. Moryson, Itin., III. 286. Each Student in the Vniversitie hath eighty measures of wine (vulgarly called Stoup) allowed him free from imposition.
1638. Reg. Mag. Sig. Scot., 315/1. To mark and stamp all firlottis … quart-stoupis, pynt, chopein and mutchekin stoupis.
1721, 1786. [see MUTCHKIN b].
1754. E. Burt, Lett. N. Scotl. (1818), I. 157. Their capacious pint pot which they call a stoup.
1785. Grose, Dict. Vulgar T., Stoup,… a vessel containing a size or half a pint, is so called at Cambridge.
1814. Scott, Wav., xvi. The Baron ordered a stoup of usquebaugh.
1879. ‘Ouida,’ Cecil Castlemaine, 7. Scarce stopping for a stoup of wine.
1895. Snaith, Mistress Dorothy Marvin, xxvii. Hie, Tom, do you bring a big stoup o’ cider here this minute.
β. 1589. Hakluyt, Voy., 824. Also they shal sell wines by the pype, and by the gallon, quart, or Stoope they shall not sell [in Russia].
1601. Shaks., Twel. N., II. iii. 14. Marian I say, a stoope of wine.
1617. Moryson, Itin., I. 62. For each measure of wine … I paid ten grosh, which measure is called a stoope, and is somewhat bigger then the English quart.
1708. W. King, Art of Cookery, 85. A cauldron of fat beef, and stoop of ale.
1753. Hanway, Trav. (1762), I. II. xi. 51. Liquors are sold by the stoop, of which three are equal to an English gallon.
1771. Smollett, Humphry Cl., 3 Sept. This is brought in a pewter stoop, shaped like a skittle.
1864. D. G. Mitchell, Wet Days at Edgewood, 131. The monks might send him now and then a stoop of their wine.
1869. Blackmore, Lorna D., xxix. Parson took a stoop of cider.
γ. 1452. Paston Lett., Suppl. (1901), 44. Ye shul have a stope of bere to comforte yow.
c. 1483. Caxton, Dialogues, 7. Cannes de deux lots, Cannes of two stope,… Lotz et demy lotz, Stopes and half stopes.
1502. Acc. Ld. High Treas. Scot., II. 295. Ane tyn quart and ane poynt stopes. Ibid. (1533), VI. 165. For iij quart stopis, xviij d.
1591. [? Nashe], Prognostication, B 3. Englishe Beere shall there [in Denmark] be woorth fiue pence a stoape.
1592. Greene, Black Bks. Messenger, Ep. Rdr. He would steale ouer in to the Lowe Countries, there to tast three or foure Stoapes of Rhenish wine.
1603. Shaks., Ham., V. ii. 278. Set me the Stopes of wine vpon that Table.
1609. Dekker, Gull’s Hornbk., Proem. 4. The Switzers stoap of Rhenish.
1657. in 10th Rep. Hist. MSS. Comm., App. I. 38. Tow silver stoapes.
1673. Dryden, Amboyna, V. i. [Dutchman loq.] Boy, give me some Tobacco, and a stope of Wine.
1713. Phil. Trans., XXIX. 57. 30 Rotterdam Stopes (making each about 3 English Quarts).
δ. 1530. in A. Laing, Abbey of Lindores (1876), 490. It. iiij half gallonis stoippis, xj qrt stoippis iiij poynt stoppis.
a. 1550[?]. Freiris of Berwik, 66, in Maitland Poems (1786), 67. Dame, fill ane stoip of aile.
1663. Invent. Ld. J. Gordon’s Furniture, Twa quart stoypes.
3. A vessel to contain holy-water, usu. a stone basin set in or against the wall of the church-porch, or within the church close to the entrance-door.
The form stoup is modern. It represents the earlier stop, stope: see γ below and STOP sb.1 2; cf. STOCK sb.1 21.
α. 1793. Denne, in Archæologia, XI. 131. The holy-water stoup, fixed near the doors of churches, is sometimes called labrum. Ibid., 150, 365, note.
1829. Bloxam, Princ. Gothic Archit., xi. 62.
1848. Lytton, Harold, IV. vi. Near the doorway … was the stoupe or aspersorium for holy-water.
1899. Q. Rev., April, 470. The famous alliance between the stoup and the sabre, which has reorganised the politics of France, was speedily cemented.
β. 1784. Denne, in J. Thorpe, Custumale Roffense (1788), 99. These basins or stoops were sometimes made of metal, but generally of stone.
γ. 1500. Invent. Ch. Goods Canterb., in Gentl. Mag. (1837), Dec., 569/2. A stope, off lede, for the holy watr atte the churche dore.
† 4. attrib., as stoop-can, -glass. Obs.
1608. H. Clapham, Errour Right Hand, 53. See you that cherry-cheeked Damsell that tooke vp there the Stoop-kan.
1626. Bacon, Sylva, § 796. Take a Stock-Gilly-Flower, and tye it gently vpon a Sticke, and put them both into a Stoope Glasse.
