ruscus

ruscus, ~um [CL], ~a [cf. OF rusche] 1 butcher's broom, knee holly (Ruscus aculeatus). b (generally) brushwood, rough growth, furze. garrula me poterit numquam superare cicada / aut arguta simul cantans luscinia ruscis Aldh. Aen. 68 (Salpix) 7; habeat ‥ bisacutam ad radicandum vepres ‥ et ~um ad sepes firmandas et renovandas Neckam Ut. 111; 1326 dicunt quod dominus potest habere ibidem x carect' ~arum et fenger' BB St. Davids 110; 1340 concessimus prefatis burgensibus nostris quod ipsi ‥ libere falcare possent omnes ~os Cart. Glam. 1242; ~us, knehullen MS BL Sloane 420 f. 119v; 1523 percipiet ‥ decimas ‥ de ~is, jampnis, miricis, et aliis de silve ceduis MonExon 85; ~us is called of the poticeries bruscum, in English buchers brome or Petigrue Turner Herb Names Fviij; ~us is named in English kneholme or knehull, and of other butcher broume (Id. Herbal II 121b) OED s. v. kneeholm.  b ~us, spina longa Osb. Glouc. Deriv. 509; silva supercilii, stygio mestissima luco, / horridior rusco, lumen obumbrat ei Garl. Epith. II 44; ‘levibus rustis’, rustus genus est fruticis spinosum vel, ut alii dicunt, herbe aspere, alii lignum foliis spinosum Trevet Troades 59; ~us, firsyne MS BL Sloane 347 f. 93v; ~us, A. a grost or furses WW; a ryse, ~us CathA. 2 holly. morus, by[rig], malus, apu[ldre], ~us, ho[len], prunus, plum, populus, byre Catal. MSS AS 443; ~us dicitur sylvestris myrtus, et oximyrsine ‥ procerum autem Galli housum, Angli an holy tre et an huluar tre nominant, hec etiam arbor ‥ ilex aquifolia dicitur e cujus corticibus ipse admodum puer viscum confeci Turner Herb. Ci. 3 rush; b (as fodder); c (as building material). d rush-bed, land on which rushes grow. 1243 predictus Rogerus ‥ extra mariscum predictum de Littelfenn' capit arundinem et roscum in marisco ipsius Alani CurR XVII 2239; 1292 in rosco empt' ‥ pro vij cent' mill' roscis pilatis Sacr. Ely II 3; pro iij roscorum grossorum empt Ib. II 7; 12‥ debet falcare duas cariationes et dimidiam de rosco domini ‥ et habebit unam garbam rosci tam grossam sicut potest ligare cum vinculo non duplicato sed sicut crescit de longiore rosco Cust. Bleadon 203; 1306 medietatem rosci et piscarie in stagno molendini Cl 124 m. 17 (20); 1325 in c garbis roschi emptis xvj d. Rec. Elton 276; 1337 in rosco empto ad eandem galleam per vices defucandam. xiij s. iiij d. KR Ac 19/31 m. 5.  b ortus, relefe of beestys mete, ramentum ‥ rascum, -ci PP; ortys, forrago, ~us, or fodder CathA.  c 1300 dicunt quod quatuor coci sedentes in Vico Pontis habent penticios suos factos de rosco nimis prope ignem ad magnum periculum ville (CourtR St. Ives Fair) Law Merch. I 75.  d 1256 tenet dim' toftum †ruisie pro xvj d. et iiij sest[ariis] salis et dim' (Lincs) RentSurv. P 10/33; 1271 totam daylam marisci tam de rossa quam de prato (Lincs) MonA VI 342b; 1304 quandam piscariam cum rosco Cl 121 m. 3; 1372 est ibidem unum stagnum vocatum Cavenhampont cum rosco in eodem stagno (Suff) IPM 230/1. 4 (as sb. f.) basket made of rushes: a (as measure of butter); b (as measure of rosin). a quando ipse rex ibi veniebat reddebat ei ‥ unam cuvam plenam cervisia et unam butiri ~am (Chesh) DB I 269rb.  b 1295 in xvij ruch' de rosyn emptis, precium ruch', x. d. KR Ac 5/7; 1295 factura galye ‥ in viij barellis picis, xlii galonis et dim. olei, xvij ~is de rosino HMC Rep. IX. I 257b. 5 bee-hive. j molin' et ij runc' et viij porc' et xx oves et iij ~as ap' (Suff) DB II 443b; 1166 in instauramento ejusdem manerii ‥ pro x ~is vj s. et viij d. Pipe 53; 1195 de xvj ~his viij s. de dimidio anno Pipe 184; pro ~a appium, duo solidi Leg. Wall. A 150; 1282 computat xviij d. in j ~a cum apibus emptis ad opus domini ‥ et iiij d. ob. in vij ~is emptis MinAc 1070/5 r. 1; 1296 de melle et cera j ~e et melle silvestri venditis DL MinAc 1/1 r. 15; 1307 receptavit unam ruiam apium CourtR Hales 578; 1488 russ. item iij russe in le westorchard ex dono Johannis Preston Ac. Durh. 99.