There are some legends floating around that Mary Queen of Scots had something to do with the origin of the term "dormie." It's true that Mary was a golfer, but there is no evidence - no reason at all to believe - that Mary coined the term or had anything at all to do with it.
The real explanation is much more prosaic. "Dormie" comes from the word "dormir," which shares a French and Latin origin. "Dormir" means "to sleep." "Dormie" means that a player has reached a match-play lead that is insurmountable (at least in matches in which halves are in use) - and so the player can relax, knowing that he cannot lose the match. "Dormir" (to sleep) turns into "dormie" (relax, you can't lose).
At least, that's what the USGA Museum says. Most dictionaries list the etymology of "dormie" as unknown.
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