Scandinavian influence on Southern Lowland Scotch Part 16

_slank_, a depression in the land, a hollow, O.N. _slakki_, Norse _slakke_. The non-a.s.similation proves E. Scand. source.

Cp. Sw. dial. _slakk_ adj. bending, e.g., "bakken jar no na slakk," the hill slopes a great deal, again a W. Scand. form in Sw. dial. The word is probably related to Eng. _slack_, loose, lax, Dan. _slak_, Norse _slak_.

s.l.u.t, _sb._ a slattern, an untidy woman. Dunbar, 119, 71. O.N., O. Ic. _slottr_. See Skeat.

SMAIK, _sb._ a coward. Sat. P., 39, 175; Lyndsay, 425, 1320, and 434, 1562. O.N. _smoykr_, adj. timid, M.L.G. _smeker_ means "a flatterer," besides the vowel, as well as the final _r_ of the L.G. word, is against a L.G. origin of the Sco. word. The Sco. _ai_ indicates an original diphthong. Cp. Cu. _smaik_ applied to a small boy, or any small being.

SNAPE-DIKE, _sb._ an enclosure. Jamieson, Ayr. Cp. O.N. _snap_, a pasture for cattle, especially a winter pasture (Haldorson), _snapa_, vb. to nibble, M.E. _snaipen_. The vowel in the Sco.

word proves an original open _a_, hence it is from the vb.

_snapa_. O.N. _snap_, sb. would have given _snap_. Our word is _snep._

SNIB, SNEB, _vb._ to snub, check, reprove. Sat., P., 33, 18; L.L., 3387. Dan. _snibbe_, M.E. _snibben_. Eng. _snub_ and M.E.

_snubben_ correspond to O.N. _snubba_ with original unumlauted vowel.

SNITE, _vb._ to blow the nose, to snuff a candle. Jamieson. O.N.

_snta_, Norse _snyta_, used exactly the same way, Dan.

_snyde_. Sw. _snute_ and M.L.G. _snuten_ have unumlauted vowel which would have given _snoot_, _snowt_, or _snoit_ in Sco.

SOCK, _vb._ to examine, investigate. Fergusson, 169. Probably from O.N. _saekja_, to seek, Norse _soka_, _sokja_, Dan. _soge_ since O. Nhb. _saeca_ later became _seca_ and developed as W.S. _secan._

SOLANDE, _sb._ a soland goose. Dalr., I, 25, 1. O.N. _sula_ + _n_ (Skeat). The _d_ is epenthetic. The _n_ is the post-positive definite article, a peculiarly Scand. characteristic.

SOP, _sb._ a round, compact body. Bruce, III, 47. O.N. _soppr_, a ball (Skeat), Norse _sopp_, id. Cp. Cu. _sop_, "a milk- maid's cushion for the head."

SOUM, _sb._ The rope or chain a plow is drawn by. Dunbar, III, 126, 21. O.N. _saumr_, a seam, trace. In Bruce, X, 180, _hede- soyme_, sb. the trace.

SOYM, _sb._ trace of a cart. Bruce, X, 233. From O.N. _saumr_, a seam (Skeat), Norse _saum_, Dan. _som_. For _oy_ in place of _ou_, as we should expect, cp. _gowk_ and _goilk_, _lowp_ and _loip_, etc., and the Norse _laupa_ and _loipa_.

SPAE, SPA, _vb._ to prophesy. Douglas, II, 142, 2; II, 2; Burns, 37, 2, 2. O.N. _spa_, to prophesy, Norse _spaa_, Dan. _spaa_, id.

Cp. _spaamand_, _spaafolk_, and Sco. _spaeman_, _spaefolk_, _spaewife_.

SPAY, SPE, _sb._ prophecy, omen, augury. Dalr., II, 5, 8; Isaiah, XLVII, 12. O.N. _spa_, a prophecy. _Voluspa_, the vala's prophecy, M.E. _spa_.

SPAEQUEAN, _sb._ fortune teller, spaewife. Isaiah, XLVII. O.N.

_spakona_, a woman who spaes. The compound may, however, be Sco.

SPALE, _sb._ lath, chip, splinter. R.R., 1979; Burns, 132, 114.

Norse _spela_, _spila_, _speil_, a splinter, a chip, also _spol_. O.N. _spolr_, a rail, bar, lattice work, sometimes means "a short piece of anything." Cu. _speal_. The O.E. word is _speld._ Cp. Fr. _espalier_.

SPENN, _vb._ to b.u.t.ton, to lace. Jamieson. O.N. _spenna_, to clasp.

Norse _spenna_, lace, _spenne_ sb. a buckle, Dan. _spaende_, Sw. _spanne_, to lace. The O.E. word is _spannan_, without umlaut. The meaning as well as the form of the Sco. word is Scand.

SPRACK, _adj._ lively, animated. Jamieson. O.N. _spr?kr_, quick, strong, sprightly, Norse _spraek_, spry, nimble, Dan. _spraek_, M.E. _sprac_. This is one of a few undoubted Scand. words found in South Eng. diall.

SPIL, _sb._ a stake. Douglas, III, 250, 16. O.N. *_spilr_, variant of _spolr_. Cp. Norse _spil_, in the diall. of Western Norway.

See _spale_.

SPRATTLE, _vb._ to walk through mud, to scramble through wet and muddy places as the result of which one's clothes become soiled. Burns, 10, 11, 3; also 68, 1, 3. O.N. _spretta_, Norse _spretta_ to spurt, sputter, splash, Sw. _spritte_. On a.s.similation of _nt_, cp. _sprent_. The _l_ is frequentative.

Exhibits characteristic Sco. change of _e_ to _a_ before t.

Cp. _wat_ for _wet_, _swat_ for _sweat_.

SPRENT, _vb._ to start, spring. Wallace, N, 23. O. Dan. _sprenta_, spurt out, spring, start, O.N. _spretta_, Norse _spretta_, shoot forth, spurt. In Cu. a pen is said to _sprent_ when it scatters the ink over the paper. So in Norse. The Sco. word agrees more closely in meaning with the Norse than with the Dan. but exhibits E. Scand. non-a.s.similation of _nt_ to _tt_ which took place in Norse before 1000. Sw. diall. which otherwise have many W. Scand. characteristics have both _sprenta_ and _spritta_. The word _spraette_ also occurs in later Dan.

SPRENT, _sb._ a spring, as the back spring of a knife. Wallace, IV, 238. See _sprent_, vb.

STAKKER, STACKER, _vb._ to stagger. Brace, II, 42; Gol. and Gaw., II, 25. O.N. _stakra_. See B-S. under M.E. _stakerin_. Cp.

Norse _stakra_, to stagger, to fall.

STANG, _vb._ to sting. R.R., 771. O.N. _stanga_, to p.r.i.c.k, goad, also to b.u.t.t, Norse _stanga_, Dan. _stange_, id., M.E.

_stangen_.

STAPP, _vb._ to put into, to stuff, fill. Dunbar, T.M.W., 99; Montg.

C. and S., 1552; Isaiah, VI, 6; M.W. 21, 12. O.N. _stappa_, to stamp down, Norse _stappa_, to stuff, fill, same as O.E.

_stempan_, Eng. _stamp_, Dan. _stampe_. The a.s.similated form _stampa_ occurs in Norse beside _stappa_. The usage in Sco. is distinctively Norse and the vowel is the Norse vowel. Not the same as Eng. _stop_, O.E. (_for_)_stoppian_ in Leechdoms. With the last cp. Dan. _stoppe_ used just like Eng. _stop_.

STARN, _sb._ the helm of a vessel. Dunbar, F., 450. O.N. _stjorn_, steerage, helm, Norse _stjorn_, vb. _stjorna_, to steer, cognate with Eng. _steer_, O.E. _styrian_. For a similar difference between the Eng. and the Norse word cp. Eng. _star_ and Norse _stjerne_.

STARR, _sb._ sedge, heavy coa.r.s.e gra.s.s. Jamieson. See Wall under _star_.

STERN, STARN, _sb._ star. C.S., 48; Dunbar, G.T. 1; Lindsay, 239, 492. O.N. _stjarna_, Dan. _stjerne_, star, Norse _stjerna_.

STERT, _vb._ to start, rush. Poet. R., 109, 8. O.N. _sterta_. For discussion of this word see Skeat.

STOOP, _sb._ See _roop_.

STORKYN, _vb._ to become rigid, stiffen. Dunbar, 248, 48. Norse _storkna_, coagulate, become rigid. See Wall under _storken_.

STOT, _sb._ a young bull, bullock. Montg., C. and S., 1099; A.P.B.

1, 306; Burns, 231, 129, 4. Stratmann derives M.E. _stot_, "buculus," from Sw. _stut_; and _stot_, "caballus," from O.E.

_stotte_. O.N. _stutr_ is rather the source of the former.

Norse _stut_, Dan. _stud_.

STOUR, _sb._ a pole. Douglas, III, 248, 27. O.N. _staur_, a pole, a stake, Norse _staur_, Sw. _stor_, Dan. and Dano-Norse _stor_. See the quotation under _pocknet_.

STOWIT, _pt. p._ cutoff, cropped. Douglas, III, 42, 3. O.N. _stufa_, a stump, _stfa_, to cut off, Dan. _stuve_, Sw. _stuf_, a piece left after the rest has been cut away, _styva_, to crop, O. Sw., Sw. dial. _styva_, _stuva_, id. An O.E.

_styfician_, to root up, occurs once (Leechdoms). See B-T.

STOWP, _sb._ a pitcher, a beaker. Dunbar, 161, 26. O.N. _staup_, a beaker, a cup, Norse _staup_, id., Dan. _stob_, O.E.

_steap_, O.H.G. _stouf_.

STRAY, STRAE, STRA, _sb._ straw. O.N. _stra_, Dan., Norse _straa_, Sw. _str _, Cu. _strea_.

STROUP, (strup), _sb._ the spout of a kettle or pump. Burns, 602; Jamieson. O.N. _strjupi_, the spurting trunk, Norse _strupe_ and _striupe_, the throat, gullet, Dan. _strube_, id., M.E.

_strupe_, the throat.

STUDIE, _sb._ anvil. Dunbar, 141, 52. The word rhymes with _smidy_.

See _styddy_.

STYDDY, STUDDIE, STUTHY, _sb._ anvil. Douglas, III, 926, 9; III, 180, 26; Dunbar 141, 52. See also Burns, 502. O.N.

_stei_, a st.i.thy, an anvil. Norse _sted_. Sw. _stad_.