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Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)

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First published 1952 (SND Vol. III). Includes material from the 2005 supplement.
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

DOCHTER, n. Sc. form of Eng. daughter. Also dauchter, douchter, †do(u)ghter, da(a)chter. The form dochter is also found in Nhb. dial. For other forms see Dother, Dowter. [′doxtər, ′dɔ- Sc.. Sh. + ′dʌux-, Ork. ′dɑ:x-, ′dʌux-, Cai., ne.Sc. ‡′dɑx-, Edb. + ′dɑx-, Bwk. ′dɒ(:)x-, Rxb. ′dux-]Sc. 1724–27 Ramsay T. T. Misc. (1733) I. 8:
I'm come your doghter's love to win.Sh. 1931 W. J. Tulloch in Sh. Almanac 192:
He hed fower douchters, very bonnie lasses.Sh. 1994 Laureen Johnson in James Robertson A Tongue in Yer Heid 165:
Shö spak aboot her doughter back hame, on holiday wi da boyfreend. Ork. 1880 Dennison Sketch-Bk. 3:
An' sheu geed oot o' the chaepal; an' her five douchters followed her.Abd. 1871 W. Alexander Johnny Gibb xxxii.:
My daachter: Maister Hadden, an aul' frien'.m.Sc. 1917 J. Buchan Poems 26:
My dochter's servin' in the toun.m.Sc. 1979 William J. Rae in Joy Hendry Chapman 23-4 (1985) 79:
Whaun the MacPuddock wis telt that Eck wis a guid sweemer, he decreet that his punishment should be tae act as bodygaird tae his dochter,... m.Sc. 1991 Donald Goodbrand Saunders in Tom Hubbard The New Makars 137:
Whilk o King Duncan's twa dochters
Is lookan tae be wad? wm.Sc. 1985 Liz Lochhead Tartuffe 7:
He whispers in his ear and cries him brither,
Loves him mair than wife, dochter or mither. em.Sc. 2000 James Robertson The Fanatic 72:
'Frae the man that's mairrit on Lord Abbotshall's dochter,' Eleis said, laughing, 'that must come frae the hert.'Ayr. 1788 Burns Jumpin John (Cent. ed.) ii.:
A vera guid tocher! a cotter-man's dochter, The lass with the bonie black e'e!s.Sc. 1856 H. S. Riddell St Matthew xiv. 6:
The doughter o' Herodias.Uls. 1879 W. G. Lyttle Readings 45:
Ye hae this day conferred on me the greatest favor it wuz in yer power tae bestow in givin' me yer dochter Maggie for a wife.

Hence dochterlie, adj., becoming to a daughter, daughterly (Abd. 1825 Jam.²).