A Dictionary of the Older Scottish Tongue (up to 1700)
Hide Quotations Hide Etymology
About this entry:
First published 1963 (DOST Vol. III).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
Quotation dates: 1499-1500, 1600-1660
[0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,1,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,0,0,0]
Jak, Jake, v. Also jakking vbl. n. and jacking ppl. a. [Of obscure origin. in the mod. dial. as jauk.] intr. To idle, dawdle, spend time idly. Also vbl. n. and ppl. a. — a1500 Prestis of Peblis 20.
With thaim self quhat thai wald tell or crak, Umquhile sadly, vmquhile jangle and jak 1600-1610 Melvill 435.
Nocht [to] stand at the durre geiffing in peapers of petitiones, and skarslie when they haid iaked on manie dayes, gott sa mikle as a fear answer1659 Johnston Diary (1940) 113.1660 Ib. 178. — 1627 Misc. Hist. Soc. I. 96.
During quhilk tyme I am … putt to ane bak rowme to be ane idill onwaiter, quhilk is … contrair to my nature, for I love not jakking nor idilsett 1659 Hay Diary 183.
This was but ane idle, jacking day
You may wish to vary the format shown below depending on the citation style used.
"Jak v.". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 14 Dec 2025 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/dost/jak_v>
