Dictionaries of the Scots Language
Dictionars o the Scots Leid

A Dictionary of the Older Scottish Tongue (up to 1700)

Hide Quotations Hide Etymology

Abbreviations Cite this entry

About this entry:
First published 2000 (DOST Vol. VIII).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

Scout, n.⁴ Also: scowt, skout. [Of unknown origin.] The guillemot. Also attrib. — 1540 Misc. Hist. Soc. X 51.
To ane servand … that brocht scowt eggis to the king 1596 Dalr. I 26/19.
Ane certane kynd of fowle, in our mother toung named the skout … in quantitie lytle mair than the duke bot weil lang in body, sche layis her egs gretter than guse-egs. In gret diligate is sche haldne, … being sodin sche is maist tendir 1661 Ray Remains 192.
The other birds which nestle in the Basse are these; the Scout, which is double ribbed [etc.] 1684 Sibbald Scot. Illustr. III 20.
Alka Hoieri, the auk, nostratibus the scout 16… Macfarlane's Geog. Coll. III 113.