Dictionaries of the Scots Language:: SND

Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)

About this entry:
First published 1934 (SND Vol. I).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

Quotation dates: 1806, 1929

[0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,1,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,1,0,0,0,0,0,0,0]

†ARBY, ARBY-ROOT, n. The sea-gilliflower or thrift.Ork. 1806 P. Neill A Tour through . . . Ork. and Shet. 58–59:
The sea-gilliflower or thrift (statice armeria), well known in Orkney by the name of Arby, covers the shores. (Footnote. Formerly its thick tuberous roots, sliced and boiled with milk, were highly prized in Orkney as a remedy in pulmonary consumption.)Ork. 1929 Marw.:
Arby. Now obsolete I think. Wallace (1700) mentions it as a name for thrift.

[Although now applied to thrift, Marw. says "almost certainly, however, it [arby] is the O.N. herbúa or hærbúa, f., matgrass (Nardus stricta)."]