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Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)

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About this entry:
First published 1934 (SND Vol. I). Includes material from the 2005 supplement.
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

BEDFAST, adj. Confined to bed, bedrid. Eng. dial. and Sc. [′bɛd′fɑst]Edb. 1931 E. Albert Herrin' Jennie iii. iv.:
The puir auld man's bedfast and hard-up.
Ayr. 1821 Galt Ann. Parish xl.:
She had been for some time bedfast.
Dmf. 1998 Jilly Hawker in Neil R. MacCallum Lallans 51 13:
Eilidh's faither was richt badly an bedfast these past weeks.

[Bed + fast, cf. shamefast, etc. Low Ger. beddefast, Mid.Du. beddevass, O.E. legerbedde fest, buried — i.e. grave fast where grave is a fig. use of leger bedde = sick-bed.]

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