Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)
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First published 1941 (SND Vol. II).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
Quotation dates: 1712-1756
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BUBBY, Buby, n. Also contr. form bub.
1. “The breast” (Bnff.4 1912). Mostly used in pl. (Ayr.4 1928, bubs; Gall. 1824 MacTaggart Gallov. Encycl., bubies; Kcb.1 1929, bubbies), and extended by synecdoche in quot. 2 to mean a young woman.Sc. 1712 J. Arbuthnot Law is a Bottomless Pit iii. viii.:
Why don't you go and suck the Bubby?Sc. 1756 A. Pennecuik Collection Sc. Songs (1787) 47:
Bony bubbies, wi' your nut brown hair.
2. “Udder” (Abd. 1914 T.S.D.C. I.).
[Cf. Ger. dial. bübbi, teat (Grimm). Prob. imitative from baby language.]You may wish to vary the format shown below depending on the citation style used.
"Bubby n.". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 9 Apr 2026 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/snd/bubby>
