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: 1843-1851
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BURLY, adj. [′bʌrlɪ̢]
1. Rough (Sc. 1825 Jam.2; Abd.2 1937).Abd. [1844] W. Thom Rhymes and Recoll. (1849) 72:
The feast o' yestreen how it oozes through, In bell an' blab on his burly brow.Edb. 1843 J. Ballantine Gaberlunzie's Wallet x.:
Thy wee roun' pate, sae black and curly, Thy twa bare feet, sae stoure an' burly.
†2. Tumultuous; hard-fought.Bnff. 1851 Bnffsh. Jnl. (9 Sept.):
Gude Glengerrock's trusty blade, That red the bludy fray, I' the auld kirkyard near Isla's bed, On the burly battle day.
3. Combs.: (1) burly-headit, "having a rough appearance; as, 'a burly-headit fallow'" (Rxb. 1825 Jam.2; 1923 Watson W.-B. Add.); †(2) burly-twine, "a kind of strong coarse twine, somewhat thicker than packthread" (Mearns Jam.2).
[O.Sc. burely, burly, sturdy, strong, from c.1400 (D.O.S.T.).]You may wish to vary the format shown below depending on the citation style used.
"Burly adj.". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 17 Dec 2025 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/snd/burly_adj>
