Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)
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First published 1941 (SND Vol. II). Includes material from the 1976 supplement.
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
Quotation dates: 1804-1807
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CAIRNY, adj. Also cairney. Stony, abounding in cairns.Sc. 1804 Folklore LXVII. 88:
I was formerly the farmer of the Wren's Croft; and indeed it was very difficult to labour; it was wild, balky, stony, cairney, and the furrow ill to clear.Rnf. 1807 R. Tannahill Poems 150:
The rose blooms on cairny brae.
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"Cairny adj.". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 4 Jul 2026 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/snd/cairny>
