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Dictionars o the Scots Leid

Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)

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About this entry:
First published 1952 (SND Vol. III). Includes material from the 2005 supplement.
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

DIVIDE, v. Sc. usages and forms.

1. Irreg. pa.t. and pa.p.: div(v)id, dividden (Kcb.¹⁰ 1940), ‡divide (Abd.²⁷ 1930). These forms are rare and analogical.Arg.¹ 1929:
There wuz lots o' work in it, bnt the work wasna richt divid.Ayr. 1912 G. Cunningham Verse 47:
And bocht a bit heifer at ane o' the mairts, Whilk was kill't and dividden in three equal pairts.Ayr. 1990s:
A divid it in twa last nicht; A hae divid it in twa just noo; A hae dividen it in twa just nooUls. 1880 W. H. Patterson Gl. Ant. and Dwn.:
We divvid them as well as we cud.

2. Derivs.: (1) divider, a ladle, a serving spoon (Mry.² c.1880; Cai.¹⁰ 1948; Bnff.², Abd.², Ags.¹⁷, Fif.¹ 1940; Ayr. 1900 E.D.D.; Dmf. 1950 (per Fif.¹⁷)); (2) dividing-spoon, id. (Bnff.² 1940; Abd.²⁹, Ayr.⁹, Dmf. (per Fif.¹⁷) 1950).(1) Sc. 1770 Weekly Mag. (17 May) 223:
There happened to be in the kitchen two silver jugs, one dozen table-spoons, a divider and a fine table-cloth.Sc. 1948 Sale Catalogue:
Silver soup divider, fiddle pattern.Edb. 1812 P. Forbes Poems 44:
A pair o' small dividers.Dmf. 1820 Blackwood's Mag. (Feb.) 518:
A large spoon of green horn of dimensions equal to the rapacity of an ogress. It is called by the Lowlanders a “divider” . . . its mouth was rimmed with silver, the shaft ornamented with the same, terminating in a whistle.(2) Sc. 1773 Boswell Tour to Hebrides (1936) 115:
He gave it [the punch] with a pewter dividing-spoon which had served the broth.Sc. 1785 Scots Mag. (March) 151:
Stealing from thence two dozen of silver table-spoons, a silver dividing-spoon, three silver tea-spoons, two punch-spoons.Fif. 1738 Private Valuation (per Fif.¹):
A divideing Silver Spoon. £2. 10. 0.