Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)
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First published 1956 (SND Vol. IV).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
Quotation dates: 1721, 1825, 1920-1925
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FAIZE, v.1 Also faise, fease, †feaze, †feze. Deriv. form faiz(z)en (s.Sc.). [fe:z(n)]
1. tr. and intr. To unravel (of something woven or spun), to fray (Mry. 1813 W. Leslie Agric. Nai., Gl., feaze; v., n. and em.Sc. 1950; Rxb. 1923 Watson W.-B.; Bwk.3, Rxb.4 1952, faizen). Freq. with oot.Sc. 1825 Jam.:
That thread'll no go through the eye of the needle; it's a' feazed at the point.Bnff.6 1920:
The tail o' yer tap-quite, guidman, is faisin' oot, I see. I'll need to gie't a hem.Rxb. 1925 E. C. Smith Mang Howes 20:
A shauchlin, husslin-shoodert keibult wui . . . stoory claes aa tairgets an spatches an faizzent-ends.
Hence faizins, faisins (Sc. 1825 Jam.), faizenins (Rxb. 1923 Watson W.-B.), frayed ends, threads or edge.
2. Of metal or wood: to make rough, splintered or jagged at the edges (Bnff.2, Abd.2 1941); to turn the edge (of a razor) (Mry. 1813 W. Leslie Agric. Nai., Gl., feaze).Kcb. 1721 Kelton Session Minutes (13 April):
He found the teeth in the other end of the barn . . . and that the teeth were fezed upon the sharp end.Sc. 1825 Jam.:
Get a verrule put to your staff, the end o't's a' faiz'd.Bnff.6 1920:
Ye've faist the iron o' yer plane, loon.
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"Faize v.1". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 13 Dec 2025 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/snd/faize_v1>
