Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)
Hide Quotations Hide Etymology
About this entry:
First published 1956 (SND Vol. IV).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
Quotation dates: 1802-1895
[0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0]
†GIN, n. Also jin, gyn. [dʒɪn]
1. The bolt or lock of a door (Sc. 1710 T. Ruddiman Gl. to Douglas Aeneis, gyn). or window; the latch. Obs. since 16th c. in Eng.Abd. 1828 P. Buchan Ballads I. 160:
Ye'll take my brand I bear in hand, And wi' the same ye'll lift the gin.Knr. 1895 “H. Haliburton” Dunbar 90:
Meikle was the need o' bar an' gin.
2. Hence, the window itself.Sc. a.1803 Erlinton in Child Ballads No. 8. A. iii.:
Willie, her true love, Chappit at the bower-door, no at the gin.s.Sc. 1847 H. S. Riddell Poems 309:
But puir-tith cauld, when 'neath the roof, Dings love out at the jin O.
You may wish to vary the format shown below depending on the citation style used.
"Gin n.". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 15 Dec 2025 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/snd/gin_n>
