Dictionaries of the Scots Language
Dictionars o the Scots Leid

Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)

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HAW, n. Also ha'. Used as in Eng. for the hawthorn, Crataegus oxyacantha, and its red berry. Sc. combs.: 1. hawberry, the fruit of the hawthorn (Per. 1956), now mostly dial. in Eng.; 2. hawbrek, hawthorn blossom (Ayr. 1923 Wilson Dial. Burns 168, †Ayr.⁴ 1928). Cf. Eng. break, of buds, to open; 3. haw-buss, -bush, the hawthorn tree (Dmf. 1825 Jam.; Per., Knr., Rxb. 1956); 4. haw-spitter, a pea-shooter (Kcb.⁶ c.1920; Gall., Dmf. 1956); 5. haw-stone, the seed in a hawthorn berry (Gall. 1902 E.D.D.; Dmf., Uls. 1956); 6. ha(w)-tree, = 3. (ne.Sc., Per., Knr., Dmf. 1956). Obs. in Eng. since 16th c.1. Edb. 1851 A. Maclagan Sk. from Nature 20:
Whar the red red hips and hawberries hing In clusters around thee, sweet mountain spring!3. Dmf. 1808 R. H. Cromek Remains 198:
We had nae sutten lang aneath the haw-buss, till we heard the loud laugh o' fowk riding.Arg. 1912 N. Munro Ayrshire Idylls 19:
Old trees overhung the dwelling, the tall haw-bushes made a hedge to shelter it.4. Rnf. 1930 A. M. Stewart Stickleback Club 136:
In boyhood days we knew the hollow stems [of cow parsley] well, cutting the longest and straightest of them for "haw-spitters."5. Gall. 1824 MacTaggart Gallov. Encycl. 76:
Boys blow haw-stones and what not through them [pieces of the dried stem of the mugwort].Uls. 1880 Patterson Gl.:
Children make "pluffers" to "pluff" haw-stones through.6. Edb. 1801 H. Macneill Poet. Wks. 143:
Sought she the burnie whar flow'rs the haw tree?Rnf. 1845 J. Mitchell Orig. Songs 62:
Where spreads the bonny hawtree, That blossoms aye fairer when smiled on by thee.Ayr. a.1878 H. Ainslie Land of Burns (1892) 175:
The wind it cam' saft frae the southart, . . . busking our bonny hawtree.ne.Sc. 1954 Mearns Leader (1 Jan.):
There hed been an extraordinar crap o' dogs'-hippens on the wild rose busses, an' reid haws on the haw-trees.