Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)
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First published 1960 (SND Vol. V).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
Quotation dates: 1899, 1952-1953
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HURD, n. Also hord (Jak.), ¶hurge; hurdin, hurdon, hordin; hurdik, hordek. [′hʌrd(ɪn)]
1. A heap or pile, e.g. of peats (Sh. 1957); specif. the amount of corn that can be dried in a kiln (Sh. 1908 Jak. (1928)); the quantity required to be dried in a pot over the fire when making Bursten (Ib., 1914 Angus Gl.). Also in gen. a large number, a mass.Sh. 1899 J. Spence Folk-Lore 172:
In a corner of the looder stood a toyeg . . . containing as much corn as would be a hurd o' burstin.Sh. 1952 J. Hunter Taen wi da Trow 246:
Yon grit hurge o hooses new.
2. A big boulder, a large piece of rock, esp. by the sea-shore (Sh. 1897 J. Jakobsen Old Sh. Dial. 48, hurdik, Norsk in Shet. 65, hurdin, 1908 Jak. (1928), hordin, Sh. 1957).Sh. 1953 Manson's Sh. Almanac 125:
The sea breaks with hollow echo among the hurds and holes at the cliff foot.
3. Fig. A big clumsy person, usually a woman (Jak.).
[Norw. dial. urd, a heap of stones, O.N. urð, id. Variants have -in(g), -ek suffixes.]You may wish to vary the format shown below depending on the citation style used.
"Hurd n.". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 14 Dec 2025 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/snd/hurd>
