Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)
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First published 1965 (SND Vol. VI).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
Quotation dates: 1877, 1953
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LAY, n.3 A wave, breaker (Sh. 1908 Jak. (1928)). Comb. laebrak, laybrack, lebreak (Jak.), the surf, the breaking of the waves on the beach (Sh. 1960).Sh. 1877 G. Stewart Fireside Tales 6, 203:
Ta sit stourin' at da laybrack wi' neathin ta dü. … Nae mortal man can face dis awful sea, every lay comin' in laek da hill o' Hallilee.Sh. 1953 New Shetlander No. 35. 5:
An [we] heard da laebrak swittlin Ower da kraegs.
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"Lay n.3". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 19 Dec 2025 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/snd/lay_n3>
