Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)
Hide Quotations Hide Etymology
About this entry:
First published 1968 (SND Vol. VII).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
Quotation dates: 1717, 1795, 1881
[0,1,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,1,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,1,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0]
PEN, n.2, v.2 Also penn (Sc. 1826 Wilson Noctes Amb. (1863) I. 203), pend (Gall. 1700 Session Bk. Penninghame (1933) I. 52). Sc. usages of Eng. pen, an enclosure, a weir or dam. Combs.: 1. hen-pen, the droppings of fowls, hen-dung (see Hen, n.1, 1. (22)), phs. by synecdoche of container for the contained (ne. and m.Sc. 1965); 2. pen-head, the point at which a mill-lade branches off from the main stream, the dam-head (Sc. 1808 Jam.), sometimes covered by a grating (Sc. 1880 Jam.); 3. pen-stone, a stone surmounting the opening in a sluice.1. ne.Sc. 1881 W. Gregor Folk-Lore 176:
Another ley was made of the droppings of the poultry, and went by the name of “hen-pen”.2. Abd. 1795 Session Papers, Leslie v. Fraser (29 March 1805) 229:
They take in water from the river Don, at the intake or penhead of the meal-mill.3. Gsw. 1717 Burgh Rec. Gsw. (1908) 618:
The pen stone of the back slouce where the water gaes out.
