Show Search Results Show Browse
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.
PUMP, adj., numeral. The numeral five, as used by hill-shepherds in counting sheep (Dmf. 1940). See Baombe. [pʌmp]
[Orig. ad. Welsh pump, five, the usage deriving from that of Welsh shepherds in N.Eng. a.1600. See P.S.A.S. XLIX. (1915) pp. 276–85.]You may wish to vary the format shown below depending on the citation style used.
"Pump adj.". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 19 Dec 2025 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/snd/pump_adj>
