Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)
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First published 1976 (SND Vol. X).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
DIVOTIE, n. See quot.:Gsw. c.1735 A. Brown Hist. of Gsw. (1797) II. 110:
This projected village [Anderston] in a state of infancy, consisting of a few thatched houses, and one built of turf; in which, if we are allowed to follow tradition, a weaver fabricated and wrought the first check handkerchiefs in this country; and because they were only eleven nails wide, they were nicknamed half ell half quarter divoties, from the materials with which the house was built in which they were wrought.
[The word (and the explanation) may be a misunderstanding of Eng. dimity, a kind of cotton fabric.]
