Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)
Hide Quotations Hide Etymology
About this entry:
First published 1971 (SND Vol. VIII).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
Quotation dates: 1730-1760, 1868-1927
[0,0,0,1,1,1,1,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,0,0,0,0,0,0,0]
SOLUM, n. Soil or ground, esp. in more specif. usages, as the base area of a building, the ground on which a building actually stands (Sc. 1952 Builder (20 June) 943). Gen.Sc.; sand or top-soil at the seaside, the foreshore.Sc. 1730 Session Papers, Dick v. Hewet (15 Dec.) 3:
Bailie Dick and Mary Harvey, whose Shops are properly upon the Solum and Superfice.Sc. 1760 Session Papers, Petition H. Rose (25 Feb.) 2:
When the Sea had washed away the Solum, the Mussels cleav'd to the Rocks.Sc. 1868 Dundee Charters, etc. (1880) 207:
The Solum or Foreshore at Yeaman Shore.Ayr. 1894 J. McIntosh Ayr. Nights 199:
The solum of the old road having been assigned to the respective proprietors.Sc. 1927 Gloag & Henderson Introd. Law Scot. 446:
The solum on which the flatted house is erected, the area in front, and the back ground are presumed to belong to the owner of the lowest floor.
You may wish to vary the format shown below depending on the citation style used.
"Solum n.". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 15 Dec 2025 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/snd/solum>
