Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)
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First published 1974 (SND Vol. IX).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
Quotation dates: 1822, 1898-1959
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STARN, n.2 Gen.Sc. form, also in Eng. dial., of Eng. stern, of a boat, also by extension the hinder part of an animal or object. Comb. starn-stuil, -steel, the short seat furthest aft in a small boat on which the steersman sits (Bnff., Kcd., Fif. 1971). See Stuil.Edb. 1822 R. Wilson Poems 42:
Here some are fee'd to ca' the plew, An' some to haud her starn.Sh. 1898 Shetland News (23 April):
Nane kens dat sae weel as he at haes ta geng i' da staarn.Mry. 1914 Trans. Bnff. Field Club 24:
The skipper sat on the starn-steel, with his feet in the bunkart and steered.Abd. 1959 People's Jnl. (31 Oct.) 11:
The nowt waur finnin' the caul' most awfa, stan'in' starn tae the win'.
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"Starn n.2". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 3 Jun 2026 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/snd/starn_n2>
