Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)
Hide Quotations Hide Etymology
About this entry:
First published 1974 (SND Vol. IX).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
Quotation dates: 1826, 1901-1902
[0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,1,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,1,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0]
SWITTER, v., n. [′swɪtər]
I. v. 1. To struggle spasmodically like a drowning person, to splash or flounder about; of water: to plash, ripple; to splash (water) about (Sh. 1908 Jak. (1928); Ork. 1929 Marw.); to spill carelessly (Ork. 1972).Sc. 1826 The Twa Sisters in Child Ballads No. 10 D. xi.:
Aye she swittert and aye she swam, Till she cam to yon bonnie mill-dam.Arg. 1902 N. Munro Lost Pibroch 112:
The same tide swittering at the full on his foreshore.
2. To work in a confused, floundering or feeble manner, to potter, fuss about (Bnff. 1866 Gregor D. Bnff. 188). Vbl.n., ppl.adj. switteran, -in (Ib.).
II. n. 1. A nervous or agitated state, a pother, flurry.Abd. 1901 Weekly Free Press (27 April):
He's aye in a constant swite and switter aboot evils.
2. A state of entanglement or confusion, an ineffective confused way of work, one who works in this way (Bnff. 1866 Gregor D. Bnff. 188).
[O.Sc. switter, splashing, dabbling, 1694. Orig. chiefly imit., phs. influenced by swidder, Swither, v.1, n.1, in I.Sc. prob. rather representing Norw. dial. skvitra, to splash, dabble, a variant of skvitla, Swittle.]You may wish to vary the format shown below depending on the citation style used.
"Switter v., n.". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 14 Dec 2025 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/snd/switter>
