Dictionaries of the Scots Language
Dictionars o the Scots Leid

Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)

Hide Quotations Hide Etymology

Abbreviations Cite this entry

About this entry:
First published 1974 (SND Vol. IX). Includes material from the 2005 supplement.
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

THREAT, n., v. Also threit (Abd. 1875 G. MacDonald Malcolm xvii.; Ags. 1921 V. Jacob Bonnie Joann 5),  threet (Bwk. 1859 J. Landreth J. Spindle (1911) 1; Wgt. 1893 A. Agnew Hereditary Sheriffs II. 1972, Abd. 1926 Dieth Bch. Dial. 209); thrate (e.Lth. 1889 J. Lumsden Lays 157).  Sc. v. usage, now arch. or dial. in Eng.: to threaten, menace. Pa.t. threat, obs. in Eng. Deriv. threeten (Bwk. 1859 J. Landreth J. Spindle (1911) 15); threiten. Sc. forms of Eng. threaten, lit. and fig. (threiten  Abd.; treiten Sh. 2000s). [θret; ‡θrit; Sh. tret]Rnf. 1877 J. Neilson Poems 16:
Faither threats tae use the tawse.Gall. 1902 Crockett Dark o' the Moon lii.:
To threat John Macmillan with your swords and pistols, as if he were a fearful bairn.Per. 1904 R. Ford Hum. Sc. Stories 107:
The priest's exhortations took hauds o' my head, An' threat' for the moment to ding me deleerit.Edb. 2004:
Ah feel richt threitened by the cauld.