Dictionaries of the Scots Language
Dictionars o the Scots Leid

Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)

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YAMMER, v., n. Also yamer, yammir, ya(u)mo(u)r, yaum(m)er, yawmer, and back-formations yamm, yaum. Intensive form yam-yammer (Ayr. 1927 J. Carruthers A Man Beset i. i.). Now only dial. in Eng. [′jɑmər]

I. v. 1. To whine, fret, whimper, to groan, lament, cry out in vexation, to grumble, complain (Ayr. 1811 W. Aiton Agric. Ayr. 693; Sc. 1825 Jam.; Per., Fif., Lth. 1915–26 Wilson; Sh., Cai., Rnf., Uls. 1939; Bwk. 1942 Wettstein; Rxb. 1942 Zai; Ags., Per., wm.Sc. 1974). Also fig. of wind (Ork. 1974). Hence yammerer, a whining, fretful child, yammering, a whining, complaining (Uls. 1953 Traynor).Sc. 1722 Ramsay Poems (S.T.S.) III. 30:
Sae wil a sucking Weanie yell, It to its Yammering faws again.Ags. 1776 C. Keith Farmer's Ha, 15:
The lasses yamour frae their wheel.Kcb. 1806 J. Train Poet. Reveries 21:
The lee-lang day, wi tearfu' e'e, It yamor'd on its mither's knee.Sc. 1820 Scott Monastery iv.:
She is aye seen to yammer and wail before ony o' that family dies.Slk. 1824 Hogg Tales (1874) 366:
The whaup yammered abune the flower.Sc. 1874 J. Brown Letters (1909) 237:
Another Inf[ant], a yaumerer, not a yeller.Fif. 1898 S. Tytler Mrs Carmichael's Goddesses i.:
I will not cross a tavern doorstep, however the bairn yammers.Lth. 1920 A. Dodds Songs of Fields 8:
A yammerin' wind comes oot the east.Abd. 1949 Scots Mag. (Sept.) 457:
The fearsome chance o' death That droons the silly, yammerin' breath.m.Sc. 1991 Tom Scott in Tom Hubbard The New Makars 36:
The yowl o a wolf in the vast Siberian nicht,
A blin bairn's yammerin for the licht,
A beggar's chap on a tuim mansion's door,
Or a candle in the mirk, is aa man's lore.

Comb. yammer youl, a bell in the Paisley Wee Steeple, which acquired its name by being rung when a funeral was passing.Rnf. 1840 J. Mitchell Wee Steeple 42:
My yaumer youl, which used to share Ilk mourner's sign.

2. (1) intr. To make a loud noise, raise a clamour, to talk volubly or incoherently, to chatter, harp on, to assert doggedly and persistently. Gen.Sc.; to urge importunately (Bnff. 1866 Gregor D. Bnff. 212); to rail, nag (Ags. 1974).ne.Sc. 1768 in A. Ross Works (S.T.S.) 5:
And teach wi' melody The rocks to yamour.Slk. 1829 Hogg Tales (1874) 300:
Ye're waur than ony deil that's yammering and cursing i' the bottomless pit.Per. 1835 R. Nicoll Poems 144:
If I wi' a cronie be takin' a drap, She'll yaumer, an' ca' me an auld drucken chap.Lth. 1856 J. Ballantine Poems 108:
E'en wee buffy Jock, an' his daft titty Bess A' yaummer for Patie the Packman.Fif. 1894 J. W. M'Laren Tibbie & Tam 117:
The tongue o' a yammerin' woman's just as bad.Sh. 1901 Shetland News (22 June):
Da street is foo o' Dutchmen waerin' clogs, an atween der yammerin an' da Lerrick boys yellin' doo niver heard da laek.Kcb. 1901 R. Trotter Gall. Gossip 288:
She wudna listen tae reason nor nocht else, but joost keepit yammerin awa.Mry. 1914 H. J. Warwick Tales 91:
She yammered on the hale wy, so that Jock cudna get in a cheep.Ags. 1928 Scots Mag. (July) 272:
“Laird, laird,” she yammered, “look ben, look ben!”Sc. 1949 Scots Mag. (Mry) 114:
Twa worms, lyin' close thegither, Were yammerin' to ane anither.

(2) tr. To stammer out (words) (Ags. 1974).Ags. 1892 A. Reid Howetoon 94:
Yammerin' oot wirds she didna oonderstand.

¶(3) tr. To drive away by an incessant flow of chatter, to rout by a profusion of words.Kcd. 1932 L. G. Gibbon Sunset Song 25:
She had a fell tongue, they said, that would clip clouts and yammer a tink from a door.

3. Of a bird or animal: to utter repeated cries or calls, to chatter (Lnk. 1958, yamm; Per. 1974).Sc. 1887 Stevenson Underwoods 88:
The birds they yammert on stick an' stane.Per. 1894 I. Maclaren Brier Bush 176:
He's fleein' ower the glen, yammerin' and haverin' like a starlin'.Dmf. 1894 R. Reid Poems 2:
Wheesht! Did the saft win' speak? Or a yaumerin' nicht bird cry?Gsw. 1935 F. Niven Flying Years i.:
A web of yammering gulls.

¶4. Extended usage: to pour out in profusion, to come tumbling out.Kcd. 1932 L. G. Gibbon Sunset Song 75:
Weeds yammered out of Blawearie soil like bairns from a school at closing time.

II. n. 1. A lamentation, wailing, a whining, importunate nagging, cry, whimper (Sc. 1808 Jam.; Sh. 1974); grumbling, complaining (Bnff. 1866 Gregor D. Bnff. 212).Edb. 1787 W. Taylor Poems 58:
At times withoutten feyk or yammer She smiles at Vulcan an' his hammer.Abd. 1804 W. Tarras Poems 40:
Water-wraiths at intack drear, Wi' eerie yamour.Rnf. 1814 A. Wilson Poems (1844) 153:
The weans, wi' mournfu' yaumour, Round their sabbing mother flew.Sc. 1865 R. W. Buchanan Inverburn 128:
A yaumer weak Was heard throughout the night.Kcb. 1894 Crockett Raiders xlvi.:
Wi' a kind o' elricht yammer that near feared mysel' as I made it.Abd. 1927 E. S. Rae Hansel Fae Hame 49:
An' fient a compleen, sair heed nor peelt skin, But a yaumer for brakfast.

2. A great outcry, a clamour, a loud, disagreeable noise; incessant talk, of a rambling or nonsensical nature (Bnff. 1866 Gregor D. Bnff. 212; Ork., ne., m., s.Sc. 1974).Abd. 1768 A. Ross Helenore (S.T.S.) 14:
The cries an' yaumers gar'd the thief let gang The sakeless beast, but not without great wrang.Rnf. 1835 D. Webster Rhymes 25:
Then on droll instrument did blaw Some hellish yaumer.Per. a.1843 J. Stewart Sketches (1857) 72:
Sic yaumor an' clamour.e.Lth. 1876 J. Teenan Song 41:
In Workshop, Kirk, an' Cooncil Cham'er, They keep up an eternal yammer.s.Sc. 1898 E. Hamilton Mawkin xviii.:
Whist, man, haud your yammer.Bnff. 1927 E. S. Rae Hansel Fae Hame 28:
But haud yer weesht fae sillert fowk an' a' sic Bolshie yaum.Abd. 1971 Buchan Observer (1 June) 2:
If you was to listen to all their yammer you would be awake for twenty-four hours a day.

3. The plaintive cry of a bird, esp. when prolonged or repeated.Dmf. 1915 J. L. Waugh Betty Grier i.:
The quivering yammer of a startled whaup.Bnff. 1933 M. Symon Deveron Days 40:
The very peweet's yammer.Abd. 1998 Sheena Blackhall The Bonsai Grower 69:
The lee-lang day, a squalloch o spurgies, a yammer o yities, a caain o corbies an a craikin o capercailzie chimed in wi a cheepin o mavis, merle and blackie tae gledden the braes wi music.