Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)
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First published 1952 (SND Vol. III).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
Quotation dates: 1768, 1826-1932
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‡CWINTRY, CWINTREE, CWEENTRY, KWINTRY, KWINTRA, n. Also quintra, queentra, quintry, queentry, kwentry, cuintray. ne.Sc. forms of Eng. country (Sc. 1911 S.D.D., kwintra; n.Sc. 1825 Jam.2, quintry; Bnff.2 1941, cwintree, cweentry; Abd. 1915 H. Beaton Back o' Benachie 60, kwentry; Abd. 1930 “Buchan Hummlie” in Bch. Observer (18 Dec.), cwintree; Abd.2 1941, cwintry). Found also with senses as in Countra. Also used attrib. See Countra, Cuintrie and Kintra for forms current in other districts. [′kwɪntrə, ′kwintrə, ′kwɪ̢ntrɪ̢, ′kwɪntri (poet.)]Bnff.(D) 1847 A. Cumming Tales of the North 51:
O, curse upon them and their covenant tee! to set a' the quintry in sic a steer!Abd. 1768 A. Ross Helenore 51:
Northert frae this I aften heard them say, That their ain cuintray Flaviana lay.Abd. 1826 D. Anderson Poems 94:
. . . gang unto the kirk wi' him, An' see his queentra queans.Abd. 1879 G. Macdonald Sir Gibbie II. vii.:
Glashgar's as quaiet an' weel-behaved a hill as ony in a' the cweentry. [In Malcolm (1875) I. xvi. queentry is found.]Abd.(D) 1929 J. Alexander Mains and Hilly 2:
Tho' we're weel into Janiwar', awa' up the kwintry there's a gweed lot o' stuff oot yet.Bch. 1932 P. Giles in Abd. Univ. Review (March) 106:
She wiz Hielan' an' cam' doon ta this quintry first ta keep house tull 'er breeder.
Comb.: cwintry-side, quintra —, the country-side (Bnff.2, Abd.9 1941).Bnff. 1923 W.C. in Bnffsh. Jnl. (24 July):
Better that nor haikin' the cwintry-side.Abd. a.1879 W. Forsyth Sel. from Writings (1882) 16:
An, then-o'-days the quintra side . . . Wis ae bleak muir, o' sax miles wide.
