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Dictionars o the Scots Leid

Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)

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First published 1956 (SND Vol. IV).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

GLEIB, GLIBE, n., v. Also †gleibe, †gl(e)yb, †gleb. Sc. forms and usages of Eng. glebe. [gləib, gli:b (esp. in n., 1. (2))]

I. n. 1. As in Eng. Sometimes used attrib. ‡(1) The soil, the land; cultivated land, a plot, a field (Sh., Rxb. 1951). Now only poet. or arch. in Eng.Sc. 1722 W. Hamilton Wallace v. 65:
Cold Winter now his hoary Aspect shows, Frost bound the Glyb whilst Boreas fiercely blows.Edb. 1773 R. Fergusson Poems (1925) 41:
Peace to the husbandman and a' his tribe, . . . Lang may his sock and couter turn the gleyb.Ayr. 1792 Burns O, for ane-and-twenty ii.:
A gleib o' lan', a claut o' gear Was left me by my auntie, Tam.Abd. c.1803 D. Anderson Sawney & John Bull 7:
The queerest, drollest, funniest set, Ye wou'd hae seen in a' the gleb.Slg. 1835 Trans. Highl. Soc. X. 14:
Previous to the era of drains and summer fallows, the whole must have been a stubborn glebe indeed.Bwk. 1900 A.T.G. Ann. Thornlea 109:
An acre of ground beyond the garden-wall, familiarly known as the maister's glibe, is let to Alick Galbraith, who farms it well.

(2) The portion of land allotted to a parish minister in addition to his stipend. Now gen. spelt as in Eng.Ags. 1683–1722 in W. McFarlane Geog. Coll. II. (S.H.S.) 38:
Sir Alex^r. Carnegy . . . doted a stipend and gave a gleib therto out of his own estate.Edb. 1710 D. Robertson S. Leith Rec. (1925) 22:
He has a sufficient manse in good repair, and a gleib.Ags. 1773 J. Stirton Glamis (1913) 106:
The said Ground . . . together with the three roods, and four falls of the old Glebe reserved to the Minister, shall be the Glebe of the Minister of Glammis in all time coming.Fif. 1845 T. C. Latto Minister's Kail-yard 7:
His eydent ee's now gladsome borne Owre cattle, gleibe, an' ricks o' corn.Sh. 1898 J. Burgess Tang vii.:
My mödow and the glibe mödow is both alongside of the burn there.Sc. 1945 J. T. Cox Practice Ch. Scot. 311:
Over three-fourths of the glebes have now been vested in the General Trustees; and it is expected that ere long all will be.

2. “A piece, part, or portion of any thing” (Sc. 1825 Jam.), a lump, a quantity (Sh.¹⁰ 1954, glibe). A fig. development from the obs. Eng. meaning of a clod or mass of earth, ore, etc.Sc. a.1776 D. Herd Sc. Songs II. 135:
Her father winna gi'e me her, She has sick a gleib of gear.Sc. 1787 W. Taylor Poems 9:
Some Parli'mentars may tak bribes, An' thereby happen to get glibes O' ill-won gear.

†II. v. To divide (land) into lots or portions (Sc. 1758 Caled. Mercury (5 Jan.)).Fif. 1794 R. Beatson Agric. Fif. 19:
Several farm houses were put together in one closs, as many of the lands, at that time, were runrig or glebbed lands.Per. 1795 Stat. Acc.¹ XIX. 329:
A great part of the common . . . was subdivided (glebed).