Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)
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First published 1956 (SND Vol. IV). Includes material from the 1976 supplement.
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
Quotation dates: 1704-1823
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†GLENGORE, n. Also glengowr. Syphilis. Also attrib.Sc. 1707 Hist. Acc. Royal Coll. Physic. 13:
La Grosse Verole . . . which in sober Scots sounds the Glengore.Per. 1724 Chrons. Atholl and Tullibardine Families II. 366:
He bad the Daughter go hang herself "Glengore bitch."Sc. 1773 Boswell Tour (1936) 36, Note:
We spoke of the Glengore. He said we had a law to geld lepers, and a good one, as they could do nothing but mischief.Sc. 1823 C. K. Sharpe Ballad Bk. ii.:
I'll gar our gudeman trow That I'll tak' the glengore.
Hence glengor(r)ie, adj., glengowred, ppl.adj., infected with syphilis.Gall. 1704 Session Bk. of Penninghame (1933) I. 147:
He heard Jean Cuninghame say to Agnes M'Dowall She was Glengorrie and a thief. [p. 146, glengorie.]Wgt. 1727 A. Agnew Hered. Sheriffs (1893) II. 259:
Reviled and called me both w--- and thief, glengowred bitch, and old withered devil.
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"Glengore n.". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 1 Apr 2026 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/snd/glengore>
