Show Search Results Show Browse

Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)

Hide Quotations Hide Etymology

Abbreviations Cite this entry

About this entry:
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.

GORNAL, n. A Cai. word for a button, gen. a trouser button, but also “applied to the mother-of-pearl buttons on a ploughman's sleeved vest” (Cai. 1940 John o' Groat Jnl. (19 Jan.)). Also attrib. [′gɔrnəl]Cai. 1916 T.S.D.C. H.:
In rising he pulled out one of the gornal buttons to which his straps were fixed.
Cai. 1940 John o' Groat Jnl. (2 Feb.):
In my school days [the word] was applied particularly to trousers' buttons, and as white or black “gornals” were won or lost at “pitch and toss.”

[A Cai. form and fig. usage of Kirnel, q.v.]

You may wish to vary the format shown below depending on the citation style used.

"Gornal n.". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 7 Nov 2024 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/snd/gornal>

13256

snd

Hide Advanced Search

Browse SND:

    Loading...

Share: