Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)
Hide Quotations Hide Etymology
About this entry:
First published 1965 (SND Vol. VI).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
†LICHTER, adj., v. [′lɪçtər]
I. adj. Of a woman: delivered (of a child) (Cai. 1902 E.D.D.). Also fig. Obs. in Eng. since 16th c.Sc. 1776 Lord Ingram in Child Ballads No. 66 C. xiv.:
Or is my Maisdrey lighter yet, A dear dochter or sun?Sc. 1847 R. Chambers Pop. Rhymes 217:
“Your wife's lichter,” quo' Fin. “Of a braw lad bairn,” quo' Fin.Sc. 1871 P. H. Waddell Psalms vii. 14:
He's made lighter o' a lie.Lnk. 1873 J. Hamilton Poems 89:
The lady was lichter — but she cou'dna bruck On the face o' her wee greetin' laddie to leuk.Ags. 1884 Brechin Advertiser (12 Feb.) 3:
The middle and lower classes could send their compliments to their friends with the message that “Mrs. So-and-So was lichter o' a laddie or a lassie bairn,” as the case might be.
†II. v. 1. To unload (Sc. 1825 Jam.).
2. To make more light, raise, in comb. lighter-pin, in a quern: a stick inserted in a loop of twisted rope so as to raise or lower the upper stone (Ork. 1929 Marw.). See Lichten, v.2, 1.
3. To deliver a woman in childbirth (Abd. 1825 Jam.).
[Comp. of Licht, adj.2, 4. O.Sc. lichter, in sense I. from c.1420, in sense II. 3., from 1589. Cf. O.N. verða lettari, to become lighter, be delivered of a child.]You may wish to vary the format shown below depending on the citation style used.
"Lichter adj., v.". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 24 Nov 2024 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/snd/lichter>
