Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)
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First published 1971 (SND Vol. VIII).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
SCRATH, n., v. Also skrath; scroth (Bch. coast); †scratch (Bnff. 1921 T.S.D.C.). [skrɑθ; Bch. skrɔθ]
I. n. 1. The shag or cormorant, Phalacrocorax (Bnff. 1847 Zoologist V. 1909; Bnff., Abd. 1969).Sc. 1842 Blackwood's Mag. (March) 297:
A scrath, a huge grey creature, three feet long, with wings clipped, struts about the mussel middens.Bnff. 1926 Banffshire Jnl. (18 May) 8:
Nae yalla-fittit peulie splashed, Nae scrath or marat stirred.Bch. 1943 W. S. Forsyth Guff o' Waur 4:
A scroth or three, With wings outspread to catch the sun.
II. v. In deriv. form scrathie, to dive in swimming, like a cormorant, to plunge (Bnff. c.1890 Gregor MSS.).
[O.Sc. scrath, tr., 1683, metathetic form of scarth, Scart, n.3, q.v.]You may wish to vary the format shown below depending on the citation style used.
"Scrath n., v.". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 22 Dec 2024 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/snd/scrath>
