Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)
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First published 1971 (SND Vol. VIII). Includes material from the 2005 supplement.
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
Quotation dates: 1779-1865, 1929, 1985
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SERVANT, n. Also sairvant (Lth. 1925 C. P. Slater Marget Pow 9); servan (Ayr. 1789 D. Sillar Poems 51; Edb. 1812 P. Forbes Poems 17; Abd. 1871 W. Alexander Johnny Gibb x.; ne.Sc. 1970).
Sc. form of Eng. servant.wm.Sc. 1985 Liz Lochhead Tartuffe 4:
Aboot the sairvant, I neither care nor ken
But Tartuffe his maister is a Man Among Men
Sc. usages in combs.: 1. servan chiel, a young male servant (n.Sc. 1880 Jam.; Abd. 1970). See Chield; 2. servan lass, a maidservant (Cld. 1880 Jam.). Gen.Sc. and n.Eng. dial.; †3. servant meal, a meal made from mixed grain and given to servants.1. Abd. 1929 J. Alexander Mains and Hilly 98:
Lots o' servan' chiels gyang awa' fleein' on Sundays, an' they're nae fit for their wark a' throu' the ook efter.2. Ayr. 1821 Galt Legatees vi.:
We are to have three servan lasses, besides Andrew's man.Abd. 1865 G. MacDonald Alec Forbes lxxx.:
A smile frae the servan'-lass that opens the door.3. Inv. 1779 I. F. Grant Old Highl. Farm (1924) 261:
The first was bear meall brought from the milln the first Novr. foresaid for servant meal in which there was five firlots rye, six firlots small oats in whole.
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"Servant n.". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 6 Apr 2026 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/snd/servant>
