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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.

SNED, n.¹, v.¹ Also snedd, snead, snid, and anglicised forms snaith, sneath, snethe. [snɛd; ne.Sc. + sneð]

I. n. The wooden shaft of a scythe, to which the blade is attached (s.Sc. 1802 J. Sibbald Chron. Sc. Poetry Gl., snedd, snethe; Gall. 1824 MacTaggart Gallov. Encycl. 429; Bwk. 1942 Wettstein; Rxb. 1942 Zai). Gen.Sc. Now only dial. in Eng. Comb. scythe-sned, id. (Sc. 1825 Jam.: Rxb. 1923 Watson W.-B.).Ayr. c.1720 Sc. Hist. Review I. 163:
A saith, a sned and a stroake 8s.Abd. 1744 Abd. Estate (S.C.) 72:
To dighting 4 sneads and denning them.Rnf. 1826 S.H.S. Misc. VIII. 154:
Two scythes with sneds & four ladders.Abd. 1843–5 Trans. Highl. Soc. 269:
The sneath is fixed to this by a ferrule and wedge, and is known as the Aberdeenshire short sneath.Hdg. 1848 A. Somerville Autobiog. Working Man 118:
I had taken my scythe out of the sned.Kcd. 1894 J. Kerr Reminisc. III. 6:
The lang sned, wi' a sword-shapit blade.Sc. 1901 Scotsman (1 April) 8:
He sent his servant for a scythe sned.Abd. 1943 Scots Mag. (April) 63:
In the manufacture of the best scythe blades there was great competition among rural smiths in the “hinging” or adapting the blade to the “sned.”Abd. 1951 Buchan Observer (25 Sept.):
A new scythe blade, and occasionally the replacement of a snaith pin.

II. v. To fit a shaft to a scythe (Bnff. 1866 Gregor D. Bnff. 172).