Dictionaries of the Scots Language
Dictionars o the Scots Leid

Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)

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First published 1974 (SND Vol. IX).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

VOLE, n. Also vol(l)-, volar-. A field, grassy piece of land, obs. Now only in combs.: (1) vole-grun, of a wall: covered in turf (Ork. 1929 Marw.); (2) vole-mouse, the short-tailed field-mouse, Microtus agrestis (I.Sc. 1819 Scots Mag. (June) 505; Ork. 1907 Old-Lore Misc. I. ii. 58, Ork. 1959), also, without the second element but with suffixes, volo, voldro (Ork. 1929 Marw.), volick (Ork. 1973). Eng. vole is from the Ork. word; (3) volar-scam, in the old Ork. four-pony plough-team, the third pony from the right which stood on the uncut part of the field. See Furr, I. 6. (5); (4) voll side, the side of the plough next to the uncut part of the field. [vol](2) Ork. 1805 G. Barry Hist. Ork. 314:
The Short-tailed Field Mouse, which with us has the name of the vole mouse, is very often found in marshy grounds that are covered with moss and short heath.(3) Ork. 1845 Stat. Acc.² XV. 96:
Of the four horses formerly used abreast in the old Orkney plough, the first or right hand one was called the fur horse, the second the fur-scam, the third the volar-scam, and the fourth the outend horse.(4) Ork. 1903 G. Marwick Old Roman Plough (1936) 8:
The first is its proper shape and angularity with the voll or land side of the plough.