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Dictionars o the Scots Leid

Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)

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First published 1952 (SND Vol. III). Includes material from the 2005 supplement.
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

EEN, pron. I. and ne.Sc. form of Eng. one (Sh.¹⁰, Ork.⁵, Bnff., Abd., Ags.¹⁹ 1951). Also ean; ein (Cai.⁷ 1949). For other Sc. forms see Ane. [i:n; Cai. ein]

1. Used absolutely, and in dim. forms eenie, eenickie (Bnff.², Abd.² 1943).Sc. 1750 Scots Mag. (March) 113:
The lift was unco' clear, without a flaw; A bonnier een I'm sure ye never saw.Sh. 1836 A. B. in Gentleman's Mag. II. 591:
Wee hed annidder een furbye dat.Abd. 1903 W. Watson Auld Lang Syne 52:
Dyod, you ministers hae a braw go o't. I wiss I hed been een mysel'.Abd.¹³ 1910:
Twa heeds are better nor een though een o' them sid only be a sheep's heed.Sh. 1916 J. Burgess Rasmie's Smaa Murr (Jooly 25):
Elijah's fiery-shariot gaed up; bit da modern eans comes doon.Abd. 1924 J. M. Bulloch in Sc. Tongue 127:
The infant of the household, described as the “little wee eenickie,” that is a “teeny weeny eenie” — lies in its cradlie.Bch. 1926 P. Giles in Abd. Univ. Review (July) 222:
Afore Sawtie appear't there micht be three or fower sets o' folk a' wytin', a' full o' their ain hardships an' vera wullin' to speak aboot them to ony een 'at wid gie them a hearin'.Abd. 1990 Stanley Robertson Fish-Hooses (1992) 18:
I wis scared being left intae this big guldridge of a place, for there wis supposed tae hae bin a mannie hanged himsel in een of the kilns, and I aye imagined him haunting the place. Dundee 1990 Sheila Stephen in Joy Hendry Chapman 60 51:
" ... Well, it wiz sic a bonny day Eh decided ti sit ootside on een o thae benches in that wee bit park across the road an' wait there fir the fishman. ... " Fif. 1992 Sheila Douglas ed. The Sang's the Thing: Voices from Lowland Scotland 93:
There was Maidens-efter the harvest, the big thing, ye ken, the hairvest hame-but we cried them Maidens. That een at Cardenbarns, where my Uncle Tam was...It was kent faur an near; it wis looked furrit to for months, the Maiden at Cardenbarns! It was a big nicht.

Hence eenanedder, eenanidder, one another.Sh. 1898 Shet. News (8 Jan.):
Der Flekka an' wir Sholma haes ill at eenanedder, an' hit's mair is doo daurs ta lat dem lock.Bch. 1924 J. Wight in Scots Mag. (Sept.) 443:
They war a' i' tha mussel-midden thrapplin' een anidder!

2. Applied specif. to a woman (Cai.⁷ 1943; Sh.¹⁰, Ags.¹⁹ 1949). Cf. Ane, III. 3.Rs. (Avoch) 1914–21 (per Mry.²):
Thoo wuz a braa ein tee.Cai. 1940 John o' Groat Jnl. (23 April):
“A brave ein,” a big, fine-looking woman. Couthie chiels and strappan' eins.