LAIRET, _adj._ bemired. Psalms LXIX, 2. Norse _laeir_, clay. Dan.
dial. _ler_, O. Sw. _leer_, _ler_, id., Eng. dial. _lair_. See Wall. Jamieson gives _lair_, vb. to stick in the mire, _lair_, sb. a bog, _lairy_, adj. boggy.
LAIRING, _sb._ gutter, deep mud. Burns, 10, 11. O.N. _laeir_, clay.
Same as Yorkshire _lyring_, for which see Wall. _Lyring_ seems to show original E. Scan. monophthongation of _aei_ to _e_.
LAIT, _sb._ manner, trick. R.R., 273, 25, 36. O.N., Ic. _lat_, manners, _skipta litum ok latum_, change shape and manners.
O. Sw. _lat_, manner, way of proceeding. Cp. O.N. _lata-laeti_, dissimulation, _latbrag_, gestures, and Dan. _lade_, to dissimulate, pretend. Norse _lata_, id. Probably related to O.N. _lat_.
LAYKING, _sb._ jousting, a tournament. Wyntoun, VIII, 35. See _laik_.
LAK, _sb._ a plaything. Wallace, VIII, 1410. Norse _leik_, a game, _leiker_ (pl.), games, toys. Sw. dial. _leika_, a doll, a play sister. Cp. Cu. _lakin_, a child's toy.
LAK, _sb._ contempt, reproach, disgrace. Rolland, I, 455; Rosw. and Lill., 784; R.R., 3092. O.N. _lakr_, defective, O. Dan. _lak_, fault, deficiency. Sw. _lack_, fault, slander. O. Sw.
_lakkare_, a slanderer. Cp. Dan. _lakkeskrift_, a satirical piece. See _lack_, vb.
LEISTER, _sb._ a three-p.r.o.nged salmon spear. Burns, 16, 1. Dumfries and Ayr., any spear for striking or spearing fish with. O.N.
_ljostr_, a salmon spear. Norse _ljoster, ljster_, Dan.
_lyster_, Sw. _ljuster_, vb. _Ljostra_, vb. in Norse, to spear fish. Cu. _lister_, _leester_. See also Worsaae, p. 260. Vb.
_leister_ in Sco., to strike fish with a spear or leister.
LINK, _vb._ to walk briskly, smartly. Burns, 1291, 6, 5, 2. Norse _linke_, to hurry along, cp. Sw., Dan. _linke_, to limp along.
Stevenson in _Ille Terrarum_ 6, 3, uses _link_ in the sense of "walking along leisurely," which is nearer the Dan. meaning of the word.
LIRK, _vb._ to crease, to rumple, shrivel. Ramsay, I, 307. O.N.
_lerka_, to lace tight, _lirk_, sb. a crease, a fold.
LIPIN, LIPPEN, _vb._ to trust. R.R., 3501; Psalms, XVIII, 30, etc.
O.N. _litna_ (?), very doubtful. See B-S.
LITE, _vb._ to dye, to stain. Dalr., I, 48, 24; Douglas, IV, 190, 32. O.N. _lita_, to dye, Shetland, to _litt_. See Wall.
LITLING, _sb._ dyeing. Sat. P., 48, 1. See _lit_.
LOFT, _sb._ upper room, gallery. O.N. _lopt_, Norse _loft_, Aberdeen _laft_. See Skeat.
LOFT, _vb._ to equip with a loft. C.S., 96. See _loft_, sb.
LOKMEN, _sb. pl._ executioners. Wallace, 134. O. Dan., O. Sw.
_lagman_. O.N. _logmar_, literally "the law-man," was the speaker of the law. In Iceland, particularly, the _logmar_ was the law-speaker. In Norway a _logman_ seems also to have meant a country sheriff or officer, which comes closer to the use in Wallace. A little doubtful.
LOPPRIT, _pp._ clotted. Douglas, II, 157, 28; III, 306, 4. O.N.
_hlaupa_ (of milk), to curdle (of blood), to coagulate. So Norse _lopen_, _lpen_ (from _laeupa_, _lypa_), thick, coagulated. Dan. _at lobe sammen_, to curdle, _lobe_, make curdle, _lobe_, sb. curdled milk. O.N. _hloypa mjolk_, id., literally "to make milk leap together." O. Sw. _lopa_. In Cu.
milk is said to be _loppert_ when curdled.
LOUN, LOWN, _adj._ quiet, calm, sheltered. O.N. _logn_, O. Sw.
_lughn_. See Wall under _lownd_.
LOUP, LOWP, _vb._ to leap, to jump. O.N. _hlaupa_, to leap, Norse _laeupa_, run, O. Sw. _lopa_, Dan. _lobe_. Cp. Cu. _lowpy- dike_, a husband of unfaithful habits, and the secondary meanings of Norse _laupa_ given in Aasen.
LOUP, LOWP, _sb._ a jump, a spring. Bruce, VI, 638; X, 414; Sco.
Pro. 3. See the verb.
LOUSE, LOWSE, _adj._ loose, free, unfettered. Wyntoun, IX, 2, 63; Douglas, I, 95, 9; I, 95, 23. O.N. _lauss_, Norse _laeus_, loose. See Wall. Sco. _to be louse_, to be abroad, about. The Norse word is similarly used. Cp. Germ. _los_, and Dan. _los_.
Waddell has the word _G.o.dlowse_, G.o.dless.
LOUSE, LOWSE, _vb._ to make loose, release. C.S., 121; Lyndsay, 460, 232; K.Q., 34. O.N. _lauss_. The O.N. vb. was _lysa_. See _louse_, adj.
LOW, _vb._ to humble. R.R., 148. Same as Eng. to _lower_. So in Sco.
to _hey_, to heighten.
LOW, _vb._ to flame, to flare up, kindle. Dunbar, G.T., 45; Ramsay, II, 17; Psalms, LXXVI. O.N. _loga_, to burn with a flame, Norse _loga_, _laaga_, to blaze, but cp. the Sco. sb.
_lowe_.
LOWE, _sb._ flame. O.N. _logi_, Norse _laage_. See Skeat.
LOWNE, _vb._ to shelter. Bruce, XV, 276; M.E. _lounen_, to shelter.
See _lowne_, adj. Douglas, II, 236, 31, _lownit_, pp. serene, tranquil.
LUCK, _vb._ to succeed. Montg., C., 643. O.N. _lukka_, reflexive, to succeed (bene succedere, Haldorson), _lukka_, sb. luck. O. Sw.
_lukka_, _locka_ and _lykka_. In Scand. dial. the latter umlauted form only is found for the vb., but Norse sb.
_lukka_, Dan. sb. _lykke_. Undoubtedly Norse influence in Sco.
LUCKEN, _vb._ to give luck, cause to succeed. Sco. formation from _luck_. Cp. _slok_ and _sloken_.
LUFE, LOOF, _sb._ the palm of the hand. O.N _lofi_, the hollow of the hand, the palm, Norse _love_, id., Sw. dial. _love_.
LUG, _sb._ the ear. See Skeat and Wall. Cp. Norse _lugga_, to pull, and _lug_ as a sb. originally "that which is pulled." In Cu.
_lug_ means "the handle of a pail." Compare the Eng. to _lug_, to carry.
LYTHE, _vb._ to listen. Dunbar, 192, I. O.N. _hlya_, to listen, Dan. _lytte_, O. Sw. _lya_, id.
MAIK, _sb._ companion, partner, consort. Dunbar, T.M.W., 32; Philotus, 2. O.N. _maki_, partner, an equal, Norse _make_, Dan. _mage_, O. Sw. _maki_, M.E. _make_, consort, partner.
MAIKLESS, _adj._ without peer. Wyntoun, IX, Prol. 48; Montg. "The Lady Margaret Montgomery," 8. O.N. _maki_ + _laus_, Norse _makalaeus_, Dan. _magelos_, extraordinary.
MAUCH, _adj._ full of maggots. Dunbar, F., 241. O.N. _makr_, a maggot, W.Norse, with a.s.similation, _makk_, E. Norse _mark_, Dan. _madik_, Sw. dial. _mark_, O. Sw. _matk_, and _madhker_.
The _k_ is a diminutive ending, cp. Eng. _moth_ < o.e.="">
In the Sco. word __ fell out and _a_ was lengthened for compensation. Cp. Cu. _mawk_, a midge, Eng. dial. _mawkish_.
Skeat cites Eng. dial. form _mad_.
MELDER, _sb._ flour, meal just ground. Burns, 127, 113. O.N.
_meldr_, flour, or corn in the mill, Norse _melder_, wheat about to be ground, or flour that has just been ground, _melderlas_, a load of wheat intended for the mill, _meldersekk_, a bag of flour. Cp. Cu. _melder_, the quant.i.ty of meal ground at one time.
MENSE, _vb._ to do grace to. Lyndsay, 529. See _mensk_, sb. The change of _sk_ to _s_ is characteristic of Sco. See _mensk_.
MENSEDOM, _sb._ wisdom. Psalms, CV, 22. See _mensk_.