A Dictionary of the Older Scottish Tongue (up to 1700)
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First published 1963 (DOST Vol. III).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
Kemper, n. [Usual in this sense in mod. Sc. and north. Eng. dial., f. kemp v. (= Kempv.), applied commonly to reapers in the harvest-field competing to be first to finish their respective rigs. (Cf. also Kemp n. 3.)] A reaper who competes to finish his rig first; a champion reaper. — a1598 Ferg. Prov. (1641) 2 b.
All the corne in the countrey is not shorne by kempers
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"Kemper n.". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 29 Mar 2024 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/dost/kemper>