Show Search Results Show Browse

Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)

Hide Quotations Hide Etymology

Abbreviations Cite this entry

About this entry:
First published 1934 (SND Vol. I).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

†ARSEVERSE, n. A spell written on the side of a house to ward off fire.s.Sc. 1898 G. W. M. in E.D.D.:
Known by old persons some years ago.Rxb. 1825 Jam.2:
Arsé-Versé. A sort of spell used to prevent the house from fire, or as an antidote to Arson, from which the term is supposed to be derived.

[Most prob. borrowed from north.Eng. dial. The acute accent in Jamieson's spelling seems to show a confusion between the word and arsy-versy, q.v. in N.E.D. and E.D.D., unless it be the result of an assim. to reduplicated compounds like hurly-burly. Arse from Lat. ars-us, pa.p. of ardēre, to burn + verse = word-spell.]

You may wish to vary the format shown below depending on the citation style used.

"Arseverse n.". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 23 Apr 2024 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/snd/arseverse>

887

snd

Hide Advanced Search

Browse SND:

    Loading...

Share: