Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)
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First published 1934 (SND Vol. I). Includes material from the 2005 supplement.
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
Quotation dates: 1721-1773, 1832-1927, 1996
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BAN, BANN, v., tr. and intr.
1. tr. (1) To vow, to promise with oath(s).Sc. 1721 Ramsay Poems 295:
He aw'd a Mends, and that he tell'd him, And bann'd to do't.
(2) To curse.Bnff.(D) 1927 E. S. Rae Hansel fae Hame 56:
I ban the win' that bruk my tree.Abd.(D) 1871 W. Alexander Johnny Gibb xxxviii.:
The pooder was oot immedantly; an' Patie bann't's sister fat was her bisness.Abd. 1996 Sheena Blackhall Wittgenstein's Web 4:
"Dammit tae Hell, I kent yon wad happen!" the fairmer banned, kinnlin anither fag an tossin the deid spunk doon in the strae fleer o the park tae crush it aneth the tacketty buits he ay wore day in, day oot.Edb. 1773 R. Fergusson Sc. Poems (1925) 35:
They'll ban fu' sair the time That e'er they toutit aff the horn Which wambles thro' their weym. ellipt.: to ask, with a curse.
(3) To scold.Lnk. 1832 W. Motherwell Poems 185:
My father says I'm in a pet, my mither jeers at me, And bans me for a dautit wean.
2. intr.Sh. 1908 Jak. (1928):
"To curse and b[ann]," to swear vigorously.Slg. 1726 Extrs. from Rec. of Shoemakers' Incorp. of Slg. in Slg. Arch. Soc. (1924) 41:
Fined 40s. for "banen before the tred" and 40s. for "abouesen the Deckon."
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"Ban v.". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 1 Apr 2026 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/snd/ban_v>
