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.

Quotation dates: 1790

[0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,1,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0]

†BELAY, v. To overcome.Ags. 1790 D. Morison Poems 122:
The lass that's o'er easy be-laid, Shou'd ne'er be the partner for me.

[Original meaning to lay (a thing) about with other objects, hence, to beset, to coil a rope, †to lay about one (N.E.D.). E.D.D. gives belay, to fall on with blows, for e.Pem. Used in O.Sc. meaning to coil a rope or set something up, e.g. a ladder (D.O.S.T.).]

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

"Belay v.". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 20 Dec 2025 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/snd/belay>

2432

snd

Hide Advanced Search

Browse SND:

    Loading...

Share: