Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)
Hide Quotations Hide Etymology
About this entry:
First published 1952 (SND Vol. III). Includes material from the 1976 supplement.
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
Quotation dates: 1898-1972
[0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,0,0]
CUMBLE, KUMBEL, CUM'LE, KUML, v. and n. Also coomle. [′kʌm(b)əl; ′koməl (Jak.)]
I. v. To turn upside down (Sh. 1905 E.D.D. Suppl., cumble; 1908 Jak. (1928), kuml; 1914 Angus Gl., kumbel). Sh. 1898 Sh. News (9 April):
Risin' an' cumblin' da lid o' a pail ower da bowl.Sh.(D) 1922 J. Inkster Mansie's Röd 99:
Whaur doo [old boat] lies cum'ld on da knowe — Weel wis doo wirt a better noost.
¶II. n. The act of capsizing. Phr. to gae in coomle, to capsize, heel over. Sh. 1972 Tocher No. 8. 253:
Shö [a boat] struck three times, and then, shö just god right in coomle.
You may wish to vary the format shown below depending on the citation style used.
"Cumble v., n.". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 5 Dec 2025 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/snd/cumble>
