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Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)

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First published 1952 (SND Vol. III). Includes material from the 2005 supplement.
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

DAW, v., n.¹ [dɑ:, dǫ:]

1. v. To dawn; vbl.n. dawin(g), dawn. Known to Abd.⁹, Fif.¹, Lnk.³, Kcb.¹ 1940. Also found in n.Cy. and Nhb. dial. (E.D.D.).Sc. 1738 Unknown Poems of Allan Ramsay in Scots Mag. (April 1932) 23:
Now, now the Glorious Dawning Daws On happy hill-side haunters.Sc. 1862 A. Hislop Proverbs 165:
Rise when the day daws, bed when the night fa's.Sc. 1983 John McDonald in Joy Hendry Chapman 37 44:
A reid dawin.
Sun and Yirth jurmummelt.
A bairn's face taks lowe
i the causey. ne.Sc. 1929 M. W. Simpson Day's End 26:
Ye can lippen to me to bide Or the sinnerin' come, an' the black day daw For the pairtin' o' you an' your pride.em.Sc. 1988 James Robertson in Joy Hendry Chapman 52 69:
Auld carlines
Wuid wi wae gaed jiggin there,
Flung reels wi Hornie, memories
An fleyed the wits frae the feart
An the damned.
An day wud daw
An brunt on the scaur
Wis the merks
O' their cloot-heeled shune.w.Lth. 2000 Davie Kerr A Puckle Poems 41:
Wagg'ty wa's
Peak as they gae.
Siccar daws
mid-winter's day.Ayr. 1794 Burns Cauld is the e'enin Blast (Cent. ed.) i.:
An' dawin', it is dreary, When birks are bare at Yule.Wgt. 1804 R. Couper Poems I. 244:
O Robin, lang ere dawing comes, It's nae thy sang or mine.

‡2. n. Dawn. Watson Rxb. W.-B. (1923) marks obsol. and rare and gives also phr. the daw o' day.Ags. 1988 Raymond Vettese The Richt Noise 54:
Syne back til it a while or the pale early blue
lichtened the muckle winnocks abuin
and we kent the daw wis near and us
near duin.Per. 1895 R. Ford Tayside Songs 83:
An' gladly heard that sin' the daw The pain had maistly worn awa'.Hdg. 1885 “S. Mucklebackit” Rural Rhymes and Sketches 36:
The mirkiest hour — when there's nae mune — Precedes the daw.Ayr. publ. 1892 H. Ainslie Pilgrimage, etc., and Poems 206:
This warld gets dark — but ilk night has a daw'.