Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)
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First published 1956 (SND Vol. IV).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
Quotation dates: 1806-1932
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‡FERE, adj. Also feer, fear, feir, fier, fiar. Sound in body or mind; healthy, sturdy. Now only in obsol. phr. hale an(d) fere, for which see Hail, adj.Fif. 1806 A. Douglas Poems 170:
There's mony lass baith douce an' fair, Fu' sonsy, fier, an' a' that.Lnk. a.1832 W. Watt Poems (1860) 252:
The bowl-man, still wi' noddle fier, The hindmost browst is brewin'.Per. 1857 J. Stewart Sketches 136:
An' oh! the gush o' melody Micht gar dull sorrow dicht her ee, And look baith fere an' canty.Ayr. 1892 H. Ainslie Pilgrimage 183:
It's auld Rab Glen, wha's no been fier Since tawtie lifting was a year.Hdg. 1908 J. Lumsden Th' Loudons 206:
Alang Tyneside how I wad ride Whan I was young an' fier!Abd. 1932 R. L. Cassie Scots Sangs 28:
Flozent some, but fere an' fouthie, Oot the line gies he.
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"Fere adj.". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 5 Dec 2025 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/snd/fere_adj>
