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: 1721, 1788-1789, 1846
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GAMSTER, n. Sc. form and usages of Eng. gamester. [′gɑmstər]
†1. A player in a game. Obs. in Eng. since 17th cent. Comb.: even gamsters, quits.Sc. 1721 Ramsay Poems (S.T.S.) I. Gl. 261:
Tee, a little Earth, on which Gamsters at the Gowf set their Balls before they strike them off.Rnf. 1788 E. Picken Poems 15:
Perhaps alang the ice, wi' grane, The gamester rows his curlin'-stane.Kcb. 1789 D. Davidson Seasons 161:
The gallant gamesters briskly mov'd To meet the daring fae.Dmb. 1846 W. Cross Disruption xv.:
We're even gamsters, Robin. Ye didna slight me a bit mair than I slightit you.
2. A giddy, irresponsible or frivolous woman (m.Dmf.3 c.1920; Dmf. 1954). A weakened sense of obs. Eng. gamester, a lewd person.
[O.Sc. has the form gemster only, from 1596.]You may wish to vary the format shown below depending on the citation style used.
"Gamster n.". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 16 Dec 2025 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/snd/gamster>
