Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)
Hide Quotations Hide Etymology
About this entry:
First published 1956 (SND Vol. IV).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
GREEK, n.3 Also greke. Of stone or coal: the grain or texture (Ags., Fif. 1955); “coarse sandstone” (Sc. 1886 J. Barrowman Mining Terms 33). Comb. greek-stone, a fine-grained sandstone.Sc. 1705 J. Spreull Accompt Current (1882) 27:
Fine Greek-stone, Calmstone, and Limestone, for buildings, Monuments and other uses.e.Lth. 1768 Caled. Mercury (6 Jan.):
A mill-stone quarry, of a strong Greke, from which mill-stones have been dug.Fif. 1795 Stat. Acc.1 XI. 483:
The stone quarries . . . consist of 3 different kinds of stone, one of a bluish black colour, with a fine greek, capable of receiving a polish like marble. . . . The second is a white stone, of a fine small greek.Per.
Ib. 552:
This parish [Tulliallan] abounds with excellent quarries of free-stone, both yellow and white. . . . It is a durable stone, perfectly white, of a small greek, and takes on a fine smooth polish.
You may wish to vary the format shown below depending on the citation style used.
"Greek n.3". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 1 May 2024 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/snd/greek_n3>