Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)
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First published 1965 (SND Vol. VI). Includes material from the 2005 supplement.
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
Quotation dates: 1776, 1856-1876
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MISTHRIVE, v. Also missthrive, -trive (Sh.). To fail to prosper, to be unfruitful. Ppl.adj. misthriven, -an, not prosperous, in straits, unfruitful (Sh., Ags., 1963), undernourished (Ags. 1963).Abd. 1776 C. Keith Farmer's Ha' 5:
And ay till this mis-thriven age. The gudeman here sat like a sage.Ags. 1856 W. Grant Few Poet. Pieces 29:
An' faith ye're no like ane misthriven — Your guts ramm'd fou o' red het cinders.Abd. 1872 W. Alexander in Heirskip (1987) 23:
He was unco cryn't an' misthrivan for several year.Abd. 1876 R. Dinnie Songs 104:
The Deeside fairmers may bless “Seventy five”, They canna blame dry rigs gif they missthrive.
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"Misthrive v.". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 18 Dec 2025 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/snd/misthrive>
