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Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)

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First published 1965 (SND Vol. VI).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

OWERWORD, n. Also owr(e)-, our-, o(v)er-. The burden or refrain of a song, a freq. repeated phrase or saying (Rxb. 1802 J. Sibbald Chron. Sc. Poet. Gl., Gall. 1824 MacTaggart Gallov. Encycl. 60, Ayr. 1923 Wilson D. Burns 178; Bwk. 1942 Wettstein; Gall. 1964). Cf. Owercome. [′ʌu(ə)rwʌrd]Ayr. 1723 Ayr Presb. Reg. MS. (5 Feb.) 153:
She saw James Slowan triping up & down the floor after the manner of dancing & heard him at the same time sing these words, The sows taills till him, & added these words, to Geordie as the overword of the song.Ayr. 1786 Burns The Night Was Still 7:
And aye the o'erword o' the spring, Was: “Irvine's bairns are bonie a'!”Slk. 1807 Hogg Poems (1874) 268:
An' aye the o'erword o' her sang Was “Bushby braes are bonnie, O.”Sc. 1849 M. Oliphant M. Maitland xv.:
The owerword of the old song, — “There cam' a young man to my daddie's door, A seeking me to woo!”Kcb. 1898 Crockett Standard-Bearer xiv.:
They heard the ower-word o' a gye coarse sang rairin' up frae the clachan doon by.Lnk. 1910 C. Fraser Glengonnar 63:
“I dinna like to mak' a fule o' mysel',” used to be his owre-word.m.Sc. 1950 O. Douglas Farewell to Priorsford 142:
She was a dungeon of learning about the old tales and owrewords of the country side.