Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)
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First published 1968 (SND Vol. VII).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
Quotation dates: 1828, 1880
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PAITER, v.2 Sc. form of Eng. patter, to move with short, light, fussy steps. Also reduplic. form paiter-paiter, id. Ppl.adj. paiterin, walking or working aimlessly, trifling, pottering. [′petər]Ayr. 1828 D. Wood Poems 13:
But fare ye weel at last auld Catrine There's mony a ane about ye patterin'.w.Sc. 1880 Jam.:
He has just paiter-paitered out an' in a' day.
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"Paiter v.2". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 15 Dec 2025 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/snd/paiter_v2>
