Dictionaries of the Scots Language
Dictionars o the Scots Leid

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.

PECK, v., n.¹ Also pekk; pae(c)k, paik. Freq. peckle (Sc. 1825 Jam.). Sc. forms and usages:

I. v. As in Eng., of a bird; in Sh. usage also with the meanings of Eng. pick (Sh. 1965). Hence peckin, a small quantity, esp. of food, a bite, a little, a few (Sh. 1903 E.D.D., Sh. 1965).Dmf. 1810 R. Cromek Remains 245:
Ye [birds] sall peckle o' the bread an' drink o' the wine.Kcb. 1814 W. Nicholson Poems 19:
Poverty with iron claw That cauldrife rook that paiks us a'.Ayr. 1822 H. Ainslie Pilgrimage 116:
Tam Tamson's raging luckie Aft paiked him like a chuckie.Dmf. 1822 A. Cunningham Tales (1874) 306:
Come and peckle at my hand, my poor feathered innocents.Sh. 1898 Shetland News (26 March):
Da Weisdil an' San'soond men ir gettin' a peckin' o' codlins i' da Laerus fir a ook or twa.Sh. 1922 J. Inkster Mansie's Röd 103:
Diel peel o' faut 'ill be wi' da fit whin doo gets him oot o' da kettle i' dy haand ta paek.

II. n. 1. A small quantity of any edible substance, that which can be pecked up, a morsel, a “bite”, a scrap of food (Sh., ne.Sc., Ags., Gsw., Wgt., Slk. 1965). Dim. paekie, id.; pl. food, subsistence, meals.Cai. 1869 M. MacLennan Peasant Life 134:
Twa shillin' a-day forbye his pecks!Sh. 1951 New Shetlander No. 27. 6:
Da korbie sed: “Dir a paekie (sheep) dead, dir a paekie dead!”

2. Specif. of pasture: a bite for cattle, the first green shoots of grass in the spring, also green peck, id. Given also in E.D.D. for Sh. in the sense of “very thin corn in the harvest-field”.Sh. 1897 Shetland News (22 May):
If ony peck o' girse is comin', we min keep hit fur da craturs 'at's ta gie wis a drap o' milk.Sh. 1916 J. Burgess Rasmie's Smaa Murr (Maerch 16):
Ye prize da green-pekk, wi' da kye at da liftin.Sh. 1958 New Shetlander No. 46. 8:
Noo at da Winter snaa is geen fae da hill an vailley Da green paeck comes agyin.