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: 1709-1719, 1833, 1892-1899
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RAE, n.2 Also ray; re (Jak.); rea (Sh. 1710 T. Ruddiman Gl. to Douglas Aeneis); erron. ¶ree (Sh. 1932 J. Saxby Trad. Lore 180); raa.
1. A sailyard (Sh. 1825 Jam.; Mry. 1911 Trans. Banffshire Field Club 109; Sh. 1914 Angus Gl., Sh. 1967). Hence comb. raeband, reaband, the rope attaching the sail to the yard (Ruddiman; Sh., Cai. 1967). [re:]Sc. 1709 Compend of Securities 227:
Cables, Tows, Anchors, Sails, Masts, Raes.Edb. 1719 D. Robertson Bailies of Leith (1915) 86:
To take the anchors from the boughs and sails from their raes.Sc. 1833 Chambers's Jnl. (Dec.) 364:
The older fishermen used to call the yard (on the mast) the ray, and employed the term babord for larboard.Sh. 1892 Manson's Sh. Almanac:
Maansie proposes dat we sud close reef da rae, an lay da shaar's head ta da aestward.Sh. 1899 J. Spence Folk-Lore 250:
Da wadder raebaands made up an' da sail töre.
2. A rod, a small branch of a tree (Sh. 1914 Angus Gl.).
[O.Sc. ra, yardarm, from 1494, raband, from 1513; Mid. Du. ra(e), O.N. rá, id. For 2. cf. Norw. rå, straight, slender tree-stem.]You may wish to vary the format shown below depending on the citation style used.
"Rae n.2". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 18 Dec 2025 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/snd/rae_n2>
