Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)
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First published 1971 (SND Vol. VIII).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
Quotation dates: 1871-1951
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SCLAVE, v.2, n.2 Also sclaive, skla(e)ve; sklaive; sclaiver.
I. v., tr. and absol. To spread (a story) through gossip or tittle-tattle, to rumourmonger (ne.Sc. 1969), specif. of malicious rumours, to slander, defame, calumniate (Abd. 1825 Jam., Mry. 1872 W. Tester Poems 160, sclaiver; Abd. 1969). Hence sclaiver, a gossip, rumour-monger, slanderer (Abd. 1928); a piece of scandal, idle or slanderous gossip (Bnff., Abd. 1921 T.S. D.C.).Abd. 1871 W. Alexander Johnny Gibb xliii.:
An' fowk hed wuntit to sclaive 'er throu' the kwintra.Abd. 1880 W. Robbie Glendornie iv.:
I'm sure ye winna sclaiver't aboot.Abd. 1900 J. Milne Poems 29:
A back-biting sclaiven tongue.Abd. 1912 Buchan Assoc. Mag. (Jan.) 3:
She'll hae it sklaved owre seiven pairises.Abd. 1920 G. P. Dunbar Peat-Reek 46:
Sclaivers amo' claikin' wives an' weans.Mry. 1922 Swatches o' Hamespun 25:
Some craiters sclaiver mair o' a' That's said an' seen.Abd. 1951 Buchan Observer (15 May):
Such exponents of the boisterous ballad, and the skit, like Blin' Bob, who for a moiety would sclave man and master with an equality of appeal.
II. n. A gossip, one who tittle-tattles, a scandal-monger (ne.Sc. 1969).
[Sclave is prob. a back-formation from the fuller form sclaver, a variant with prothetic s- of Claver, v., n.1 See S, letter, 5.]You may wish to vary the format shown below depending on the citation style used.
"Sclave v.2, n.2". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 12 Dec 2025 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/snd/sclave_v2_n2>
