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: 1730-1760, 1868-1927
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SOLUM, n. Soil or ground, esp. in more specif. usages, as the base area of a building, the ground on which a building actually stands (Sc. 1952 Builder (20 June) 943). Gen.Sc.; sand or top-soil at the seaside, the foreshore.Sc. 1730 Session Papers, Dick v. Hewet (15 Dec.) 3:
Bailie Dick and Mary Harvey, whose Shops are properly upon the Solum and Superfice.Sc. 1760 Session Papers, Petition H. Rose (25 Feb.) 2:
When the Sea had washed away the Solum, the Mussels cleav'd to the Rocks.Sc. 1868 Dundee Charters, etc. (1880) 207:
The Solum or Foreshore at Yeaman Shore.Ayr. 1894 J. McIntosh Ayr. Nights 199:
The solum of the old road having been assigned to the respective proprietors.Sc. 1927 Gloag & Henderson Introd. Law Scot. 446:
The solum on which the flatted house is erected, the area in front, and the back ground are presumed to belong to the owner of the lowest floor.
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"Solum n.". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 2 Apr 2026 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/snd/solum>
