Show Search Results Show Browse
Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)
Hide Quotations Hide Etymology
About this entry:
First published 1971 (SND Vol. VIII).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
†SPRATLOON, n. The red-throated diver, Colymbus stellatus (e.Lth. 1867 W. R. Turnbull Birds E.Lth. 32).
[From sprat, a favourite food of the bird, + loon the diver. The form spratoon, found in e.An.dial, and attributed also to e.Lth. by Swainson Brit. Birds 214 appears to be an error.]You may wish to vary the format shown below depending on the citation style used.
"Spratloon n.". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 18 Dec 2025 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/snd/spratloon>


