Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)
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First published 1974 (SND Vol. IX).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
SURFLE, v., n. Also surfie; sirfie. Sc. usage: I. v. 1. To gather or draw together material in sewing, to ruck a hem (Sc. 1887 Jam.; Slk. 1950, sirfle), to overcast an edge of cloth; to trim with lace bordering (Per., Gall. 1910).
II. n. A hem, or sewn border, an overcasting of cloth (Sc. 1887 Jam.).
[Mid.Eng. surful, to embroider, Norm. Fr. *surfiler, Late Lat. superfilare, to sew a thread (filum) over.]You may wish to vary the format shown below depending on the citation style used.
"Surfle v., n.". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 23 May 2026 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/snd/surfle>
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