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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.

Quotation dates: 1898-1914

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SWARM, v., tr. To turn, to move round, specif. of a pot over a fire in order to distribute the heat (Sh. 1908 Jak. (1928)); to stir (Sh. 1972). Also intr. with apo.Sh. 1898–1901 Shetland News (228 May, 23 Feb.):
Swarm apo da kettle. Sibbie. . . . Shü swarm'd da kettle.Sh. 1914 Angus Gl.:
I wis at du wid swarm upo da kettle, he's boilin aa at e side.

[A nasalised variant of Norw. dial. svarva, to turn or spin round, which has also a parallel form svarma, to be dizzy, cogn. with Eng. swerve, and poss. with swarm, of bees. to climb a tree, etc.]

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"Swarm v.". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 6 Feb 2026 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/snd/swarm>

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