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Dictionars o the Scots Leid

Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)

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First published 1952 (SND Vol. III).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

CLEAVE, v. Sc. uses of Eng. cleave, to split. [kli:v]

1. To “split” in ploughing. Also with down or oot, id. (Abd.², Abd.⁹ 1937); cf. casting outwards s.v. Cast, v., I. 14. The term to cleave down is also found in Suf. dial. (E.D.D.).Bch. 1920 (per Abd.¹⁵):
To cleave oot means to plough out or split a rig, between two feerin's [furrows]. When a field is of one rig size, it is alternately cleaved and geddert.Ags. 1844 H. Stephens Bk. Farm I. 464:
The several modes of ploughing land have received characteristic appellations, . . . [such as] cleaving down ridges.m.Lth. 1793 G. Robertson Gen. View Agric. Midlothian 55:
The common method [of tillage] now is, either to lay the land into ridges of 18 feet broad, and which, on heavy soil, are alternately gathered, cast, and cloven, or what is becoming every day more general, into ridges of 10 feet only, which are uniformly cloven, at every operation.

2. In phr. to cleave can'les, to make candles of fir roots taken from bogs (Bnff.², Abd.² 1937).ne.Sc. 1874 W. Gregor Echo of Olden Time 22:
All were busy. . . . Of the men, one might be making candles from bog-fir — cleavin can'les — another manufacturing harrow-tynes of wood.

3. Vbl.n. cleavin(g), kleeven, kleevin, klivven, †(1) a cleft, fissure; (2) in pl.: the bifurcation of the thighs (Sh. 1866 Edm. Gl., kleevins, 1914 Angus Gl., kleevens; Ork. 1929 Marw., klivvens; Abd.²², Ags.² 1937).(1) Sc. [1724–27] Ramsay T. T. Misc. (1762) 322:
Syne in the cleaving of a craig She found him drowned in Yarrow.(2) Ork.¹ 1941:
The peerie boy wis gyaun throo weet gress up tae his cleavins.Lnk. c.1779 D. Graham Writings (1883) I. 216:
To Achnacarie came full right, Through water to their cleavings high.