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Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)

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First published 1971 (SND Vol. VIII). Includes material from the 1976 and 2005 supplements.
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

SEEVEN, adj., n. Also seevan (Ork. 1880 Dennison Sketch-Bk. 143), seevin (Per. 1896 I. Maclaren Kate Carnegie 192; Rxb. 1927 E. C. Smith Braid Haaick 9; Sh. 1928 Manson's Almanac), seaven (Sc. 1705 Rec. Conv. Burghs (1880) 359; Ork. 1742 Old-Lore Misc. I. ii. 55) saven (Abd. 1879 G. MacDonald Sir Gibbie xiv.; Uls. 1924 Northern Whig (18 Jan.)); saiven (Abd. 1865 G. MacDonald Alec Forbes xvi., 1936 D. Bruce Cried on Sunday 15); sayven (Uls. 1879 W. G. Lyttle Readings by Robin 61); seiven; seyven (Abd. 1871 W. Alexander Johnny Gibb xiv.; Cai. 1891 D. Stephen Gleanings 62; Abd. 1929 J. Alexander Mains and Hilly 92); siven (Abd. 1928 P. Grey Making of a King 16); se'en (s.Sc. 1857 H. S. Riddell St. Matthew xv. 36; m.Sc. 1927 J. Buchan Witch Wood x.), s(e)in-. Sc. forms and usages of Eng. seven (Lth. 1799 J. Adams Pronunc. Eng. Lang. 152, Ayr. 1838 J. Morrison M'Ilwham Papers iv.; Sh. 1891 J. Burgess Rasmie's Büddie 97; Edb. 1900 E. H. Strain Elmslie's Drag-Net 33; Dmf. 1917 J. L. Waugh Cute McCheyne 107; Gsw. 1942 Scots Mag. (Feb.) 367). [′si:vən; Bnff., em.Sc. (a), Uls. ′se:vən, Abd. ′səivən]

Sc. forms: Dundee 1991 Ellie McDonald The Gangan Fuit 20:
I went tae watch a marathon last week.
Near twa thousand puir dementit craiturs,
ilk ain hauf nakit, forby thrie waiters,
Santy Claus, seiven fairies an a freakem.Sc. 2000 James Robertson The Fanatic 63:
' ... Onywey, Weir's been deid seiven year noo. There'll be naethin tae discover there, I doot.'

I. adj. 1. In derivs.: (1) seevent(h), seventh (Sh. 1916 J. Burgess Rasmie's Smaa Murr (April 17); wm.Sc. 1928 J. Corrie Last Day 41; Bwk. 1942 Wettstein); saivent (Per. 1915 Wilson L. Strathearn 265), seyvent (Bch. 1926 Dieth 205, Bch. 1969); (2) seeventeen, seaven- (Abd. 1929 J. Alexander Mains and Hilly 143), siven- (Bnff. 1920 Banffshire Jnl. (5 June) 5), seen- (Sc. 1711 Speech for Mr Dundasse 4; Sc. 1824 Scott Redgauntlwt Let. x.); syn- (Abd. 1768 A. Ross Helenore (S.T.S.) 21); sin- (Gsw. 1807 J. Chirrey Misc. Poetry 76), seventeen; also used as an ordinal = seventeenth. Hence seyventeent, seventeenth (Sc. 1801 Scots Mag. (April) 276; Abd. 1923 J. R. Imray Village Roupie 35) (3) seeventy, saeventy, saiventy (Abd. 1917 C. Murray Sough o' War 20, 1926 Abd. Univ. Review (March) 116); seiventie, seivintie; seyventy (Abd. 1932 Abd. Univ. Rev. (March) 103), sinty (Rnf. 1790 A. Wilson Poems 199), seventy (Dmf. 1912 J. L. Waugh Robbie Doo 16; Rxb. 1932 Border Mag. (April) 60; Sh. 1949 J. Gray Lowrie 134; wm.Sc. 1969). (3) Slk. 1985 Walter Elliot Clash-ma-clavers 40:
... an in there, the receipt ye gie For Seiventie Pund and Twuntie P. Sc. 1990 David Purves in Joy Hendry Chapman 59 76:
Lest year, graundfaither dee'd at seivintie-sax, -
he liggs ablo the mouls on Brierielaw. Arg. 1998 Angus Martin The Song of the Quern 52:
But ye've got yer body back thegither -
it's taen ye mair as seeventy year. w.Lth. 2000 Davie Kerr A Puckle Poems 28:
Come back when yir seeventy,
(that's ma three score year an ten),
a pension then we sen ye,
providit yir no deid then.

2. In combs. and phrs.: (1) seven lang and seven short (sc. years), a hyperbole for a long indefinite period of time (Ork. 1969); (2) seven-nights, a week. See also Sennicht; (3) se(e)venpence, sevenpence (Abd. 1927 T. McWilliam Around the Fireside 21); a half-merk (see Merk) of the late 17th-c., when the value was raised to seven shillings Scots or sevenpence in British money. See Fourteen; (4) sevensome, seven in all, a group of seven. Gen.Sc. See -Some; (5) seeven wat days and a dry yin, = (1) (Kcb. 1969); (6) the seven ill years, the years of famine at the end of William III's reign. Hist. See Ill, adj., 2. (2); (7) the seven Sisters, the Pleiades (Rxb. 1923 Watson W.-B.; Cai., Abd., Kcb., Dmf. 1969). Obs. in Eng.(1) Sh. 1898 Shetland News (24 Dec.):
Whin I wis yell'd Seven lang an' seven short, as dey say.Sh. 1928 Manson's Almanac:
A'm luikid fur you seevin lang and seevin short.(2) Ayr. 1761 Ayr Presb. Reg. MS. (5 Aug.) 75:
He had made legal intimation on the Church Sabbath was seven-nights.(3) Sc. 1708 W. Fraser Bk. Carlaverock (1873) II. 171:
Let her lick (not chew) as much of it [carvi] as a sevenpence can lift, once or twice a day at any time.Rnf. c.1850 Crawfurd MSS. (N.L.S.) S. 32:
I grudg'd the seap, A seinpence for a pun to draw, I thought na cheap.(6) Abd. 1899 W. Geddes Mem. J. Geddes 12:
Tradition had carried down to him fearful tales of the “seven ill years” in the time of Queen Anne.Sc. 1963 H. Hamilton Econ. Hist. Scot. 7:
Commencing in 1696, the “seven ill years”, as this period was called, saw harvest after harvest ruined.

II. n.

Sc. forms:Sc. 1994 Pete Fortune in James Robertson A Tongue in Yer Heid 155:
It wis gey early oan when he cam wannerin in wi her - back o seiven it micht hae been ...Abd. 1998 Sheena Blackhall The Bonsai Grower 61:
Quarter tae seevin sae him sattled bi the table, his muckle hairy airms heistin firkfus o bacon an egg frae ashet till mou, ...

Sc. usages: 1. A rugby football team of seven players only (s.Sc. 1969); in pl.: a competition held among Rugby teams consisting of seven players each from various Border towns. Orig. s.Sc. but now in gen. use. Comb. seven-a-side(s), id.Rxb. 1927 E. C. Smith Braid Haaick 24:
The “Greens” hev wun the seevin-a-sides at their ain spoarts.Slk. 1964 Stat. Acc.³ 277:
Rugby was played in Selkirk from the early 70's of last century, and teams appeared at some of the early Border “sevens”.Rxb. 1967 Scotsman (15 April) 15:
Whether Hawick can continue their unequalled run of “sevens” successes.

2. In pl. in Ork. straw-hat manufacture: a plait consisting of seven straws (see quot.).Ork. 1920 J. Firth Reminisc. 49:
The narrowest kind of plait had seven straws in its breadth, and was therefore called “sevens”.

3. In dim. form sevensie: one of the games, the seventh in the series, at Chuckies, chuck-stone, in which all the stones already picked up have to be retained in the hand while the remaining fallen stones are being picked up and one is in the air (Bnff., e. and wm.Sc., Dmf. 1969).