A Dictionary of the Older Scottish Tongue (up to 1700)
Hide Quotations Hide Etymology
About this entry:
First published 1937 (DOST Vol. I).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
Quotation dates: 1499-1650
[0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,0,0,0,0]
Clek, Cleck(e, v. [ME. (rare) clekke (1401), ON. klekja.]
1. tr. Of birds: To hatch (young) from eggs. a1500 Buke of the Sevyne Sagis 2663.
The scho ravyn … him of an eg couth clek c1500-c1512 Dunb. xxii. 24.
Kynd natyve nest dois clek bot owlis 1531 Bell. Boece II. 450.
Ravinnis, kayis, and piottis, clekit thair birdis in winter, contrar the nature of thair kind ?1549 Monro W. Isles 64.
The colk, … comes in the ver to the land to lay hir eggis, and to clecke hir birds quhill she bring them to perfytness 1560 Rolland Seven Sages 8517.
Thair was twa rauins, ane female & ane male That had clekkit the thrid a1586 Lindsay MS. 27 b.
The pellican … sum folkis sayis thai are clekkit swowmand 1592 Acts III. 614/2.
The … solane geis being sua ȝeirlie slayne … ar maid vnhable to clek ȝoung birdis 1596 Dalr. I. 40/2.
Sche, as not able to cleck burdis of thir egis, cumis nevir ner thame
b. absol. To hatch; to be hatched. 1535 Stewart 35434.
In middis of wynter … birdis clekkit as tha war wont till do 1560 Rolland Seven Sages 8518.
Quhair thai clekkit … Was greit hounger, derth and penuritie 1598 Misc. Spald. C. I. 122.
Thow affermis the crawis will bring a stane from one cuntrie to ane vther, to gar thair birdis clek 1621 Black Bk. Taymouth 356.
That na tennent … suffer nather ruck, hoddit craw nor pyatis to big nor clek in thair rowmes c1650 Spalding II. 82.
No mawis wes sene … who befoir flokkit and clekkit in so gryte aboundans
2. To bring forth, give birth to. 1513 Doug. iv. vii. 9.
Nothir wes a goddes thy moder, … bot of a cald hard quhyn Thé clekkyt that horribill mont c1540 Lynd. Syde Taillis 65.
Kittok, that clekkit wes ȝistrene, The morne wyll counterfute the Quene 1540 Id. Sat. 669.
Sen I was clekit of my dame, Ȝit was I never leill
3. fig. To invent (a falsehood). 1560 Rolland Seven Sages 2704.
For quhy thow can sa weill ane lesing clek 1567 Gude and Godlie Ballatis 105.
The Amalekis, that lesingis weill can cleck
You may wish to vary the format shown below depending on the citation style used.
"Clek v.". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 10 Dec 2025 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/dost/clek>
