Dictionaries of the Scots Language
Dictionars o the Scots Leid

Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)

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ACRE, ACKER, ACKRE, Accre, Awker, Aacre; ‡Yicker, n. [′ɑ(:)kər n.Sc; ′ekər m.Sc.; ′èkər + ′jɪ̢kər + ɛ s.Sc.]

1. An acre, of square measure.Hence awcrage, acreage (ne.Sc. 1915 W. S. Bruce Nor'-East 135).Sc. 1793 G. Robertson Agric. of Midlothian 7:
The English acre contains 4840 square yards of 36 inches each, and the Scotch acre 5760 square yards of 37 inches each; hence the proportion between the Scotch and English acre is very nearly as 5 to 4.Sc. 1799 J. Robertson Agric. in Perth vi.:
A Scotch acre commonly = 6084 square yards. If the differences of inches were narrowly attended to in making the Scotch chain, a Scotch acre would be equal to 6150.7 square yards.Mry.(D) 1873 J. Brown (ed.) Round Table Club 250:
Fat think ye o' a man biggin' a hoose in a muir, an' takin' in maybe therty awkers o' lan'.Abd. 1879 G. Macdonald Sir Gibbie vi.:
Till there was hardly an accre left upo' haill Daurside.Abd.(D) 1915 Mrs H. Beaton At the Back o' Benachie 79:
The other farmer "would not be seen in a twal aacre park wi' a crater o' a loon fa hid pitten his legs ower far throu' his breeks."Ayr. 1786 Burns The Twa Dogs ll. 201–202:
A country fellow at the pleugh, His acres till'd, he's right eneugh.

2. As a lineal measure: in compounds acre-breeth, acre-braid, acre-length, or alone, acre (a) of breadth, 4 poles or 22 yards; of length, a furlong (see N.E.D.); (b) (see Bnff. example below).(a) Rnf. 1788 E. Picken Poems, etc. 104:
Sax acre-braid o' richest pasture grass.Ayr. 1787 Burns Tam Samson's Elegy ix.:
In vain the burns cam down like waters, An acre-braid!(b) Bnff.² 1931:
A'm gaun t' shaave (sow) aboot an acker-breeth o' tares alang the ditch-side. — This means that, the length of the field being assumed known, a breadth is roughly measured off so that the area in tares will amount to an acre.

3. A piece of ground, extending to a Sc. acre or more, rented by a villager from a neighbouring proprietor. Cf. Acrer, Burgh, n.¹, below. Combs. acredale, adv., of land: rented in varying proportions under this system. Also in n.Eng. dial. For the form cf. rundale s.v. Rin, v., 1.(2), Dale, n.¹, 1.; acreman, a tenant of an acre.Per. 1795 Stat. Acc. XIX. 497:
All the small farmers, acre-men, and every village-house, formerly paid so many fowls as a part of their rent. Bwk. 1795 Stat. Acc.¹ III. 112:
The rest are possessed by the inhabitants of Eyemouth in small parks and acre-dale. Bwk. 1845 Stat. Acc.² II. 233:
Almost every householder along with his house, rents from one to two acres of land. These are locally denominated an acre. Per. 1886 S. Carment Mem. Rev. J. Carment 137:
The fields, known by the neighbours as "the acres".