Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)
Hide Quotations Hide Etymology
About this entry:
First published 1934 (SND Vol. I).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
Quotation dates: 1725, 1881-1916
[0,0,1,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,1,1,1,1,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0]
ALAFT, adv. Aloft, in various senses: high up, high, upward, up, in or to heaven. [ə′lɑft]Sc. 1725 Orpheus Caled., The Country Lass (1733) i.:
Altho' my Gown be hame-spun Gray, My Skin it is as saft — O, As them that Satin Weeds do wear, And carry their heads alaft — O.ne.Sc. 1881 in W. Gregor Folk-Lore of N.E. Scot. 112:
As lang's this stane stands on this craft The name of Keith shall be alaft; But when this stane begins t' fa' The name of Keith shall wear awa'.Abd.(D) 1916 G. Abel Wylins fae my Wallet 53:
I'm thinkin' fin he gyangs alaft . . . The angels'll gar Donal' tak' His pipes oot o' the kist.
You may wish to vary the format shown below depending on the citation style used.
"Alaft adv.". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 12 Dec 2025 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/snd/alaft>
