Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)
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First published 1934 (SND Vol. I). Includes material from the 1976 supplement.
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
Quotation dates: <1700, 1700-1723, 1833, 1933
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BEARING, n.
1. Condition productive of fertility.Slk. 1833 Stat. Acc.2 70:
They bring the rough pasture to a bearing for producing a more plentiful crop of pasture-grass.Dmf.8 1933:
Bearing. I have heard this used in Annandale.
2. A result, a fruitful conclusion, esp. in phr. to bring to a bearing. Sc. 1698 T. Boston Memoirs (1853) 41:
The elders not speaking of it to me, till they might see the matter brought to a bearing. Sc. 1723 R. Wodrow Corresp. (1843) III. 89:
Whether I shall ever be able to bring anything of this to a bearing, I know not.
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"Bearing n.". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 19 Dec 2025 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/snd/bearing>
