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Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)

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About this entry:
First published 1941 (SND Vol. II).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

BLAIR, n.1, v.

1. n. (See quot.)Ags. 1825 Jam.2:
Blair, the name given to that part of flax which is . . . used in manufacture . . . after it has been steeped, taken from the pit, and laid out to dry.

2. v. Applied to flax: to dry by exposure to drought.Ib.:
When the flax is spread out for being dried, after it has been steeped, it is said that it is laid out to blair.

Hence blairin, vbl.n.Ib.:
The ground appropriated to this purpose [the drying of flax] is called the blairin.

[Cf. Norw. blaar, the hurds of flax (Falk and Torp). Cf. also O.N. blær, a gentle breeze, puff of air (Zoëga).]

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"Blair n.1, v.". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 5 May 2024 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/snd/blair_n1_v>

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