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Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)
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First published 1941 (SND Vol. II).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
BOOLAAG, BULAG, n. “A particular breed of cattle, metaphorically the same family or kindred” (Sh. 1866 Edm. Gl.; 1908 Jak. (1928), bulag). When used metaph., the word has a disreputable sense.
[The first part of the comp. is O.N. bú, n., domicile, also stock of cattle. The second part might poss. be O.N. lag, n., placing; position; mode; species, etc., in Norw. also = brood, but is more prob. (O.N.) slag, n., kind, sort (Norw., Sw., Icel., Fær.), with dropped initial s in Sh., the more so as Norw. buslag, n., is also found in Aasen in the same sense as the Sh. word (breed of cattle; jokingly of relations, family) (Jak.).]You may wish to vary the format shown below depending on the citation style used.
"Boolaag n.". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 16 Apr 2024 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/snd/boolaag>
