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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.

Quotation dates: 1923

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BOWSOME, adj. “Willing, compliant” (w.Rxb. 1923 Watson W.-B.). [′bʌusəm]w.Rxb. 1923 Watson W.-B.:
A bowsome lad.

[O.Sc. bowsum, bowsome, bousum, busume (c.1375), etc., ready to obey, obedient, compliant (D.O.S.T.); n.Mid.Eng. bowsum, -som, bousum, variants of bughsome, buȝsom, early Mid.Eng. buhsum (whence also Mid.Eng. buxum), from O.E. būgan, to bend. The ow forms prob. derive from the ablaut variant of būgan, viz. bogen (pa.p.) and boga, a bend.]

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"Bowsome adj.". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 5 Apr 2026 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/snd/bowsome>

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