Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)
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First published 1952 (SND Vol. III).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
Quotation dates: 1829-1897
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COMPLUTHER, Comploother, Complowther, Complouter, Comploiter, Comploutre, v. and n. [kɔm′plʌθər, -′pluθər, -′plʌuθər, -′plʌutər, -′plɔɪtər]
‡1. v.
(1) To agree; coincide; fit in (Mearns 1825 Jam.2, complouter; Rxb. Ib., compluther; 1923 Watson W.-B., comploother, obsol.). Jam.2 gives also the form cumplouter, and Edb.2 (1930) gives campluther for Slk.Ags. 1885 Brechin Advertiser (17 March) 3/5:
Jock wid a fain haen 'er for a sweetheart, but she widna comploiter.Fif. 1864 W. D. Latto Tammas Bodkin xiii.:
Her request . . . seemed sae reasonable in itsel', an' compluthered sae entirely wi' oor ain inclinations that we agreed.Lnk. 1858 G. Roy Generalship (1862) iii. 28:
Innocence is so essentially pure, an' deception so essentially impure, that they dunna very weel what the Norlan' folk ca' comploutre.Slk. 1829 Hogg Shepherd's Calendar II. 21:
Though I had a good deal o' good words by heart, I didna ken how I might gar them compluther.
(2) “To mix” (Mearns, Rxb. 1916 (per Mearns 3), comploitter); to associate (with).Ags. 1897 I. Robertson in A. Reid Bards of Ags. and the Mearns 386:
But he was the licht o' his auld mither's e'e, An' she wadna lat him complouter wi' me.
2. n.
(1) A mixture; “a mess or mix-up” (Rxb. 1923 Watson W.-B., comploiter).Dmb. 1844 W. Cross Disruption (1846) xxvi.:
The complowther o' care and trouble, and mony a thing forby that this worl' is made up o'.
(2) “A confusing of one's words in speaking” (Rxb. 1923 Watson W.-B.).
†(3) “A mistake” (Slg. 1825 Jam.2, compluther).
(4) “A conversation” (Ags. 1910 Arbroath Guide (24 Sept.)).
[Origin uncertain, but cf. arch. Eng. complot, Fr. comptot(er), O.Fr. complote, crowd; mêlée (Godefroy).]You may wish to vary the format shown below depending on the citation style used.
"Compluther v., n.". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 12 Dec 2025 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/snd/compluther>
