Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)
Hide Quotations Hide Etymology
About this entry:
First published 1952 (SND Vol. III). Includes material from the 1976 and 2005 supplements.
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
Quotation dates: 1775-1894, 1946, 1999
[0,0,0,0,0,0,0,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,0,0,0,0,1,0,0,0,0,1]
COVENANT, n. and v.
1. n. Used as in Eng., but specially applied in Sc. to the National Covenant (1638) and the Solemn League and Covenant (1643).Sc. 1816 Scott O. Mortality viii.:
Do you renounce the Covenant, good woman?
2. v. As in Eng., but the ppl.adj. covenantin(g) is applied particularly to those who supported the National Covenant or Solemn League and Covenant, and Covenanter generally refers to one who supported one or both of these.Sc. 1775 J. Howie Sc. Worthies (1828) I. 375:
They made for Lanark, and at length joined the Covenanters at Evandale.Sc. 1816 Scott O. Mortality i.:
To talk of the exploits of the Covenanters was the delight, as to repair their monuments was the business, of his life. Sc. 1864 J. H. Burton Scot Abroad II. ii.:
Alexander, who led the Covenanting troops to the English border.Sc. a.1894 R. L. Stevenson in Life (G. Balfour 1901) I. 29:
I please myself often by saying that I had a Covenanting childhood. Sc. 1946 J. Barr Sc. Covenanters 231:
The Covenanters were asserting our Scottish Nationalism in the sphere of religion. Sc. 1999 Herald 4 Sep 14:
To the south west of the village lies Eaglesham Moor. This is covenanting country, where, in 1685, two men were shot dead when an "illegal" outdoor service, a coventicle, was surprised by government troops. Sc. 1999 Herald 25 Sep 27:
... the Battle of Dunbar had been one of the great Scottish gubbings. From a position of strength on the Lammermuirs, the Covenanting army, under instruction from the committee of Kirk and estates, had descended to the coastal plain and were torn apart by Cromwell's "croppies". Sc. 1999 Herald 18 Oct 22:
And in the Killing Times, Covenanters were pursued through these hills by Bloody Claverhouse who had set up shop in the Black Bull. Abd.(D) 1871 W. Alexander Johnny Gibb vii.:
Aifter the noble struggles and sufferin's o' oor covenantin' forbears to mainteen spiritooal independence. Ayr. 1790 Burns Election Ballad to R. Graham (Cent. ed.) xxi.:
Auld Covenanters shiver.Arg. 1795 Stat. Acc.1 XIV. 169:
All the inhabitants are Protestants. There are no sectaries, except a few, who call themselves Covenanters.
(2) To join the Church, become communicants.Rnf. 1871 D. Gilmour “Pen” Folk (1873) 32:
The new neighbours, having “covenanted” at a Branchall sacrament, were found to be tough metal.
You may wish to vary the format shown below depending on the citation style used.
"Covenant n., v.". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 12 Dec 2025 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/snd/covenant>
