Dictionaries of the Scots Language
Dictionars o the Scots Leid

Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)

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First published 1952 (SND Vol. III). Includes material from the 2005 supplement.
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

‡COW-LADY-STANE, -STONE, COLLADIE STONE; COLLADY-STANE (Rxb. 1993), n. comb. “A kind of quartz” (Rxb. 1825 Jam.², cow-lady-stone, collady-); “frequently found water-worn in river beds” (Rxb. 1923 Watson W.-B., obsol.).s.Sc. c.1830 T. Wilkie in Proc. Bwk. Nat. Club (1916) 68:
She observed the old woman . . . walking back and forwards in the middle of a circle or ring of spinsters, all of whom were seated on colladie stones of a very large size and busily plying the distaff and spindle.Rxb. 1833 A. Hall Sc. Borderer (1874) 24:
Little urchins . . . selecting sets of chucks from the heaps of cow-lady-stanes . . . by the water side.