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: 1722-1751, 1818, 1869-1878
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‡DYESTER, DYSTER, n. A dyer (Cai.7 (obsol.), Bnff.2, Abd.2, Rxb.5 1941). Also in n.Eng. dial.Sc. 1818 Scott H. Midlothian vii.:
That dyester's pole is good enough for the homicide.Bnff. 1869 W. Knight Auld Yule 120:
In yon deep swirl aneth the dyster's brae, Daft Jamie Scott that nicht had drown'd himsel'.Bwk. 1751 in R. Gibson Old Bwksh. Town (1905) 165:
William Tunno in Hume, and William Watson, Dyster in Waddieflat . . . were accepted cautioners in £30 bail.Lnk. 1722 Minutes J.P.s Lnk. (S.H.S.) 209:
James Alston, dyster.Ayr. a.1878 H. Ainslie Pilgrimage, etc., and Poems (1892) 207:
E'en Hope, poor thing, gets dowie an' dees; While dyester Care wi' his darkest litt Keeps dipping awa.
Hence †dystry, a dye works; used attrib. in quot.Abd. 1722 Abd. Jnl. N. & Q. IV. 280:
The goods and merchandise in the defunct's shop and cellars (except the dystry stuffs and hards).
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"Dyester n.". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 6 May 2026 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/snd/dyester>
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