Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)
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First published 1960 (SND Vol. V).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
HULTER, n. Also holter, hulder, hilder. Cf. hiller s.v. Hill, n., Whilter.
1. A large boulder or lump of rock (Sh. a.1838 Jam. MSS. XII. 109, 1908 Jak. (1928), Sh. 1957). Also used fig. of anything unwieldy or clumsy (Jak.). Deriv. huldery, adj., awkward, clumsy (Ib., Sh. 1957).
2. A heap of boulders resulting from a fall of rock (Jak.). Extended to mean a beast's lair in such a place (Ib.) and fig. in phr. a hulder (hilder) o' beens, a rickle of bones, a very lean person or animal (Ib.).Sh. 1957 Sh. Folk-Bk. III. 70:
Deyre mony a hulter greff and shon Ta clim, ta spang, ta sweem.
3. Fig. A mountainous wave or sea (Jak.).
[Norw. dial., Icel. holt, any rough, stony hill or ridge, cogn. with Eng. holt, a wooded hill, + augmentative suff. -er.]You may wish to vary the format shown below depending on the citation style used.
"Hulter n.". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 25 Apr 2024 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/snd/hulter>
