Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)
Hide Quotations Hide Etymology
About this entry:
First published 1960 (SND Vol. V).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
Quotation dates: 1850-1877
[0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,1,1,1,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0]
‡KEELIE, n.1 Also erron. keerie. The kestrel, Falco tinnunculus (Lth., Rxb. 1825 Jam., esp. “a young one”; Bwk. 1889 G. Muirhead Birds Bwk. II. 25; Dmf. 1894 Trans. Dmf. & Gall. Antiq. Soc. 150; Rxb. 1923 Watson W.-B.). Combs.: 1. keelie-craig, a crag on which the kestrel nests; 2. keelie-hawk, the kestrel (Bwk. 1889 G. Muirhead Birds Bwk. II. 25; Dmf. 1959). [′kili]1. Sc. 1877 J. A. Sidey Alter Ejusdem 1:
Up near the foot o' the keelie-craig.2. Clc. 1850 J. Crawford Doric Lays 45:
Een as gleg as keerie hawk.
You may wish to vary the format shown below depending on the citation style used.
"Keelie n.1". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 19 Dec 2025 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/snd/keelie_n1>
