Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)
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First published 1965 (SND Vol. VI).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
Quotation dates: 1721, 1789-1806, 1900
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†MUNN, n. Also mun. [mʌn]
1. A short-handled spoon made of horn. See also s.v. Cutty, I. 4. (5).Sc. 1721 J. Kelly Proverbs 295:
Sup with your Head, the Horner is dead, he's dead that made the Munns.Kcb. 1789 D. Davidson Seasons 12:
Donald, tir'd wi' lang-kail in a mun At's ain fire-side.Ayr. 1790 A. Tait Poems 102:
They're good for nought but riving buns Or spoiling cutties, making muns.Kcb. 1795 Stat. Acc.1 IX. 326:
Each person in the family had a short hafted spoon made of horn, which they called a munn, with which they supped, and carried it in their pocket, or hung it by their side.Sc. 1806 Scots Mag. (Sept.) 695:
Some wi' puddin' lade their muns.Kcb.4 1900:
A spune wi' a wee mooth and a short shaft is called a cuttie-mun.
2. A small, trifling article (Cld. 182–5 Jam.).
3. An old person with a small shrunken face (Gall. 1824 MacTaggart Gallov. Encycl. 352).
[Prob. the same word as Mun, n.2, with extended meanings. The word may have originated in the cant of tinkers, who made horn spoons.]You may wish to vary the format shown below depending on the citation style used.
"Munn n.". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 17 Dec 2025 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/snd/munn>
