Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)
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First published 1968 (SND Vol. VII).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
Quotation dates: 1754, 1824, 1896-1946
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PATRIMONIAL, adj. Sc. Law usage: pertaining to or as regards property or money, pecuniary, a specialised development of Eng. patrimonial, referring to inherited wealth.Sc. 1754 Erskine Principles ii. xii. § 3:
Every pecuniary or patrimonial interest belonging to debtors, ought to be subjected to the diligence of creditors.Sc. 1824 Scott Letters (Cent. ed.) VIII. 153:
The following details may lead to give you an accurate idea of what patrimonial advantage may reasonably be expected from the undertaking.Sc. 1896 W. K. Morton Manual 29:
Patrimonial Effects of Marriage.Sc. 1935 Border Mag. (April) 57:
He [Scott] uses "patrimonial" in the sense of "pecuniary," and the original sense of inherited property has completely disappeared.Sc. 1946 A. D. Gibb Legal Terms 63:
A patrimonial loss is a loss in respect of property, as contrasted with, say, bodily injury.
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"Patrimonial adj.". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 19 Dec 2025 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/snd/patrimonial>
