Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)
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First published 1971 (SND Vol. VIII).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
Quotation dates: 1923-1926
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SKIRVIN, n.1 Also -ing. A thin covering of soil, snow or the like (Rxb. a.1838 Jam. MSS. XI. 166; Bwk. 1910 Scotsman (26 May); Bwk., Rxb. 1970); the merest covering, scraping or coating of anything applied with a knife, brush, etc. (Rxb. 1923 Watson W.-B.); a shred, a strip abraded from the surface of anything, e.g. skin (Ib.).Rxb. 1923 Jedburgh Gaz. (28 Dec.) 3:
The ground carried a skirving of snow.Slk. 1926 Southern Reporter (18 Feb.) 3:
Wet weather has given place to hard frost and a skirving of snow.
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"Skirvin n.1". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 4 Apr 2026 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/snd/skirvin_n1>
