Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)
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First published 1934 (SND Vol. I). Includes material from the 1976 supplement.
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
Quotation dates: 1779, 1856, 1912
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BACKART, BACK'ART, BACKWART, adj. Sc. forms of backward. [bɒk(w)ərt]Sc. 1912 A.O.W.B. Fables frae the French 39:
He didna min' the loss o' what he'd brocht, But tried, puir fule, to get aff by a trick He'd learnt langsyne, a kin' o' back'art kick.Ags. 1856 W. Grant A Few Poet. Pieces 33:
Thou gruntin' monster, backart creature, Clearly the devil paints thy nature.Lnk. c.1779 D. Graham Writings (1883) II. 25:
But waes me we that's poor fouk is born to mony fealins and backwart faus.
Deriv. backerly, "used of a late season-a backerly spring or harvest; it can also apply to a badly built load of sheaves, which is too heavy towards the back" (Ork. 1973 Orcadian (20 Dec.)).
[Back + ward, direction. The change from d to t is common. Cf. forward and Forrit. Bakward, backwart found in O.Sc. as early as 1375 in Barbour's Brus.]You may wish to vary the format shown below depending on the citation style used.
"Backart adj.". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 5 Dec 2025 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/snd/backart_adj>
