Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)
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First published 1934 (SND Vol. I). Includes material from the 2005 supplement.
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
Quotation dates: 1866-1921, 1988-2000
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BAIRNHEID, BAIRNHEED, BAIRNHOOD, n. Childhood. Also attrib. [bernhid]Sc.(E) 1879 P. H. Waddell Isaiah xlvii. 15:
Frae yer bairn-heid [A.V. youth] an' a', yer trokers a', ilk ane till his howff, they sal slip awa.Abd.(D) 1921 Weekly Press (21 Dec.) 2/1:
An' gars ye min' on th' days o' yer bairnheed, an' fin ye wis a loon at th' skweel.Abd. 1998 Sheena Blackhall The Bonsai Grower 65:
Throwoot ma bairnhood, ma lugs war niver quat o the clickin an chimin an whurrin an gurrin o clocks, aa set bi Faither.Ags. 1866 R. Leighton Poems (1869) 343:
As I think upo' my bairnhood — a short-lived sunnie day.m.Sc. 1988 William Neill Making Tracks 33:
He mairched aboot the gitters o ma bairnheid
three medals on his briest an the pipes soundin.m.Sc. 2000 Bruce Leeming in Alec Finlay Atoms of Delight 53:
A whaup's wheiple
lane amang the hills -
bairnheid mindins.Edb. 1916 T. W. Paterson The Wyse-Sayin's o' Solomon xxii. 6:
Airt a bairn's bairnheid in the richt gate, An' he'll haud on till't till he's auld an' grey-heidit.wm.Sc. 1991 James Russell Grant in Tom Hubbard The New Makars 55:
Bairn ae a street bringin back bairnhood days
Mither deckin ye oot in white an blue
Yirsel a soulfu wee craitur maist happy whiles.
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"Bairnheid n.". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 5 Dec 2025 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/snd/bairnheid>
