Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)
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First published 1956 (SND Vol. IV).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
Quotation dates: 1705, 1768-1795
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GREEK, n.3 Also greke. Of stone or coal: the grain or texture (Ags., Fif. 1955); “coarse sandstone” (Sc. 1886 J. Barrowman Mining Terms 33). Comb. greek-stone, a fine-grained sandstone.Sc. 1705 J. Spreull Accompt Current (1882) 27:
Fine Greek-stone, Calmstone, and Limestone, for buildings, Monuments and other uses.e.Lth. 1768 Caled. Mercury (6 Jan.):
A mill-stone quarry, of a strong Greke, from which mill-stones have been dug.Fif. 1795 Stat. Acc.1 XI. 483:
The stone quarries . . . consist of 3 different kinds of stone, one of a bluish black colour, with a fine greek, capable of receiving a polish like marble. . . . The second is a white stone, of a fine small greek.Per. 1795 Stat. Acc.1 XI. 552:
This parish [Tulliallan] abounds with excellent quarries of free-stone, both yellow and white. . . . It is a durable stone, perfectly white, of a small greek, and takes on a fine smooth polish.
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"Greek n.3". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 17 Dec 2025 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/snd/greek_n3>
