Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)
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First published 1960 (SND Vol. V).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
†HOWK, n.2 Also houk; heuck, heugh; and pl. form †houcks. A disease affecting the eyes of cattle, primarily a stomach disorder, caused phs. by a bad or insufficient water supply (Ags. 1808 Jam., heuck, heugh, Abd.13 1910). [hʌuk]Abd. 1827 Justiciary Reports (1829) App. 25:
There were four cows, calves, &c. about the place. There was something the matter with one of them . . . heard them saying it was “the houk.”Ayr. 1845 Sc. Farmer (Aug.) 255:
It is called the houcks, and will assuredly prove fatal if no remedy be applied. . . . A white grisly substance, from under the lower eyelash, grows up upon the eye; the cattle become hide-bound, refuse to eat, and their hair stands on end.Abd. 1920 A. Robb MS.:
This green sod wis laid into her sta' wi' the earthy side up for her to lick at, tae haud her ohn taen the howk.
Hence heuck-stane, a block of copper sulphate applied as a cure to the inflamed eyes of cattle so affected (Ags. 1808 Jam.).
[O.Sc. holkis, hoikis, n.pl., an ailment affecting the face or eyes, from 1513, of uncertain origin. Mid.Eng. has holke, a hollow, L.Ger. holke, a small hole, of the same origin as Howk, v., n.1 The forms heuck, heugh, seem to be due to confusion with Heuch, Heuk, n.1]You may wish to vary the format shown below depending on the citation style used.
"Howk n.2". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 28 Apr 2024 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/snd/howk_n2>
