Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)
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First published 1965 (SND Vol. VI).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
Quotation dates: 1748-1822, 1880-1892, 1950
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MERGH, n. Also mar(g)h (Sc. 1721 Ramsay Poems Gl., a.1796 Merry Muses (1959) 84); merg; marth; merki, mergie, merky (I.Sc.); megh, maich (Ags. 1808 Jam.). [mɛrx, mɑrx; I.Sc. ′mɛrgi, -ki]
‡1. Marrow (Sc. 1710 T. Ruddiman Gl. to Douglas Aeneis; Sh. 1914 Angus Gl., merki, Sh. 1962, mergie).Edb. 1791 J. Learmont Poems 84:
Bouse the quegh, Till the gout fastens on their megh Wi' deadly racks.Sc. 1802 Scott Minstrelsy I. 187:
And the mergh o' his shin bane has run down on his spur leather whang.n.Sc. 1808 Jam.:
It is commonly said, when a person is advised to take something that is supposed to be highly nutritive, That will put mergh in your beins.Slk. a.1822 Hogg Perils of Man I. iv.:
“Twa wanton glaikit gillies, I'll uphaud”, said Pate, . . . “o'er muckle marth i' the back, an' meldar i' the brusket”.Ork. 1880 Dennison Sketch-Bk. 103:
Wi' miny a tirs an' rug an' ferky, His beens a' trumblan' tae the merky.Sh. 1892 G. Stewart Fireside Tales 233:
Ane braks da bane, anidder sooks Da mergie o' it.
2. Strength, pith, vitality; ability (Sc. 1808 Jam.; Sh. 1962); essence, substance.Abd. 1748 R. Forbes Ajax 16:
Nor has he mergh intil his banes To wield Achilles' spear.Edb. 1773 Fergusson Poems (S.T.S.) II. 177:
But mergh, alas! to disengage Your bonny bouck frae fettering cage.Ags. 1815 G. Beattie John o' Arnha' (1852) 40:
His mergh an' mettle now are gone.Sh. 1950 New Shetlander No. 20. 26:
Da mergie a human kindness, bit it's da fremd at gies it.
3. Deriv. merghless, marrowless.Ags. 1815 G. Beattie John o' Arnha' (1852) 46:
An' lent each other [ghosts] ruthless paiks Athort the bare and merghless spaiks.
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"Mergh n.". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 5 Dec 2025 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/snd/mergh>
