Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)
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First published 1965 (SND Vol. VI). Includes material from the 2005 supplement.
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
Quotation dates: 1885, 1948-1995
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MIAUVE, v., n. Also myauve, myawve, meave; myaue, myaw. [mjɑ:(v)]
I. v. Of a cat: to mew (Abd. 1825 Jam.; ne.Sc. 1962).Abd. 1885 Folk-Lore Jnl. III. 271:
The dog bow-wowt, an the cat myawvt.
II. n. 1. The mew of a cat (Bnff. 1866 Gregor D. Bnff. 117; ne.Sc. 1962). Also Dim. myowie. Abd. 1995 Flora Garry Collected Poems 18:
Fyles ye myurr-myurr to me ma leen,
Yer quaverin myowies thin an smaa, ...
2. A piteous whine, hence a grudge, a grievance. But phs. a different word of uncertain orig.Cai.9 1948:
He said na muckle but you'd think he had a myaw.
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"Miauve v., n.". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 8 Dec 2025 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/snd/miauve>
