Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)
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First published 1971 (SND Vol. VIII).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
Quotation dates: 1871-1951
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SCLAVE, v.2, n.2 Also sclaive, skla(e)ve; sklaive; sclaiver.
I. v., tr. and absol. To spread (a story) through gossip or tittle-tattle, to rumourmonger (ne.Sc. 1969), specif. of malicious rumours, to slander, defame, calumniate (Abd. 1825 Jam., Mry. 1872 W. Tester Poems 160, sclaiver; Abd. 1969). Hence sclaiver, a gossip, rumour-monger, slanderer (Abd. 1928); a piece of scandal, idle or slanderous gossip (Bnff., Abd. 1921 T.S. D.C.).Abd. 1871 W. Alexander Johnny Gibb xliii.:
An' fowk hed wuntit to sclaive 'er throu' the kwintra.Abd. 1880 W. Robbie Glendornie iv.:
I'm sure ye winna sclaiver't aboot.Abd. 1900 J. Milne Poems 29:
A back-biting sclaiven tongue.Abd. 1912 Buchan Assoc. Mag. (Jan.) 3:
She'll hae it sklaved owre seiven pairises.Abd. 1920 G. P. Dunbar Peat-Reek 46:
Sclaivers amo' claikin' wives an' weans.Mry. 1922 Swatches o' Hamespun 25:
Some craiters sclaiver mair o' a' That's said an' seen.Abd. 1951 Buchan Observer (15 May):
Such exponents of the boisterous ballad, and the skit, like Blin' Bob, who for a moiety would sclave man and master with an equality of appeal.
II. n. A gossip, one who tittle-tattles, a scandal-monger (ne.Sc. 1969).
[Sclave is prob. a back-formation from the fuller form sclaver, a variant with prothetic s- of Claver, v., n.1 See S, letter, 5.]You may wish to vary the format shown below depending on the citation style used.
"Sclave v.2, n.2". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 6 Jul 2026 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/snd/sclave_v2_n2>
