Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)
Hide Quotations Hide Etymology
About this entry:
First published 1974 (SND Vol. IX).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
Quotation dates: 1899-1968
[0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,0,0,0]
STEADY, adj., adv., v. Also steddy (Abd. 1777 R. Forbes Ulysses 15), stiddy (Sc. 1920 D. Rorie Auld Doctor 25); steedy (Mry. 1830 T. D. Lauder Moray Floods (1873) 242; Sc. 1887 Stevenson Merry Men ii., m.Lth. 1894 P. H. Hunter J. Inwick 191, s.Sc. 1931 Border Mag. (Nov.) 164; Bwk. 1942 Wettstein); studdy (m.Lth. 1870 J. Lauder Warblings 59; Kcb. 1901 R. Trotter Gall. Gossip 445), studdie (Sh. 1866 Edm. Gl., Sh. 1971), stodi (Sh. 1908 Jak. (1928)); stathy (Ork. 1880 Dennison Sketch-Bk. 32). Sc. forms and usages. [′stɛdi, ′stɪ-, ′stʌ-; ′stide]
I. adj. As in Eng. Deriv. steadyment, steadiness, stability. Rare and obs. in Eng.Abd. 1929 Press and Jnl. (19 June) 9:
There was some “steadyment” in farming before the war.
II. adv. Continuously, all the time. Gen.Sc.Ags. 1899 Barrie W. in Thrums viii.:
A body doesna buy cloaks to be wearin' at them steady.Abd. 1928:
He vrocht there steady aa simmer.Abd. 1968 Scottish Studies XII. 119:
I sung for him steady till two o'clock.
III. v. Of a hawk, specif. a kestrel: to hover in one spot on the look-out for prey (Gall. 1955, studdy).
[For the phonetics see Steid. O.Sc. has studdie, steadily, a.1685. The -u- forms may represent, in Sh. at least, Norw. stodug, O.N. stǫdugr, steady, and as a v., Norw. dial. stydja, O.N. styðja, to steady, prop up.]You may wish to vary the format shown below depending on the citation style used.
"Steady adj., adv., v.". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 5 Dec 2025 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/snd/steady_adj_adv_v>
