Laird

[EoganOg@aol.com]

Poster: EoganOg@aol.com

To Diana and all others who might be interested.  The Concise Scots Dictionary
has this to say about the various spellings and meanings of the word "laird"
and when it was used.  This is a paraphrase of the entry in the Dictionary.
Dates in brackets indicate the period (in centuries) of usage.

laird &c [15-], lard &c [la14-20]; lerd [la16-17], leard &c [17-e18].  n. 1. a
prince or cheif [la14-, latterly rare and literary].  2. (1) Christ [la14-16];
(2) colloq as mild expletive, [18-].  3. the landlord of landed property of an
estate [15-]; cf landislaird.  4. chf [15-] of lesser landowners, a landowner
holding directly of the Crown, and so entitled to come to Parliament [-e18],
but not a lord of Parliament.  5. an owner of property in general, especially
a house-owner [19-]. 6. applied (with patronymic) to the cheif of a Highland
Clan [la16-e17]: 'the laird of MacGregor'.  7. jocular term of address, chum,
lad [20-], local to Aberdeen and Lothian.

Source:  Robinson, Mairi, ed.  _The Concise Scots Dictionary_, Aberdeen
University Press:  Aberdeen, Scotland, 1985.

Aye,
Eogan Og
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Tighearn Eoghan Og Mac Labhrainn, AoA, CP 
Sangster of Scotland and Atlantia
Chronicler of the Militant Society of Bards
<A HREF="http://www3.wcu.edu/~mn13189/sca.htm">
http://www3.wcu.edu/~mn13189/sca.htm</A>
Checky Or & Vert, two lions combattant, tails knowed, in base a 
mouse couchant, all within an orle of roundels, Argent.
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"A! Fredome is a noble thing. . ."  --John Barbour in The Bruce, 1375
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