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Meith

MEITH n A boundary mark

 

Meaning a landmark or other feature marking a boundary, meith is of Scandinavian origin. In the Dictionary of the Scots Language (www.dsl.ac.uk) it often crops up in stock phrases such as ‘meiths and bounds’ or ‘meiths and marches’.

So in Balfour’s Practicks: or a system of the more ancient Law of Scotland (1575), we find:

“Gif the meithis and merchis of ony landis … be castin doun”.

In 1668, from the Journals of Sir John Lauder, Lord Fountainhall there is reference to:

“The bray of the Wester Hill, which is the meith between Braid and Mortonhall”.

A meith can also be a sea-mark, as well as a marker on land, as in Decreet (1602) in Adamson’s Muses Threnodie:

“For placing of the tuns in the water mouth of Tay, as marks, meiths & signs for demonstrating the perils and dangers there”.

And in a combination of land and sea, a meith could refer to a landmark for sailors, as illustrated by John Brand’s A Brief Description of Orkney, Zetland, Pightland-Firth & Caithness (1701): 

“The House of Mey … is a myth, sign or mark, much observed by saillers in their passing through this firth”.

Used figuratively, meethless therefore means without a guiding mark, trackless or aimless – as clearly shown by the following quotation from Swatches o Hamespun (1924):

“The lave o’ them haiveless like harnless deer An’ meethless an’ planless aye wannert aroon”.

More generally, a meith can be a general indication; for example this 1776 quotation from the Weekly Magazine refers to tears:

“The meiths o’ sorrow down frae baith your een … are seen”.

And even more nebulous is the meaning explained in Jamieson’s Etymological Dictionary of the Scottish Language (1808):

“One is said to give a meith or meid of a thing, when he barely insinuates it”.

 

 

Scots Word of the Week is written by Ann Ferguson of Scottish Language Dictionaries. First Published 23rd November 2015