smeddum

English

Alternative forms

Etymology

From earlier smitham, smytham, from Middle English smedma, from Old English smedma, smeodema, smedema (“fine flour, pollen meal, meal”).

Noun

smeddum (uncountable)

  1. Fine powder; flour.
  2. The powder or finest part of ground malt.
  3. (mining) Smitham.
  4. (Scotland) Zest, energy; pluck; sagacity; quickness of apprehension; gumption; spirit; mettle.
    • 1933, Lewis Grassic Gibbon, Cloud Howe, Polygon 2006 (A Scots Quair), p. 271:
      maybe there were better folk far in Segget, but few enough with smeddum like his.
  5. (Britain dialectal, Northern England) Ore small enough to pass through the wire bottom of a sieve.
  6. (Britain dialectal, Northern England) A layer of clay or shale between two beds of coal.

Scots

Etymology

From Old English smeodoma.

Pronunciation
  • IPA(key): /ˈsmɛdəm/

Noun

smeddum (uncountable)

  1. (obsolete) fine powder, smitham
  2. pith, essence
  3. zest, spirit, gumption
    • 1925, Hugh MacDiarmid, "Cophetua",:
      She's showin' the haill coort/ the smeddum intil her!
      (please add an English translation of this quote)
This article is issued from Wiktionary. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.