Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- noun The owner of a landed estate.
from The Century Dictionary.
- noun In Scotland, a landed proprietor; especially, the owner of a hereditary estate; also, rarely, a house-owner; a landlord.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- noun Scot. A lord; a landholder, esp. one who holds land directly of the crown.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun The
owner of aScottish estate ; alandlord
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- noun a landowner
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
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Examples
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– the laird is about the house: and I am feared he will make some stramash when he sees ye.
Kirsteen: The Story of a Scotch Family Seventy Years Ago Margaret 1891
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I fear me, this man of violence, whom they call the laird, will execute these his threats, which cannot be without both loss and danger to my brother. '
Redgauntlet Walter Scott 1801
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I fear me, this man of violence, whom they call the laird, will execute these his threats, which cannot be without both loss and danger to my brother.’
Redgauntlet 2008
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But I say that this fellow the laird is a firebrand in the country; that he is stirring up all the honest fellows who should be drinking their brandy quietly, by telling them stories about their ancestors and the Forty-five; and that he is trying to turn all waters into his own mill-dam, and to set his sails to all winds.
Redgauntlet 2008
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With such discourse, and the intervening topics of business, the time passed until dinner, Macwheeble meanwhile promising to devise some mode of introducing Edward at the Duchran, where Rose at present resided, without risk of danger or suspicion; which seemed no very easy task, since the laird was a very zealous friend to government.
Waverley 2004
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Your laird should be the only man to touch your hair.
Ransom Julie Garwood 1999
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"Aye, but the laird is the laird," said a more cautious one.
A Place Called Freedom Follett, Ken 1995
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The laird was a woman, Lady Hallim, a widow with a daughter.
A Place Called Freedom Follett, Ken 1995
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The laird is a strange body and has not a very good name in these parts, but my son had had businessdealings with him and invited him to stay a couple of nights to finish discussing the details.
My Bones Will Keep Mitchell, Gladys, 1901-1983 1977
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I fancy, that, when he sat at the laird's table, (Sir Walter's,) and called the laird's lady by her baptismal name, and -- not abashed in any presence -- uttered his Gaelic gibes for the wonderment of London guests, -- that he thought far more of himself than the world has ever been inclined to think of him.
The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 14, No. 83, September, 1864 Various
chained_bear commented on the word laird
Minor baron or small landowner (usually Scottish).
August 25, 2008