Big, vb. to build, dwell, inhabit. Dunbar T.M.W. 338; Dalr., I, 26, 19; Sco. pro. 5. O. N. byggia. See Wall. Sco. "to big wi' us," to live with us, cp. Norse ny-byddja, to colonize.
Bigging, bygine, sb. a building. O. N. bygging, a building, habitation. Scand. diall. all have the form bygning, so O. Sw. bygning. The word may be an independent Sco. formation just as erding, "burial," from erde, "to bury"; layking, "a tournament," from layke, "to sport"; casting, "a cast-off garment," from cast; flytting, "movable goods," from flyt, "to move"; hailsing, "a salute," from hailse; and Eng. dwelling, "a house," from vb. dwell. Cp. however Shetland bogin.
Bing, sb. a heap, a pile. Douglass, II, 216, 8. O. N. bingr, a heap, O. Sw. binge. Norse bing more frequently a heap or quantity of grain in an enclosed space. O. Dan. byng, bing.
Bir, birr, beir, sb. clamor, noise, also rush. S. S. 38; Lyndsay, 538, 4280. O. N. byrr, a fair wind. O. Sw. byr. Cp. Cu. bur and Shetland "a pirr o' wind," a gust. Also pronounced bur, bor.
Birring, pr. p. flapping (of wings). Mansie Wauch, 159, 33. See bir.
Bla, blae (blē), adj. blue, livid. Douglas, III, 130, 30; Irving, 468. O. N. blá, blue, Norse blaa, blau, Sw. blå, Dan. blaa. Not from O. E. blēo.
Blabber, vb. to chatter, speak nonsense. Dunbar F., 112. O. N. blabbra, lisp, speak indistinctly, Dan. blabbre id., Dan. dial. blabre, to talk of others more than is proper. M. E. blaber, cp. Cu. blab, to tell a secret. American dial. blab, to inform on one, to tattle. There is a Gael. blabaran, sb. a stutterer, which is undoubtedly borrowed from the O. N. The meaning indicates that.
Blaik, vb. to cleanse, to polish. Johnnie Gibb, 9, 6. O. N. blæikja, to bleach, O. Sw. blekia, Sw. dial. bleika. All these are causative verbs like the Sco. The inchoative corresponding to them is blæikna in O. N., N.N., blekna in O. Sw., blegne in Dan. See blayknit. Cp. Shetland bleg, sb. a white spot.
Blayknit, pp. bleached. Douglas, III, 78, 15. O. N. blæikna, to become pale, O. Sw. blekna, Norse blæikna id. O. N. blæikr, pale. Cp. Cu. blake, pale, and bleakken with i-fracture. O. E. blāc, blæcan.
Bleck, vb. put to shame. Johnnie Gibb, 59, 34, 256, 13. O. N. blekkja, to impose upon, blekkiliga, delusively, blekking, delusion, fraud; a little doubtful.