sowens

[ soh-uh nz, soo- ]

/ ˈsoʊ ənz, ˈsu- /

noun (used with a singular verb) Scot., Irish English.

porridge made from oat bran or husks that have been soaked in water, slightly fermented, and then boiled.

Nearby words

sow wild oats, sowback, sowbelly, sowbread, sowcar, sowens, soweto, sown, sox, soy, soy flour

Origin of sowens

1575–85; < Scots Gaelic sùghan, derivative of sùgh sap

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for sowens

He is a poet, and, according to his idea of that race, they subsist entirely upon porridge or on sowens.
Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, Volume 60, No. 369, July 1846|Various
"Sowens is—or are—good," decided Dr. Watkins, tasting his cake slowly, and pronouncing judgment on it after due deliberation.
Ethel Morton's Holidays|Mabell S. C. Smith
Sowens, with butter instead of milk to them, is always the Halloween supper.
The Complete Works of Robert Burns: Containing his Poems, Songs, and Correspondence.|Robert Burns and Allan Cunningham
Sowens, a dish made by steeping, fermenting, and then boiling the husks or siftings of oats in water.
Witchcraft and Superstitious Record in the South-Western District of Scotland|J. Maxwell Wood

Sowens, pottage made of the dust in oatmeal seeds steeped and soured.
The Proverbs of Scotland|Alexander Hislop

British Dictionary definitions for sowens

sowens

/ (ˈsəʊənz, ˈsuː-) /

noun

Scot a pudding made from oatmeal husks steeped and boiled

Word Origin for sowens

C16: from Scottish Gaelic sùghan, from sùfgh sap; related to Old High German sūgan to suck

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012