English

Noun

abune ‎(uncountable)

1. (Northern England, Scotland) Alternative form of aboon[First attested around 1350 to 1470.]^[1]

Adverb

abune

1. (Northern England, Scotland) Alternative form of aboon[First attested around 1350 to 1470.]^[1]

Preposition

abune

1. (Northern England, Scotland) Alternative form of aboon[First attested around 1350 to 1470.]^[1]
   • 1877, Peter Burn, English Border Ballads:

     Noo, high abune winds an' waves abune

   • 1991, Katharine Mary Briggs, A Dictionary of British Folk Tales in the British Language:

     And he gaed, and as he was bringing hame the water, a raven owre abune his head cried to him to look...

References

1. 1 2 3 Lesley Brown (editor), The Shorter Oxford English Dictionary, 5th edition (Oxford University Press, 2003 [1933], ISBN 978-0-19-860575-7), page 10

Scots

Alternative forms

• aboon, abin

Preposition

abune

1. above, beyond
   • 1780, Robert Burns, Poems And Songs Of Robert Burns:

     Now deil-ma-care about their jaw, The senseless, gawky million; I'll cock my nose abune them a', I'm roos'd by Craigen-Gillan!

   • 1806, Walter Scott, Minstrelsy of the Scottish border (3rd ed) (1 of 3):

     In the forefront o' that castelle feir, Twa unicorns are bra' to see; There's the picture of a knight, and a ladye bright, And the grene hollin abune their brie.

   • 1874, Edward Bannerman Ramsay, Reminiscences of Scottish Life and Character:

     "Leeze me abune them a'," said one of the company, who had waxed warm in the discussion, "for yon auld clear-headed (bald) man, that said, 'Raphael sings an' Gabriel strikes his goolden harp, an' a' the angels clap their wings wi' joy.'

   • 1919, J. B. Salmond, My Man Sandy:

     There was a nesty plook cam' oot juist abune his lug on Setarday, an' he cudna get on his lum hat; so he had to bide at hame a' Sabbath, an' he spent the feck o' the day i' the hoose readin' Tammas Boston's "Power-fold State" an' the "Pilgrim's Progress."