lairds

Noun

laird (plural lairds)

1. (historical) A feudal lord in Scottish contexts.
2. (Scotland) An aristocrat, particularly in Scottish contexts and in reference to the chiefs of the Scottish clans.
   • Now Wiſe, and Rich, and Worthie, and Wonderful, and Faithful and True, and Rare, & Charitable, and Great Laird of Carnwath, Be not Prowd, altho I Commend you at ſuch a Rate behind your back and yet never ſaw You...1712 January 1, [William Mitchel], The Tinklars Speech to the Most Loyal Country-man, the Honourable Laird of Carnwath, [Edinburgh?]: [s.n.], →OCLC, page 2
3. (Scotland) A landowner, particularly in Scottish contexts.
   • In Scotland, the traditional term for the owner of an upland estate is the ‘laird’. [...] Well into the post-war period, the lairds of large estates were generally treated deferentially by local people but times have changed, [...] It would be a mistake to equate the title ‘laird’ to a British...2013, Jayne Glass, Alister Scott, Martin F. Price, Charles Warren, “Sustainability in the Uplands: Introducing Key Concepts”, in Jayne Glass, Martin F. Price, Charles Warren, Alister Scott, editors...

See all 11 meanings of laird