sowens

[ soh-uhnz, soo- ]

noun

, (used with a singular verb)

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

sowens

/ ˈsuː-; ˈsəʊənz /

noun

1. a pudding made from oatmeal husks steeped and boiled

Word History and Origins

Origin of sowens¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of sowens¹

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

Example Sentences

Flummery, flum′ėr-i, n. an acid jelly made from the husks of oats: the Scotch sowens: anything insipid: empty compliment.

From Project Gutenberg

He is a poet, and, according to his idea of that race, they subsist entirely upon porridge or on sowens.

From Project Gutenberg

The Indulgence is but a dish of sowens with a muzzle thereafter, to make us for ever dumb dogs that will not bark.

From Project Gutenberg

The master of the house, who was of Scotch descent, called it "sowens," and declared that every one present must eat some with butter and salt if he desired to have luck till next All-hallow Eve.

From Project Gutenberg

If you had no teeth and no digestion, you were allowed a pint and a half of sowens porridge instead; and thus helped your portion of exhausted cavalry mount or your bit of tough mule-meat down.

From Project Gutenberg