Howdie
Preserved but no longer current.
Also seen as: Howdy
Meaning · English
The Scottish word for a midwife. When skirlin weanies see the light, Thou maks the gossips clatter bright, How fumbling cuifs their dearies slight; Wae worth the name!
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “Howdie” mean?
The Scottish word for a midwife. When skirlin weanies see the light, Thou maks the gossips clatter bright, How fumbling cuifs their dearies slight; Wae worth the name!
Is “Howdie” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.