What does blawn mean?
Blawn is the past participle of blaw, the Scots and Northern English counterpart of the standard English verb blow. It describes something that has been driven by wind or breath — crops flattened by a gale, embers fanned alight, leaves scattered down a lane — and can also describe someone who has boasted or puffed himself up. The word belongs chiefly to Scots, where blaw has served as the regular form of blow for centuries, and it survives most vividly in poetry and song: Robert Burns uses it repeatedly in lines about winds sweeping over moorland. Outside Scotland and northern England, blawn reads as dialect, so writers aiming at a general audience should prefer blown. Within its home territory, however, it remains a living word, heard in everyday speech and cherished as part of the region's linguistic heritage.
verb (past participle)The past participle of 'blaw', the Scots and Northern English form of 'blow'; meaning puffed or driven by wind, or (of a person) having boasted.
- Past participle of 'blaw' (Scots form of 'blow'), meaning moved or driven by wind or breath
- (Of a person) having boasted or puffed oneself up
"The wind had blawn all night, scattering the thatch across the croft."
"A cauld wind had blawn through the glen since dawn."
"He's blawn aboot his new job for weeks."
If you've read Robert Burns, you've seen 'blawn' — it's simply how Scots says 'blown'.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of blawn
Blawn derives from Middle English/Middle Scots blawen, the past participle of blaw, from Old English blāwan, meaning to blow. It shares this Germanic root with blast, bluster, and other blow-related words. Its use has persisted continuously in Scots and Northern English dialects from medieval times to the present.
Related word forms
How blawn is actually used
Strongly associated with Scots literature, especially Burns. In standard English writing, use 'blown' instead; 'blawn' is appropriate in dialect dialogue, poetry, or quotations.
Easily confused with blawn
'Blown' is the standard English past participle of 'blow', whereas 'blawn' is the Scots/Northern English equivalent of the same verb.