abeigh, adv. Sc.
(əˈbiːx, əbɛˈɪx)
[Of uncert. deriv.; possibly f. a prep.1 in + Norse beig, beyg, fear. In any etym. the final guttural must be accounted for.]
‘At a shy distance, aloof.’ Jamieson.
| c 1707 Auld Gray Mare in Jacob. Relics I. 69 Whene'er her tail play'd whisk, Or when her look grew skeigh, It's then the wise auld man Was blythe to stand abeigh. 1787 Burns III. 142 Town's bodies ran, an' stood abeigh, An' ca't thee mad. |