kebbuck

noun

keb·​buck ˈke-bək 

variants or kebbock

dialectal British

: a whole wheel or ball of cheese

Word History

Etymology

early Scots cabok, kebboc "a cheese," of uncertain origin

Note: Especially in early Scots, cabok, etc. is usually used as a count noun with an appended genitive (kebboc of cheis, cabok of cheis). The word has been compared with Scottish Gaelic càbag in the same sense, attested since the 18th century, but the latter is most likely a borrowing from Scots. According to the Scottish National Dictionary, ceapag is recorded in modern Scottish Gaelic dialects in the sense "a round lump, as of cheese," apparently an extended meaning from the senses "wheel of a wheelbarrow, small pair of stocks, small turf or sod, block" (from Edward Dwelly's early-20th-century dictionary), a diminutive of ceap "block, stock," a word common to Scottish Gaelic and Irish (Middle Irish cep). But the "lump of cheese" sense, not known before the 20th century, may again be a reflection of the Scots word.

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above