1. Plural of laird; Scottish landowners or nobles who hold estates.
Usage: Scottish English; historical and contemporary use

Examples

• The lairds of the Highlands gathered to discuss their shared interests.
• Many Scottish lairds owned vast tracts of land in the Lowlands.
• The old lairds ruled their estates with considerable authority.
• Several lairds attended the royal court in Edinburgh.
• The lairds' castles dotted the Scottish landscape for centuries.