north. dial. and Sc. Also 6 lumbe, 7 lume, 8 lumb. [Of obscure etymology; possibly an application of OF. lum light (:—L. lūmen); cf. the uses of F. lumière in the sense of ‘aperture, passage.’ The resemblance in form and sense to Welsh llumon chimney is noteworthy.]
† 1. ? An opening in a roof; a skylight. Obs.
1507–8. Durham Acc. Rolls (Surtees), 659. ij ropez ad le lumbe pro lumine in pandoxatorio.
2. A chimney; also a chimney-top.
1697. [see 3].
1701. Brand, Orkney, etc. (1703), 145. They carefully fix their Eyes upon the Lums or Chimney Heads of this House.
1742. Forbes, Ajax Sp. etc. Jrnl. (1755), 30. Gin I had been gain out at the lum o’ a house.
a. 1774. Fergusson, Hallowfair, Poems (1845), 13. Upon the tap of ilka lum The Sun began to keek.
1785. Burns, Halloween, viii. He bleez’d owre her, an’ she owre him,… Till fuff! he started up the lum.
1862. G. Macdonald, Dav. Elginbrod, I. 33. By the side of the wide chimney, or more properly lum, hung an iron lamp.
1883. Gresley, Gloss. Coal-mining, Lum, a chimney placed on the top of an upcast shaft to carry off the smoke, &c., and to increase the ventilating current.
3. Comb.: lum-hat, a chimney-pot hat; lum-head, the upper part of a chimney, whence the smoke escapes; lum-sweeper, a chimney-sweeper.
1888. Barrie, When a Man’s Single (1900), 86/2. It’s Rob Angus come home in a *lum hat.
1768. Ross, Helenore (1789), 55. The sun begins to leam, And clouds of reek frae *lumb-heads to appear.
1818. Scott, Hrt. Midl., xxvii. The … blue reek that came out of the lum-head.
1697. Parish Reg., in Brand, Hist. Newcastle (1789), I. 619. James Brown *lume sweeper.
