Scots Glossary
aa all
abeigh aside
aboon above
aboot about
ae a, one
aer early
aff off
affligit afflicted
afore before
ah I
ahint behind
ah'll I will
aiblins perhaps
ain own
airn iron
alack, alake alas
alane alone
alang along
als as
amain
amang among
an if
ance once
anent concerning
ane one
anseinzie war cry, emblem, ensign
aquivitey alcohol
arled sold into bondage for an "arle" (penny)
aroond, aroon' around
arter artery
asteer astir
auld old
aulder older
ava' at all
aw all
awa away
awee a little while
a-whilt at a blow; with the heart pumping
aye (1) yes (2) ever
ayont beyond, above
a' all
baa ball
bagnet bayonet
bailie city councillor
bairn, bairnie child
baith both
balou reassuring word used in lullabies
balup front trouser-flap
bang beat, defeat
bankit ?typo for "binkit" = bent down?
bannock cake, bread roll
banster, bangster, bankster bully, violent man, loose woman
barefit barefoot
bark ship
barm yeast
bath-bun
bauchles
bauld bold
baulk frustrate
bawbee a small coin
baxter baker
ba' ball
beeves cattle
befa' befall
behint behind
beltan evening before May 1
ben inside, within
benison gift, blessing
bevvy drink
bicker (1) wooden tankard (2) move quickly and noisily
billet-doux love letter
billie fellow
birk, birken birch
birkie bloke
birr energy, enthusiasm
birse bristle (of a brush)
blate modest
blaw blow
bleeze blaze
blin' blind
blith happy
bluid blood
blythe-meets bread and cheese distributed to celebrate a wedding
bob move up and down, dance
bobbit bobbed, curtsied
bodkin large needle
bogle fairy, evil spirit
bonnie, bonny, bonie, bony pretty
bonspale bonspiel, game of curling
bothy farmworkers' hut
bowet, bouat lantern
brae bank, hillside
brakkyng breaking
branks iron bridle used for punishment
braw, bra fine, splendid
breeks trousers
bricht bright
brig bridge
brither brother
brocht brought
brock badger
brocken broken
broom scrog curling brush
broon brown
brose oatmeal or peasemeal porridge
brude brood
buchting sheep-folding
buckie whelk
buit boot
bussy busy
bye-gane bygone
ca' call
ca'd called
ca's calls
ca' cannie be careful
cabbage-cloth ???
caddie, cadger porter
cairt cart
cairter carter
calfet caulk, make watertight
camlet cambric?
cannae cannot
canny careful, prudent
canty cheerful
cap cup
cappie a beer drunk from wooden cups
carl, carle working man, old man
carse flat land beside a river
cast fortune, luck
casten cast, moulded
castock kail or cabbage stalk
cauld, cau'd, cawld cold
cauler cool, fresh
cawsey road, pavement
ceevil civil
chainyeis chains
chandler candlestick
chauncis chances
chiel, chield lad, young man
claith cloth
clamihewit heavy blow
cleck'd hatched, born
cleeith equip
cleek hook, shepherd's crook, golf club
cloath cloth
clout (1) strike (2) a blow (3) cloth, item of clothing
clyte rap, blow
cockernonie snooded knots of hair
cog wooden pail
collop slice of meat
condign appropriate
contrair, contrar against
coof fool
cookie sweet yeasted bun
coontin counting
cornis grains
cornufy make a cuckold
cool, coul, cowl woollen night-cap
couth friendly, snug
couthily comfortingly
cowlie contemptuous word for a man; punter, john
crampit iron plate to stand on when launching a stone in curling
creesh, criesh grease
crummie cowpet cow, cow with crooked horns
cuissers lancers
culvering gun
cummer friend
custron vagabond, low-born man
cutty-pipe clay pipe
cutty-stool stool of repentance
dae do
daffin, daffing fun, licentious behaviour
dainty pleasant, agreeable
dang strike
daunder, dander stroll
deacon chief official of an incorporated trade
deil, deilie devil
Den Dane
deuks duck, stone used for "ducks and drakes"
deoch an doruis gill farewell drink
dight wipe
dingle dousy twig with a glowing tip
dirtin contemptible
disna, doesna doesn't
div do
dochter daughter
donner't in dotage
doo dove, pigeon
dool sorrow, grief, mourning
doom sentence
doon down
douce polite, modest, respectable
dought could
doun down
dous't struck
dow is able to
dowff numb, dull
dowie sad, dispirited
drapit wet
drappie drop
dree, dreich dreary
dree, drie endure, put up with
dreg drag, trawl
dron drone
dron brat coalbearer's apron
druckit, druiket soaked
duelling, dwalling dwelling
dyke wall
ear' early
ee, een eye, eyes
eeran' evening
e'en even
eneuch enough
evin even
fairn last, previous
farin', fairin a meal
farl bread roll
fash bother, concern
fauld fold
fause false
faut offence
fauteors offender
fa who
fa' fall
fa'in' falling
fa'll who will
fa's falls
feckless useless
fectlie partly
feen fine
fee'd hired out
feint mae care (fient may care) the devil may care; who cares
fen subsist
fenzy feign
fernyear last year
fidging fain restlessly eager
fient ane the devil a, not a one
fiscal prosecutor (procurator-fiscal)
fitba' football
fleeching flattering, coaxing
flemyng Flemish
flesher, fleshouir butcher
flyting insulting
forecasten predestined
foremaist foremost
fou full, drunk
foul-burn sewer
fo'k folk
frae from
freen' friend
frith firth
fu' saut salty
fuilzie shit
fure went
fyle defile, dirty, soil
gae go
gait road
gan go
gane gone
gang go
gar make
gat, gatten got
gawn going
gey very
gie, gi'e give
gif if
gill measure of whisky, 1/4 pint
gin if
glaikit dimwitted, absent-minded
glebe land attached to a minister's manse
gled glad
glengore syphilis
glied squint-eyed
glowran, glowrin, glowering staring, scowling
glowrs, glowers stares, scowls
gog tee in curling
gowan daisy
gowd gold
graith equipment, tackle
graithly well, properly
gree come to terms
greening appetite
greet, grat cried
grein long for
grippit seized
groon' ground
gude, guid good
gudeman husband, head of a household, tenant farmer
guisers children collecting treats at Halloween
ha, ha' hall
had hold
haddie haddock
hae, ha'e have
haen had
haill (1) whole (2) haul (3) flow, pour
hairp harp
hairst harvest
haith oath
hald, haud hold
hale, hail healthy, uninjured, whole
halesome wholesome
hantle a great deal, large quantity
hap wrap
hary hairy
haugh flat land by a river
hautboyes oboes
havermeal oatmeal
havnae have not
ha'f half
ha'p'ny half-penny
heiss, heeze hoist, dance
hes has
hichest highest
hie (1) high (2) hurry
hings hangs
hinny honey (e.g. as term of endearment)
hippen nappy
hir her
hirpled limped
hizzy housewife, mistress (of...), servant girl, hussy
hoilis holes
hog a score line in curling
homologate confirm, ratify
hoo how
hooly, hulie gently, carefully
hoor (1) hour (2) whore
horning serving a writ for debt
houdies midwives
hough leg, thigh
houp hope
houzen, curple and tie housing, crupper, and bridle-fastening
howbandis ?husband's?
howboy oboe
howe hollow, basin
huff swell, puff up
hunder hundred
(to your) hunkers squat down
hurl-barrow handcart
ile oil
ilk, ilka each
inch island
ingin onion
ingle fireside, hearth
intill into
ir or
jee move
jelly-pan
jo, joe lover
job act improperly
jock, joak female pubic hair
jouk duck, dodge, swerve, escape
kail, kaill kale, cabbage
kaim comb
keach turd
kebbuck cheese
keckling giggling, chuckling
keek look
keelies lads, young men
keill keel
ken know
kend, kenned, kent knew, known
kilt (v.) to hoist or pin a skirt up above the knees
kimmer friend
kintra country
kist chest, box
kye cattle
laich, laigh low
laidron lazy slob
laird lord, landowner
laith reluctant
laldie energy, force
landlouper tramp, vagabond
landwart landowner
lap leapt
law hill
lea rig, ley rig field of grass
leal, leel faithful
leal-bairnies
lear, lair learning
leglen milk-pail
lekkis leaks
licht light
lichtin' lighting
lichtnin' lightning
lick-fud bootlicking
lig lie
lightlies
lintie linnet
loaning cattle track
loed loved
loof palm
loon, loun lad, rogue
losh Lord!
loupin' jumping
lout bend over, bow, duck
lucken compact, locked
lucken gowans daisies
lufe luff (sailing term)
lug ear
luppen leap
lyart grizzled
lyke-wakes
mair more
maist most
mak make
manse minister's house
marrowis companions
maun must
maut malt
mavis song thrush
meikle, mickle big
micht might
minibus
minnie mother
mire bog
mirk darkness
moneless moonless
mowis (1) jokes (2) fucks
muff trim
muir moor
mune moon
mynd mind
na, nae no, not
naething nothing
nane, naine none
napper head
nappy tipsy
neist, niest next
ne'er, ne're never
nicht night
nichtis nights
nicket cut
nocht
noo now
Norsky Norwegian
nourice nurse
nowt cattle
obtest call to witness
odds vetrick ???
o'er, ower, ow're over
ony any
oor our
ordanis ordains, commands
o't of it
o'u oyster
ou oyster
out-ports
outer-house
own acknowledge, recognize
owre over
P45 unemployment registration card
pannel accused person
pech puff, gasp
peck measure of wheat, 9 litres
pecoke peacock
peen pin
pelf, pelfe wealth, money
pelisse silken cloak
pen', pend arched alley between houses
penny-dog dog that follows to heel, sycophant
persave perceive
pest, pestelens plague
pish piss
pishpott pisspot
piticot petticoat
plaget crazy
plain-stanes flagstones, roadway, market square
poind seize for debt
polis police, policeman
pose money
pou pull
pouss puss
pouther powder
powntit pointed
pree taste
primlet ???
prin pin
procedit proceeded
prood proud
puir poor
pund pound
puzhonous poisonous
pyke pick
quate quiet
quean, queyn girl, young woman
quha who
quhair where
quhatsumever whatsoever
quhill while
qwhip whip
rantum voo ?rendezvous?
rattan rat
rax stretch, hang
recnon reckoning, account
rede warn, advise
ree tipsy, furiously excited
respeckit respected
rin run
rizart blackcurrant
rokelay mantle
roodmass either 3 May or 25 September
room vacated position
roose praise
roup auction
rowt bellow like a cow, shout
rung stick
runkled wrinkled
rushlight a candle made by dipping a reed in tallow
sae so
saft soft
sair sore
sair'd served
sanct saint
sang song
sark shirt
sarkin fabric backing for plaster
saster a sausage like a white pudding
saul soul
sawcy, saucy proud, vain, conceited
schalmes, schammes shawm
schame shame
schout shout
schule school
sclander slander
scon scone
scrimpit restricted, in short supply
scurgit scourged
seill seal
sence sense
shakellis shackles
shamboe chamois (leather)
shanks socks
shearers harvesters
shearing, shearin' harvest
sho she
shog sway, rock
shogle jiggle, wobble
shoon shoes
sic, siccan, sich such
siclyk similar
sil'd, siled rinsed (clothes)
siller silver, money
simmer summer
skaill dispersion, separation
skair share
skaith damage
skeel skill
skeelie skilled, crafty
skeigh shy, easily alarmed
skivvy servant
slee clever
sleeky glossy-coated
socht sought
sour douk buttermilk
sourde sword
sow-luggit pig-eared
sowen-mug mug for drinking sowens
sowens a slightly fermented oatmeal drink
sowme sum
spaewife fortune-teller
spair spare
spak spoke
speer, speir ask
speet spit
spencer slip, petticoat
spleuchan tobacco-pouch
spulze, spulyie, spulzie spoil, robbery
squate squat
starnies stars
staun stand
staunan standing
staw stole
steek shut
steeve upright
stirk steer
stotterin' staggering
stoured rushed
stouthrief housebreaking with violence
stowen stolen
stowte strong
strae straw
strand shore
strang strong
succar sugar
suld should
sune soon
sutor shoemaker
sybies, syboes spring onions
syne since
syre ditch
table-lawing altar-cloth
tae to
taen taken
taes takes
tak take
takill tackle
talloun tallow, grease
tane (1) taken (2) the one
tanny tawny, brown
tassie cup
taupie scatterbrained, slovenly or thoughtless young woman
thae, thai those
thair there, their
thesaurer treasurer
thi the
thit that
tho though
thocht thought
thole bear, withstand
thrang crowd
thrapple throat
timmer wood, timber
toom empty
toon, toun town
toren torn
towis flax, hemp, ropes
traikit weary, bedraggled
treddle part of a loom
troker pedlar, secret agent
troth truly
trow, true believe
twasna it was not
tyke (1) dog (2) rough person, boor
tyke's tes'ment a dog's leavings, i.e. nothing
tyne lose. shake off
uder, uthers other
vennel narrow alley
vesta-light match
vetrick
vitht with
wad would
wae woe
wae worth a curse upon
wallies wares
wark work
warld world
warsled wrestle
warst worst
warstled wrestled
wasna, wasnae was not
wauk walk
wauken waken
waukin' waking
waulking soften cloth by beating it rhythmically
waur worse
wa' wall
wae worth a curse upon
wean, wee-ane child
weet wet
weill well
wemeinis women's
wemen women
wer'na were not
wha who
whall, wha'll who'll
whallie ?whale oil?
whan when
whar, whaur where
whase whose
wha'e'er whatever
wheecht snatched quickly
whilly-whaes swindlers
whuff blow out (e.g. a candle)
wi with
wicht vigorous, active, courageous
wifie woman
winnock window
wrang wrong
wud mad
wull will
wylie clever, deceptive
wynd lane, alley
wyte blame
yaird-lang yard-long
yallow yellow
yellowchin yelling
yett gate
yill ale
yince once
yins ones
yont far from
younker youngster
yow you
yowr your
yrons irons
zame them
Back to Contents List
Embro, Embro
Copyright © 2001, Jack Campin