Glossary
A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z
| Scots words | English words |
|---|---|
| A | |
| aa | all |
| ablow | under |
| aboot | about |
| ae | one |
| a-hin | behind |
| Aiberdeen | Aberdeen |
| airts | points of the compass |
| alang | along |
| anither | another |
| aroon | around |
| atween | between |
| auld | old |
| auld farrant | old fashioned |
| ava | at all |
| awa | away |
| ay/aye | always |
| B | |
| bade | asked / stayed; lived |
| baith | both |
| bandster | person who ties the sheafs |
| banks | baskets used for holding cloth or yarn |
| beasts | cattle |
| bide | live; stay |
| bit | small |
| bits | pieces |
| blaw | blow |
| blinkit | blinkered |
| blyther | happier |
| bocht | bought |
| bonnets | caps |
| bonnie | pretty |
| bowline | a rope used to keep a sail close to the wind |
| braw | good; fine |
| breed | oatcakes |
| breeks | trousers; breeches |
| brose | dish of oatmeal mixed with boiling water or milk and salt |
| bucht | sheep fold |
| busk | dress, make ready |
| but an ben | two rooms of a small house. The 'but' usually the kitchen area and the 'ben' the parlour |
| C | |
| ca'd | called |
| cam | came |
| camstairie | boisterous, argumentative |
| caup | wooden bowl |
| cawf | husks of corn left after thrashing or winnowing |
| chappit | knocked |
| chunce | chance |
| clad | clothed; dressed |
| claw | scratch; scrape |
| cliver | clever |
| cloods | clouds |
| coo | cow |
| coorse | bad, naughty |
| corbie | crow or raven |
| cos; caus | because |
| craters; craturs | creatures; sometimes used to describe weak old people e.g. 'peer crater' |
| creesh | grease; lubricate |
| criv | hen coop |
| D | |
| d’ye; d'yi | do you? |
| dae | do |
| dae’n | done; finished |
| daein | doing |
| daundered | strolled |
| deen | done; finished |
| doon | down |
| doot | doubt |
| dule | sad |
| dull | sad |
| E | |
| eence | once |
| ees | his |
| ere | ever; before |
| F | |
| fa; faa | who |
| fae | from |
| fairmer | farmer |
| fairmhoose | farmhouse |
| faither | father |
| fan; faan | when |
| far; faar | where |
| fee | wages |
| fermtoon; fairmtoun | farm steadings |
| finger steels | covering to protect the fingers |
| fit | what |
| Fitens | local name for Whitehills |
| foo | how |
| fowk | folk |
| freens | friends |
| ful | full |
| G | |
| gaan; gan | going |
| gae | go |
| gaed | went |
| gaen | gone |
| gallee; galley | long low-built ship |
| gane | gone |
| gar | make; force |
| gavel | end of a sheaf or stook (stack) of sheaves (from gable) |
| gey | very |
| gie | give |
| gin | if; than |
| gless | glass |
| gloamin | twilight |
| gouden | golden |
| gowd; goud | gold |
| grog | a mixture of rum and water named after Admiral Vernon who introduced it in 1740 |
| grumphie | pig |
| guid | good |
| guinea | old coin worth twenty one shillings (one pound and five pence) |
| H | |
| haal | haul |
| hadna | had not |
| hae | have |
| hame | home |
| han | hand |
| handfu’s | handfuls |
| haud | hold |
| haud | hold; keep |
| heid | head |
| heilan | highland |
| hidna | had not |
| hooly, hoolie | slowly, cautiously |
| hoor; oor | hour |
| hoose | house |
| hose | stockings |
| I | |
| ile | oil |
| ilka | every; each |
| ill-trickit | deceitful |
| ingle | chimney corner, fireplace |
| intae | into |
| ither | other |
| K | |
| ken | know |
| kent; kint | known |
| L | |
| laddie | boy; youth |
| lamachree | loud wail or cry |
| lang | long |
| league | 3 nautical miles; 5.556 kilometres or 3.456 miles |
| leggies | legs; small legs |
| leid | language |
| licht | light; dismount |
| loon | young man or boy |
| M | |
| mairch | march |
| mairriet | married |
| maister | master; farmer |
| maitters | matters |
| manny; mannie | man |
| Maritimis | Martinmas, St Martin's Day, 11th November |
| maun | must |
| mear | mare (female horse) |
| megrum | flatfish or dabs, sometimes called witches |
| mi | my |
| mizzen | sail nearest the stern or back of a ship |
| moo | mouth |
| moose | mouse |
| muckle | big; great |
| N | |
| nae | no or not |
| nane | none |
| ne’er | never |
| neen | none |
| nicht | night |
| noo | now |
| O | |
| ony | any |
| oor | our; hour |
| oot | out |
| o't | of it |
| ower | over; too (e.g. ower muny = too many) |
| owerboard | overboard |
| P | |
| Peterheid | Peterhead – important Aberdeenshire fishing and whaling port |
| pey’d | paid |
| piece | something to eat at the morning break (e.g. a sandwich) |
| ploo | plough |
| pou, poo | pull |
| puckle | small quantity |
| R | |
| rash | rush |
| reef | part of a sail that can be rolled or folded up; roof |
| reek | smoke |
| richt | right, correct |
| rigg-it | set up with sail |
| roon | round |
| roperie | place where ropes were made for ships and boats |
| roun | round |
| S | |
| sae | so |
| sairest | hardest; sorest |
| screeve; screive | write |
| screeved; screived | written |
| scyther | man who uses a scythe to cut corn |
| seen | soon |
| sheaf | bundle of corn tied in a bunch |
| sheen | shoes |
| shew | sow |
| sicht | sight |
| skillet | small long-handled pan |
| skweel; skule | school |
| sleekit | sly; smooth |
| sma | small |
| spak | spoke |
| speir’t | asked |
| stracht | straight |
| strae | straw |
| sweem | swim |
| T | |
| tae | to |
| taen | took |
| tak/taak | take |
| tarry clothes | clothes covered in the tar used to seal ships |
| tatties | potatoes |
| ten bob | ten shillings – fifty pence in today’s money |
| the morn | tomorrow |
| theek | thatch |
| ticht | tight |
| tine | lose |
| toddling | strolling |
| toll | place where fees were once paid for using a turnpike road |
| toon | town; farm steadings as in 'fermtoon' |
| toonie | small town or village |
| trampin lass | girl employed to tramp yarn or cloth in a tub to clean it |
| troosers | trousers; breeches |
| Turra | Turriff |
| twa | two |
| U | |
| unco | very |
| W | |
| waater | water |
| wae | woe |
| wapinshaw | originally a weapon show but has become a shooting competition |
| wee | small |
| weel | well |
| weel shod | well shoed |
| weer | wear |
| wha’ll | who will? |
| wi | with |
| widifu | hired ruffian |
| widna | would not |
| winna | will not |
| wirk | work |
| wis | was |
| wisna | was not |
| wot | know |
| wrang | wrong |
| wye | way |
| Y | |
| ye | you |
| yestreen | yesterday |
| yoll | yawl; small fishing boat |
| yon | that |
| yowie | ewe |