Sacred Texts Legends and Sagas Celtic Index Previous Next
A, I, the first personal pronoun
Abeen, above
Aboot, about
Ae, one
Afore, before
Ahin, behind
Aifter, after
Aipple, apple
Alane, alone
Amon, among
Amo’ among
An, and
Ane, one
Aneth, beneath
Aneuch, enough
Anither, another
Athegeethir, altogether
Atween, between
Aul, old
Aul man, the devil
Awa, away
Ayont, beyond
Back, backward
Baird, the beard
Bairn, a child
Bait-pot, a pot used for boiling turnips with corn or barley dressings as food for horses
Baith, both
Bank-fou, when the banks of streams and rivers are full
Bannock, a cake made of oatmeal and baked on a gridiron
Bap, a small round loaf
Barfit, barefooted
Battenan, becoming stout and strong
Bank, the lower brace of a couple
Bawbee, a halfpenny
Beenie, a small bone
Beerial, burial
Behn, a bone
Behst, a beast
Ben, inward, towards the fireplace, as, cum ben.
Bench, a sort of open cupboard hung from the wall
Beuk, to give the names of the affianced for the proclamation of the marriage--banns in church
Bibblie gauger, the nose
Bibbles, mucus from the nose
Bide, to dwell in
Big, to build
Birn, a burden
Bit, but, except
Bit, a piece
Black, to grow black
Black oil, oil made from the milt of white fish
Bleed, blood
Bleedy, bloody
Blin, blind
Blissin, blessing
Bocht, bought
Bodie, a person
Boggie, a small bog or marsh
Bole, a small hole built in the wall of a house
Bonnie, beautiful
Bonnie things, the marriage clothes and ornaments
Brack, to break
Brak, to break
Brae, a slope
Brae-fou, when the slopes are covered, or when the hollows are filled
Bree, water in which anything is boiled
Breeks, trousers
Breest, breast
Broch, borough
Brock, to spoil, to waste
Brod, a goad
Broo, the brow
Brook, broke, past of brack
Brook, spoken of sheep when the face is black or brown
Broon, brown
Bruckle, a kind of carex.
Buff, to beat
Bun-bed, a bed made of wood like a large cupboard
But, outward
But ein, the best room in the dwelling-house
Byke, the hook at the end of the crook by which pots, &c. are suspended over the fire
Ca, to drive
Caa, to name, to call
Cadger, one who drives fish through the country for sale
Caff, chaff
Cairry, to carry
Cam, came, past of come
Can’le, a candle
Can’le-gullie, a large knife used to split up bog-fir into candles
Canny, skilful, careful; having more knowledge than ordinary
Cap, a small wooden basin
Carena, care not
Carlin, an old woman
Cattie, a small cat
Caul, cold
Caunle, candle
Cheep, to chirp
Chirity, charity
Chucken, chicken
Claid, to clothe, past claid, past participle claid.
Claith, cloth
Clash, to tell tales
Clash-pyot, a tale-teller
Clatter, to chatter, to speak incessantly
Clippan, a small piece of cloth cut off
Clockin, applied to a bird when hatching eggs
Clum, to climb
Codlin, a codfish
Cog, a dish made of wooden staves and bound with hoops
Connach, to make a muddle of
Coo, a cow
Coont, to count, to number
Coordie, a coward
Corp, a dead body
Craitir, creature, applied to every living being
Crap, crop
Crape, crept, past of creep.
Craw, a crow
Crawin, crowing
Creesch, tallow
Creenie-crannie, the little finger
Crook, the small chain with a hook in the lower end that hangs over the fire from which the pots, &c., are suspended when cooking is going on
Crosst shilling, a shilling having on it the figure of a cross
Cry, to bring forth a child
Cyarlin, a big woman of rude manners
Cudna, could not
Dee, to do; to die
Deed, dead
Deel, devil
Deen, done, past participle of dee.
Ding, to strive, to surpass; to throw, to cast
Ding on, to rain
Dinna, do not
Dirl, to quiver
Dish-clout, a piece of cloth for wiping dishes
Disna, does not
Diz, does
Doggie, a small dog
Doo, a dove
Doon, down
Doonie, down
Doorie, a small door
Doup, the end, bottom
Dowie, doleful
Dram, a glass of whiskey
Drap, drop
Drappy, rainy
Dreeve, drove
Drill up, to work steadily and energetically
Dud, a little piece of dress or cloth
Dummy, a dumb person
Divine, to waste away
Dyvot, a thin turf used for covering roofs, &c.
Ee, eye
Eely, oil
Eely dolly, an oil-lamp made of two pieces or shells of iron
Eemist, uppermost
Een, eyes
Eer, early
Eest, used, was wont
Eht, to eat
Emerteen, an ant
Fa, to fall
Fae, from
Fah, who
Fahr, where
Faht, what
Faimly, family
Fairt, afraid
Fan, found, past of fin, to find
Fattenan, becoming fat
Fause, false
Feberwary, February
Feersday, Thursday
Fehr, fear
Fehst, feast
Fess, to fetch, to bring
Ferra, applied to a cow not under milk
Fey, doomed to die
Fey-crap, a crop betokening death
Filk, which
Filthy fa, ill-luck befall
Fin, to find
Fin, when
Fir-can’le, a candle made of bog-fir
First-fit, what is first met
Fit, foot
Fite, white
Fite bread, wheaten bread
Fitin, a whiting, the name of a fish
Fleck, to become spotted with white
Floor, a flower
Fool, foul, dirty
Forbye, besides
Fore, forward
Forebeers, forefathers
Forenicht, the evening
Forespeak, to bestow excessive praise, the consequence of which is to cause disease in the one so praised
Fou, full
Fouck, folk, people
Fou o’ the meen, full moon
Freen, a friend
Fremit, strange
Fuh, why
Fun, found, past participle of fin.
Furl, to whirl
Fushing, a fishing
Futher, whether
Gab, the mouth
Gae, to go
Gairden, a garden
Gaither, to gather
Gang, to go
Gar, to force, to compel
Gee, to give
Geed, went, past of go
Geed wull, lost the way
Gehn, if; gin is another form
Gehr, to become streaked
Gird, a hoop
Girdle, the round piece of iron on which oaten cakes are baked
Girnal, the chest that holds the meal
Girss, grass
Glaiss, a glass
Glowr, to stare
Gouckit, foolish
Goud, gold
Grais, grass
Greeance, agreement, betrothal
Greet, to weep; past, grat; past participle, grutten.
Green brees, an open cesspool
Greethy, greedy
Growan, growth
Gueede, good; gueedeman, good man; gueedewife, the mistress
Gueede sake, for God's sake
Gya, gave, past of gee.
Hack, to cut
Hae, to have
Hail, whole
Haimmer, a hammer
Hairst, harvest
Half-wye, half-way
Hame, home
Han, hand
Hanless, unskilful
Hannie, a small hand
Hopwarm, a comfortable piece of dress
Harn, sack-cloth
Harry, to rob
Hathish, a small dry measure; four in a peck
Hattie, a small hat
Hand, to hold
Heeld, held, kept, past of haud.
Hehd, the head
Herd, to tend cattle; as a n., one who tends cattle; also hird.
Hicht, height
Hielanman, a Highlander
Hiner, to hinder, to prevent
Hirple, cripple; as a verb to halt in walking
Hogg, a young sheep
Hoosie, a little house
Horsie, a little horse
Hummil, without horns
Hunn, a hound
Ilky, each
Im, him
Incraise, to increase
Intil, into
Ir, her
It, that
Jimp, slender
Jist, just, as an adverb
Kebback, a cheese
Ken, to know
Kintra, country
Kirk-road, the road along which the worshippers go to church
Kirsnin, baptism
Kist, a chest
Kistan, the act of putting the dead body into the coffin
Kittle, to tickle
Kye, cows
Laan, land, an estate
Laan-mark, land-mark
Lad, laad, a male sweetheart
Laid, a load
Laidie, a lady
Lairdie, a little laird
Lairge, large
Lang, long
Lass, a female sweetheart
Lat, to let; lat oot, to enlarge
Lager-stehn, a flat gravestone
Leb, a large hurried draught
Leearie, a liar
Leuk, to look
Licht, light
Lit-pot, a pot used for dyeing
Loon, a boy
Loup, to jump
Loupie, a short jump
Lug, the ear
Luggit, having ears
Lum, a chimney-head made of wood; the whole vent
Lyke, the watching of a dead body
Ma, my
Mailison, a curse
Mair, more
Mak, to mak
Mairidge, marriage
Maister, master
Mairrit, married
Maugre, in spite of
Maun, must
Maut, malt
Meels, graveyard mould
Meen, moon
Meer, a mare
Mehl-bowie, the cask that holds the meal for the household
Mehr, more
Meht, meat, used in the sense of food, sometimes, feast; merry meht means feast of joy
Misgae, for a cow to slip her calf
Monanday, Monday
Mony, many
Moo, mouth
Moofou, mouthful
Moosie, a little mouse
Muckle, much, large
Mutty, a small dry measure; four in a hathisch
Myne, to remember; to pay attention to
Nae, no
Naither, neither
Nappie, a small nob
Nearie, near
Neesht, next, the other
Neist, next
Neive, the hand
Nestie, a small nest
Nethmest, lowermost
Neuk, a corner
Nib, a bird's bill
Nicht, night
Nivver, never
Noo, now
Nout, cattle
Oo, wool
Oo aye, oh, yes
Ook, week
Oot, out
Or, before
Orra, spare; orra bawbees, spare halfpennies
Ouer, over
Pannie, a small pan
Pattie, a small pot
Peat-neuk, a corner or other part of the house used for holding peats
Peer, poor
Peer-man, a candlestick
Peer-page, same as peer-man.
Piece, a piece of cake given to a person
Pistol, a pistol
Pit, to put
Pit fae, to push away
Plack, a small coin
Plew, to plough; as a n., a plough
Plinisan, furniture of all kinds
Poother, powder
Poddock, a frog
Pottie, a small pot
Pree, to taste
Providan, a marriage outfit
Puir, poor
Pan, a pound
Pyock, a bag, a sack
Quarter, to lodge
Quarterer, a lodger
Queentry, country
Quite, a coat
Quo’, quoth, said
Raid, rode, past participle of ride
Raip, a rope, commonly applied only to ropes made of straw or rushes
Raither, rather
Rantle-tree, the beam over the fire from which the crook hangs
Rashin, made of rushes
Ream, cream
Ream-bowie, a small barrel open at one end for holding cream
Ream-pig, a jar for holding cream
Redd, to open what is shut, or stopped up
Reed, red
Reef, roof
Richt, right
Rin, to run
Rinnin, running
Roon, round
Saands, sands
Sae, so
Saft, soft
Sain, to bless in the name of God
Sair, haud sair, hold tightly
Saitirday, Saturday
Saiven, seven
Sannie, Alexander
Sauch, a willow
Saut, salt
Saw, to sow
Scrog, a rugged branch
Seal, what binds cattle to the stall
Sehr, painful, grievous
Sennin, sending
Sens, the two men sent to bring the bride to be married
Settle, a kind of sofa without any covering or stuffing
Shaave, to sow
Shall, a shell
Shee, a shoe
Sheelin coug, a wooden dish for holding the fishing bait when taken from the shells
Sheen, shoes
Shillicks, the dressings of corn and here
Shoeie, a little shoe
Shoor, a shower
Shot, a catch of fish
Shot-a-dead, killed by a fairy dart
Shouther, the shoulder
Sicker, sure, firm, steadfast
Siller, silver; money
Silly hoo, a holy cap; the caul which some children have, on their head when born
Sin, the sun
Skeel, skill
Skull, an oblong basket with round ends and a round bottom
Sma, small
Sneaw, snow
Sodger, a soldier
Soo, a sow
Spang, a long jump
Speer, to ask
Staa, stole, past of steal.
Stan, to stand
Stap, to step
Star, a kind of carex.
Steed, stood, past of stan.
Steek, to close, to shut
Steer, a bull, an ox
Stehn, a stone
Stent, allotted work
Stoup-fou, a full stoup or tankard
Strae, straw
Stret, tight; hard, when applied to a bargain
Strin, as much milk as comes from a cow's dug by once pressing it
Stryke, to stretch; to lay out a dead body; to put the plough into the soil for the first time after harvest
Sud, should
Swallit, swallowed
Swypit, swept, past of swype.
Syne, then; sinsyne, since that time
Tackit, a small iron nail with a broad head for driving into the soles of boots and shoes
Tae, a toe
Tack, to take
Tak, to take
Tap, top
Tap-puckle, the grain on the top of the ear
Taul, told, payed; past of tell.
Tead, a toad
The streen, yestreen (yester even), last night
Thig, to beg
Thir, their
Thoosans, thousands
Three-girded, bound with three hoops
Threw, twisted, past of thraw, to twist; to thraw the moo at one, to make a wry mouth
Throo, through
Thunner, thunder
Tippen, the hair that binds the hook to the line
Tither, other
Toon, town
Tow, a rope
Trance, a passage in a dwelling-house
Trushter, useless stuff
Tung, tongue; hand yir tung, keep silence
Twa, two
Twal owsen plew, a plough drawn by twelve oxen
Tyesday, Tuesday
Umman, woman
Uncanny, dangerous
Unceevil, uncivil
Unco, very before an adjective, as unco caul, very cold
Vrang, wrong
Vrang wye, wrong way, from left to right
Wa, a wall
Waan, a wand
Waicht, weight
Waicht, a small sieve
Wan, gained, reached, past of win, to gain, to reach; to win hame, to reach home
Wardle, the world
Wark, work
Warna, were not
Warst, worst
Wattir, water
Wee, with; also wi.
Wee, small
Weel, well
Ween, wind
Wicht, strong
Win, wind
Win, to reach; to gain; see wan.
Win on, to mount
Winkie, the eye
Winna, will not
Wint, to want, to wish for
Wintin, without
Wir, were
Wis, to wish
Wissin, wishing
Withoot, without
Wiz, was
Wob, a web
Wud, would
Wyme, the belly
Wye, way
Yeel mairt, an ox killed at Christmas for home consumption
Yett, a gate
Yir, yer, your
Yit, a gate
Youl, a howl
Yow, a ewe