GLOSSARY

From Philip A. Ramsay's and David Semple's editions, with additions by Chris Morrison.

The ch and gh have generally the guttural sound. The sound of the English diphthong oo is commonly spelled ou. The French u, a sound which often occurs in the Scottish language, is marked oo, or ui, and sometimes (as in gude) u only. The a, in genuine Scottish words, except when forming a diphthong, or followed by an e mute after a single consonant, sounds generally like the broad English a in wall. The Scottish diphthongs ae, always, and ea, very often, sound like the French e masculine. The Scottish dipthong ey, sounds like the Latin ei. With regard to words which have more meanings than one, we have, it general, thought it necessary to give only those meanings in which they are employed by the author.

A

A', all.
A' my lane. all alone.
Abeigh, aloof, at a shy distance.
Aboon, abune, above.
Abreed, abroad.
Ackit, acted.
Ae, one.
Aff, off.
Aft, oft.
Afore, before.
Ahint, behind.
Aiblins, perhaps,
Ails, what is wrong.
Ain, own.
Airn, iron.
Airt, point of the compass ; to direct.
Alane, alone.
Alang, alangst,, along.
Amaist, almost.
Amang, among.
Ance, once.
Ane, one, an.
Anither, another.
Antrin, occasional.
Arle, to give an earnest.
Athwart, across.
Auld, old.
Auld-farren,sagacious.
Ava, at all.
Awa,away.
Aye,ever.
Ayont, beyond.

B

Bairn, a child.
Baith, both.
Bane, bone.
Bang, to beat.
Bannock, a cake.
Barmy, giddy, passionate.
Baudrons, puss, a cat.
Bauld, bold ;bauldly, boldly.
Bawkie, the bat-bird.
Bawl, roar.
Bawtie, a dog
Bawsonet, spot on cattle's head
Bedeen, quickly, forthwith.
Beet, beit, to add fuel to the fire.
Ben, towards the inner apartment; far ben, far inwards.
Benders, drinkers.
Bere, barley.
Beuk, buik, a book.             
Bicker,a wooden bowl or dish for holding liquor.
Bickerin, noise of a stream.
Bide, to abide, remain.
Bield, beild, shelter, protection.
Bien, wealthy.
Biggin, a house, household.
Birk, birch; birken,birchen.
Birkie, a lively fellow.
Birsie, bristly.
Blackbyde, the bramble-berry.
Blae, blue, livid.
Blaeberry, the bilberry.
Blate, bashful, sheepish.
Blaud, a large piece of anything.
Blaw, a blast, to blow; to “tak' a blaw,” to take a whiff of tobacco.
Blearie, bleared, watery-eyed.
Bleezing, blazing.
Blether, to talk idly.
Blink, a streak of light.
Bluid, blood.
Blunt, stupid.
Blythe, glad, gay.
Boatie, diminutive of boat.
Bonnie, handsome, beautiful.
Bore, a small hole or crevice.
Bouk,bulk.
Bour-tree,the common elder-tree.
Bouroch, a chamber.
Brae, a hill.
Braid,broad.
Braw, fine, handsome.
Breckan,fern.
Brither, brother.
Broo, broth, soup.
Broose,a race on horseback at country weddings.
Brume, broom.
Bughted glade, a winding glade.
Buirdly, strong, athletic.
Burn, a rivulet ;
Burnie, diminutive of burn.
Busk,to dress finely.

C

Ca', a call ; to call.
Caft,did buy.
Cairny, covered with loose heaps of stones, called cairns.
Callan, a boy.
Caller,cool, refreshing.
Canker’t cross, ill-natured.
Canna', cannot.
Canty,cheerful, merry.
Carle,an old man.
Carline,an old woman.
Castock, the core or pith of a stalk of colewort or cabbage.
Caul’, cauld, cold.
Chaft, chaffs, the chops.
Chanter, a part of a bagpipe ;
“to sound a chanter,” to sound a pipe.
Chield, a fellow, used either in a good or bad sense.
Chirt, to squeeze.
Chuckie-bird, a chicken.
Claise, clothes.
Cleeding, clothing.
Cleuk, cluik, a cloak.
Clink, money ; a cant term.
Clung, empty.
Clute, cloot, a hoof.
Coft, did buy.
Coggie, diminutive of cog, a wooden dish.
Coof, a blockhead.
Coots, the ankles.
Coronach, a dirge.
Cosie, cozie, snug, well-sheltered.
Couldna, could not.
Couthy, kind, loving.
Crabbit, crabbed, irritable.
Craig, a rock; the throat.
Craigie, diminutive of craig, a rock.
Cranreuch, hoarfrost.
Crawberry, the crowberry.
Crawfower, the crowflower.
Crispy, hard and brittle, like frozen snow.
Croodle, to coo as a dove.
Crooket, crooked.
Croon, to purr as a cat, to hum a tune.
Crowdie, food of the porridge kind in general, soft cheese.
Cruik, a crook ; to crook.
Cuddle, to fondle.
Cuist, did cast.
Cushat, the wood-pigeon.
Catty pipe, a short tobacco pipe.

D

Daffin’, merriment, foolishness.
Dar'na, dare not.
Daveel, to let fall, to drive.
Dee, to die.
Deil, devil.
Descrive, to describe.
Diddle, to shake, to jog.
Didna, did not.
Dizzen, a dozen.
Dochter, daughter.
Doil'd, doilt, stupid, confused.
Dolefu', doleful.
Dorty, saucy, nice, discontented.
Doubtna, doubt not.
Douf, pithless, wanting spirit.
Downa, do not.
Douring, remaining obstinately.
Dow, to be able, to thrive; also dove.
Dowie, worn with grief, fatigue, &c.
Dowless, spiritless, incompetent.
Dozen, to stupify.
Draff, brewers' dregs; draff- cheap, worthless.
Draigle, to bespatter, as with mire.
Dredgy, the funeral service; also the compotation that takes place after the funeral.
Dreep, to drop.
Drouth, drought. thirst.