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Glossary of Scottish Words, A-B

Like most dialects, the Scottish dialect features some unique words not found in any other language. Find out what some of those words mean below:





A'= all.

A-back= behind, away.

Abiegh= aloof, off.

Ablins= v. aiblins.

Aboon= above up.

Abread= abroad.

Abreed= in breadth.

Ae= one.

Aff= off.

Aff-hand= at once.

Aff-loof= offhand.

A-fiel= afield.

Afore= before.

Aft= oft.

Aften= often.

Agley= awry.

Ahin= behind.

Aiblins= perhaps.

Aidle= foul water.

Aik= oak.

Aiken= oaken.

Ain= own.

Air= early.

Airle= earnest money.

Airn= iron.

Airt= direction.

Airt= to direct.

Aith= oath.

Aits= oats.

Aiver= an old horse.

Aizle= a cinder.

A-jee= ajar, to one side.

Alake= alas.

Alane= alone.

Alang= along.

Amaist= almost.

Amang= among.

An= if.

An'= and.

Ance= once.

Ane= one.

Aneath= beneath.

Anes= ones.

Anither= another.

Aqua-fontis= spring water.

Aqua-vitae= whiskey.

Arle= v. airle.

Ase= ashes.

Asklent= askew, askance.

Aspar= aspread.

Asteer= astir.

A'thegither= altogether.

Athort= athwart.

Atweel= in truth.

Atween= between.

Aught= eight.

Aught= possessed of.

Aughten= eighteen.

Aughtlins= at all.

Auld= old.

Auldfarran, auldfarrant= shrewd,old-fashioned, sagacious.

Auld Reekie= Edinburgh.

Auld-warld= old-world.

Aumous= alms.

Ava= at all.

Awa= away.

Awald= backways and doubled up.

Awauk= awake.

Awauken= awaken.

Awe= owe.

Awkart= awkward.

Awnie= bearded.

Ayont= beyond.



Ba'= a ball.

Backet= bucket= box.

Backit= backed.

Backlins-comin= coming back.

Back-yett= gate at the back.

Bade= endured.

Bade= asked.

Baggie= stomach.

Baig'nets= bayonets.

Baillie= magistrate of a Scots burgh.

Bainie= bony.

Bairn= child.

Bairntime= brood.

Baith= both.

Bakes= biscuits.

Ballats= ballads.

Balou= lullaby.

Ban= swear.

Ban'= band (of the Presbyterian clergyman).

Bane= bone.

Bang= an effort; a blow; a large number.

Bang= to thump.

Banie= v. bainie.

Bannet= bonnet.

Bannock, bonnock= a thick oatmeal cake.

Bardie= dim. of bard.

Barefit= barefooted.

Barket= barked.

Barley-brie or bree= barley-brew-ale or whiskey.

Barm= yeast.

Barmie= yeasty.

Barn-yard= stackyard.

Bartie= the Devil.

Bashing= abashing.

Batch= a number.

Batts= the botts, the colic.

Bauckie-bird= the bat.

Baudrons, Baudrans= the cat.

Bauk= cross-beam.

Bauk= v. bawk.

Bauk-en'= beam-end.

Bauld= bold.

Bauldest= boldest.

Bauldly= boldly.

Baumy= balmy.

Bawbee= a half-penny.

Bawdrons= v. baudrons.

Bawk= a field path.

Baws'nt= white-streaked.

Bear= barley.

Beas'= beasts, vermin.

Beastie= dim. of beast.

Beck= a curtsy.

Beet= feed, kindle.

Beild= v. biel.

Belang= belong.

Beld= bald.

Bellum= assault.

Bellys= bellows.

Belyve= by and by.

Ben= a parlor (i.e.the inner apartment); into the parlor.

Benmost= inmost.

Be-north= to the northward of.

Be-south= to the southward of.

Bethankit= grace after meat.

Beuk= a book, devil's pictur'd beuks-playing-cards.

Bicker= a wooden cup.

Bicker= a short run.

Bicker= to flow swiftly and with a slight noise.

Bickerin= noisy contention.

Bickering= hurrying.

Bid= to ask, to wish,to offer.

Bide= abide, endure.

Biel, bield= a shelter, a sheltered spot.

Biel= comfortable.

Bien= comfortable.

Bien, bienly= comfortably.

Big= to build.

Biggin= building.


Bike= v. byke.

Bill= the bull.

Billie= fellow, comrade,brother.

Bings= heaps.

Birdie= dim. of bird; also maidens.

Birk= the birch.

Birken= birchen.

Birkie= a fellow.

Birr= force= vigor.

Birring= whirring.

Birses= bristles.

Birth= berth.

Bit= small (e.g.=bit lassie).

Bit= nick of time.

Bitch-fou= completely drunk.

Bizz= a flurry.

Bizz= buzz.

Bizzard= the buzzard.

Bizzie= busy.

Black-bonnet= the Presbyterian elder.

Black-nebbit= black-beaked.

Blad= v. blaud.

Blae= blue= livid.

Blastet= blastit= blasted.

Blastie= a blasted (i.e.damned) creature, a little wretch.

Blate= modest, bashful.

Blather= bladder.

Blaud= a large quantity.

Blaud= to slap, pelt.

Blaw= blow.

Blaw= to brag.

Blawing= blowing.

Blawn= blown.

Bleer= to blear.

Bleer't= bleared.

Bleeze= blaze.

Blellum= a babble; a railer, a blusterer.

Blether, blethers= nonsense.

Blether= to talk nonsense.

Bletherin'= talking nonsense.

Blin'= blind.

Blink= a glance= a moment.

Blink= to glance, to shine.

Blinkers= spies, oglers.

Blinkin= smirking, leering.

Blin't= blinded.

Blitter= the snipe.

Blue-gown= the livery of the licensed beggar.

Bluid= blood.

Bluidy= bloody.

Blume= to bloom.

Bluntie= a stupid.

Blypes= shreds.

Bobbed= curtsied.

Bocked= vomited.

Boddle= a farthing.

Bode= look for.

Bodkin= tailor's needle.

Body= bodie= a person.

Boggie= dim. of bog.

Bogle= a bogie= a hobgoblin.

Bole= a hole= or small recess in the wall.

Bonie= bonnie= pretty= beautiful.

Bonilie= prettily.

Bonnock= v. Bannock.

'Boon= above.

Boord= board= surface.

Boord-en'= board-end.

Boortress= elders.

Boost= must needs.

Boot= payment to the bargain.

Bore= a chink= recess.

Botch= an angry tumor.

Bouk= a human trunk; bulk.

Bountith= bounty.

'Bout= about.

Bow-hough'd= bandy-thighed.

Bow-kail= cabbage.

Bow't= bent.

Brachens= ferns.

Brae= the slope of a hill.

Braid= broad.

Broad-claith= broad-cloth.

Braik= a harrow.

Braing't= plunged.

Brak= broke.

Brak's= broke his.

Brankie= gay= fine.

Branks= a wooden curb= a bridle.

Bran'y= brandy.

Brash= short attack.

Brats= small pieces, rags.

Brats= small children.

Brattle= a scamper.

Brattle= noisy onset.

Braw= handsome, fine, gaily dressed.

Brawlie= finely= perfectly= heartily.

Braxies= sheep that have died of braxie (a disease).

Breastie= dim. of breast.

Breastit= sprang forward.

Brechan= ferns.

Breeks= breeches.

Breer= brier.

Brent= brand.

Brent= straight= steep (i.e.= not sloping from baldness).

Brie= v. barley-brie.

Brief= writ.

Brier= briar.

Brig= bridge.

Brisket= breast.

Brither= brother.

Brock= a badger.

Brogue= a trick.

Broo= soup,broth, water; liquid in which anything is cooked.

Brooses= wedding races from the church to the home of the bride.

Brose= a thick mixture of meal and warm water; also a synonym for porridge.

Browster wives= ale wives.

Brugh= a burgh.

Brulzie= brulyie= a brawl.

Brunstane= brimstone.

Brunt= burned.

Brust= burst.

Buckie= dim. of buck, a smart younker.

Buckle= a curl.

Buckskin= Virginian: the buckskin kye,negroes.

Budget= tinker's bag of tools.

Buff= to bang, to thump.

Bughtin= folding.

Buirdly= stalwart.

Bum= the buttocks.

Bum= to hum.

Bum-clock= beetle, cockchafer, Junebug.

Bummle= a drone, a useless fellow.

Bunker= a seat.

Bunters= harlots.

Burdies= dim. of bird or burd (a lady); maidens.

Bure= bore.

Burn= a rivulet.

Burnewin= the blacksmith (i.e.= burn the wind).

Burnie ( dim. of burn)= a rivulet.

Burr-thistle= spear-thistle.

Busk= to dress, to garb, to dress up, to adorn.

Buss= a bush.

Bussle= bustle.

But= without.

But,butt= in the kitchen.

By= past= aside.

By= beside.

By himsel= beside himself.

Bye attour (i.e. by and attour)= beside and at a distance.

Byke= a bees' nest, a hive, a swarm, a crowd.

Byre= a cow-house.



Glossary of Scottish Words, C
Glossary of Scottish Words, D-E
Glossary of Scottish Words, F
Glossary of Scottish Words, G
Glossary of Scottish Words, H
Glossary of Scottish Words, I-K
Glossary of Scottish Words, L
Glossary of Scottish Words, M-P
Glossary of Scottish Words, Q-R
Glossary of Scottish Words, S
Glossary of Scottish Words, T
Glossary of Scottish Words, U-Y




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