Scots - English Glossary
Most Jacobite Songs are written in Scots, the Germanic language, related to English, spoken in Lowland Scotland and Ulster (not Gaelic!).
Here is a list of some puzzling words with their equivalents in the (official) Queen's English and, if relevant, their Gaelic origin.
Scots |
English |
Gaelic |
a' |
all |
|
a' the gither |
all together |
|
a'baith |
both of them |
|
aboon |
above |
|
ae'ither |
another |
|
aft |
often |
|
ain |
own |
|
aince |
once |
|
a(i)rle |
earnest money |
FR: arrhes |
airt |
art |
|
amaist |
almost |
|
amang |
among |
|
an' |
and, if |
|
ane |
one |
|
anither |
another |
|
aumrie |
garret |
|
awa |
away |
|
aye |
always |
|
ayont |
beyond |
|
bacon |
beacon, alarm fire |
|
bag |
built |
|
baig'net |
bayonet |
|
bairn(ie) |
child |
|
baith |
both |
|
to bauk |
balk, annoy, bother |
|
bauk |
cross-beam |
weigh-bauk="scalesman" |
bauld |
bold |
|
bawbee |
half-penny |
|
bedeen |
between |
|
beengin' |
crooked |
|
belted plaid |
combination of kilt and plaid |
breacan an fhéilidh |
ben (1) |
mountain |
|
ben (2) |
inside of |
|
bestead in need (to) |
to help, to back |
|
beuk |
book |
de'il's pictur'd beuks=playing cards |
bide |
abide, endure |
|
to big |
to build |
|
birst |
burst |
|
bla(u)d |
large quantity |
|
blate |
shy |
|
blin' |
blind |
|
blu(i)d |
blood |
|
bluidie |
bloody |
|
bonnie |
pretty, good |
|
boot |
spell of work |
|
bothy |
cottage |
|
bouk |
human trunk,body |
|
bow-kail |
cabbage |
|
brecken |
bracken |
|
brae |
hill |
|
braid |
broad |
|
brak(e) |
break |
|
brankie |
spruce (French:épicéa), strong, hearty |
|
braw |
handsome |
|
brawlie |
prettily |
|
breeks |
tights |
|
brent new |
brand new |
|
brews |
brows |
|
brig |
bridge |
|
brither(ly) |
brother(ly) |
|
brose |
porridge |
|
but |
out of; without |
|
byke |
beehive, bee's nest |
|
cairn |
pile of stones (funeral monument) |
|
callan(t) |
stripling |
Fr.:jeune homme, gringalet; |
cantie |
merry |
|
canting |
whining |
|
cault |
caught |
|
cheery |
cheerful |
|
chiel |
child |
|
clankie |
severe blow |
|
clappit |
clapped |
|
claught |
seized |
|
claymore |
large sword |
|
clish-ma-claver |
gossip, taletelling; nonsense |
|
cleek |
catch |
|
clud |
cloud |
|
cog(gie) |
bowl,pail |
|
cokaud |
cockade |
|
comely |
beautiful |
|
corrie |
hollow on the side of a mountain (French: cluse) |
|
countrie |
country |
|
crest |
badge |
|
croo hoose |
crofter house |
|
cross |
market |
|
crowdie |
porridge |
|
crown |
head |
|
daur |
dare |
|
de'il |
devil |
|
delve |
dig |
|
dight |
wipe |
|
din |
ill coloured |
|
ding out |
drive out |
|
dink |
trim, nice |
|
dinna |
don't, doesn't |
|
dirk |
short sword |
|
discharge |
dismiss |
|
dool |
grief,(Fr. douleur) |
|
doon |
down |
|
douce, douse |
gentle, decorous, grave |
|
doup |
bottom |
|
dowl |
dull |
|
dowie |
mournful |
|
downa |
cannot |
|
drap |
drop |
|
dow |
dove |
|
drap |
drop |
|
duds |
clothes |
|
duniewassal |
gentleman |
duine-uasal |
e'er |
before, ere |
|
elwand |
measuring rod |
|
ether |
adder |
|
fa'(en) |
fall(en) |
|
faes |
foes |
|
fain |
eager, fond, glad |
|
faim |
foam |
|
fairweel |
farewell |
|
felly |
relentless; pityless |
|
ferlie |
wonder |
|
fey |
fated to death |
|
fie |
quick |
|
fleg |
scare |
|
flyte |
scorn |
|
for to |
to, in order to |
|
fou |
full, drunk |
|
foughten |
fight |
|
frae |
from |
|
fray |
brawl, fight |
|
frichted |
frightened |
|
fu' |
full |
|
fur |
furrow |
|
gae (ga'e) |
gave |
|
gaed |
good |
|
gane |
gone |
|
gang |
go |
|
gang a |
go to |
|
gar |
compell |
|
gart |
compelled |
|
gate |
manner |
|
gaud |
gold |
|
gaun |
gone |
|
gie(n) |
give(n) |
|
gin |
if |
|
girdle |
plate of metal for bannocks |
|
gled |
kite |
|
glen |
valley |
|
glaum'd |
grasped |
|
gouk |
cuckoo |
|
goon |
gown |
|
gowan |
mountain daisy |
|
gree |
prize, (de)gree |
|
groat |
penny |
|
Gude |
God |
|
gudeman |
master, husband |
|
guid |
good |
|
ha' |
hall |
|
hae |
have |
|
haffet |
haft |
|
hairt |
heart |
|
hale |
safe |
|
hame, ha' |
home |
|
harry |
rob, plunder |
|
haud |
hold |
|
haugh |
law-lying rich land by a river |
|
hawkie |
white-faced cow |
|
hawkit |
in calf |
|
heat |
heart |
|
Heiland |
Highland |
|
her lane |
alone |
|
hersel |
herd of sheep |
|
hirsel |
herd of sheep |
|
hose |
knee breeches |
|
hough |
hobble, shackle, fetter |
|
hoose |
house |
|
i' |
in |
|
ilk(a) |
each, every |
|
jag |
tear |
|
jimp |
jump |
|
kail |
kale (french:chou frisé germ:Wirsing) |
|
ken |
know |
|
kent |
could |
|
to kilt |
to tuck up |
|
kimmer |
gossip, wife |
|
kin |
1° family, 2° kind |
|
knowe |
knoll, hillock |
|
lad(die) |
boy |
|
lair |
den |
|
laird |
Lord in Scotland |
|
lang |
long |
|
lass(ie) |
girl |
|
lea |
meadow |
|
lie |
lay |
|
limner |
painter |
|
lingel |
shoemaker's thread |
|
lo'e |
love |
|
loff |
praise |
|
loon |
1.lawn, 2. fellow |
|
lyart |
grey, discolored |
|
mae |
more |
|
main |
ocean |
|
mair |
more |
|
maukin |
hare |
|
maun |
might have to |
|
maurn |
mourn |
|
mead |
meadow |
|
mird |
taunt; scorn |
|
mirk |
dark; scorn |
|
mony |
many |
|
moullit |
moult (French=muer) |
|
mou' |
mouth |
|
muckle |
much, great, a lot |
|
mumpit |
fed up |
|
nae |
not, no |
|
nane |
none |
|
naur |
near |
|
ne'er |
never |
|
newfangle(d)ness |
innovation |
|
nought, nowte |
nothing |
|
o'er |
over |
|
of fye |
quick |
|
ore |
over |
|
oot |
out |
|
o't |
of it |
|
owre, ower |
over |
|
pen |
pointed hill |
|
philabeg |
kilt |
féile-beag |
pibroch |
martial bagpipe air |
piob aireachd |
plaid |
woolen cloth |
|
prig |
haggle, bargain |
|
pu'd |
pulled |
|
puir |
poor |
|
quaich |
drinking cup |
|
quo |
quoth |
|
rade |
rode |
|
rarely |
proudly |
|
reek |
smoke |
|
rief |
plunder |
|
riggin |
roof-tree, roof |
|
rin |
run |
|
rougey |
rogue |
|
roothless |
ruthless, merciless |
|
routh, rowth |
plenty, a store of |
|
rung |
cudgel |
|
sae |
so |
|
saft |
soft |
|
sair |
sour |
|
sall |
shall |
|
scaud |
scald |
FR: échauder |
scorched |
burnt |
|
scroggy |
thickly grown |
|
shalt |
should |
|
shank |
leg, walk, shaft |
|
sheugh |
ditch |
|
shiel |
cottage |
|
sic |
such |
|
siccan |
such a |
|
siller |
siver |
|
sin |
since |
|
sire |
father |
|
skelp |
scalp |
|
skyrin |
flaring |
|
slae |
sloe (french=prunelle germ=Schlehe) |
|
slaw |
slow |
|
slogan |
war cry |
|
solan |
solanum (French: fou de Bassan) |
|
som |
some |
|
speire at |
inquire |
|
spier |
inquire |
|
stang |
sting |
|
steek |
shut, touch, meddle with |
|
stoun |
pang, throb |
|
stoure |
dust |
|
strait |
narrow |
|
strang |
strong |
|
stuck with |
infatuated with |
|
sugh |
moan |
|
swarf |
swoon |
|
swoor |
sware |
|
tae |
to |
|
targe |
(1) examine (2)shield |
|
ter |
tar |
|
tether |
armour |
|
that |
who |
|
the lang |
along |
|
their lane |
alone |
|
tho |
though |
|
thocht |
thought |
|
thrissle |
thistle |
|
thro' |
through |
|
tine |
loose, get lost |
|
tirl |
quiver, vibrate |
|
toom |
empty |
|
Opponents of the Whigs. Supporters of King Charles II, then of James II (Jacobites) and opponents of the Hanoverian Kings. They became then the Conservative Party. |
tairidhe (=thief, brigand) |
|
trash |
scum, rabble |
|
trews |
tartan trousers |
|
trig |
trim, neat |
|
tryste |
1 Trust 2 a fair, acattle-market |
|
twa |
two |
|
tyke |
dog |
|
unco |
uncommon(ly), foreign |
|
wad |
would |
wadna |
would not |
|
wae |
woe |
|
warld |
world |
|
warse |
worse |
|
wat |
know |
|
wauk(in) |
(to) awake |
|
wauken |
to awaken |
|
wee |
little |
|
weel |
well |
|
weir |
war |
|
wha(se) |
who(se) |
|
whaur |
where |
|
whigamore |
whig, opponent of the "tories". They became the Radical party |
horsedriver, cattledriver |
wi' |
with |
|
wilt |
would |
|
wit |
know |
|
wrack |
rack; torture |
|
wrang |
wrong |
|
wud |
wild |
|
yaird(ie) |
garden |
|
ye |
you |
|
yestreen |
yesterday |
|
yon |
that (down there) |
|
yont |
beyond |
(tomes I à V) existent aussi en LIVRE DE POCHE |
(CD 1 à 5) existent aussi en DISQUES CD |