Wikipedia:Scots-English-Scots dictionar

Fowk shuid keep this dictionar in alphabetical order (A, AA, AAB, AC an so on), uisin RRSSC. Mind that thare's airtins til the RRSSC leets o common wirds at the end o the page. Thir pages micht be mair helpfu gin ye ken a common Inglis wird but ye canna think on the Scots ane for it, but ye aye hiv tae be awaur o the fact as weill that Scots an English shares up tae 80 or 90% o the same lexicon (includin close cognates).

Slang (words the likes o Irvine Welsh uises) can be fund at Scots slang.

A

• A (I) (modren phonetic Lallans spellin)
• Aboot (Physically about, Approximately, Around) (modren Lallans spellin)
• Abuin, Abune (Above)
• Ae (adjectival form of Ane, One)
• Afore (Before)
• Aff (Off)
• Agley (Off line, astray) (rarely used, but well known from a famous Burns poem)
• Ahint (Behind)
• Aik (Oak) (cf Dutch eik)
• Ain (Own, adj. n.) see awn
• Aiple, Epple (Apple)
• Airticle, Article (Article)
• Aiya, (ouch!) (Expression of pain or distress, probably from the Cantonese)
• Allou, Alloo (Allow)
• Amang (Among)
• Amangst (Amongst) (Less frequent in Scots than amongst in Standard English - amang in this sense is more common.)
• An (And)
• Ane (Noun form of One)
• Anent (Logically About, Concerning, on the subject of) (more literary than spoken)
• Athin (Within)
• Athort (Across, Over) (rarely used, Ower is the normal word for this in Scots)
• Atween, Atwein (Between)
• Auld (Old)
• Aw (All)
• Awbody, Abody, Aabody (Everyone) (-ie spellings used as well sometimes)
• Awfu (Awful, Very, Terrible)
• Awthing, Aathin, Aahin (Everthing)
• Awn (to possess)
• Ay, Aye (Yes)
• Aye (Still, Always)

B

• Bairn (Child) (see Wean)
• Baith (Both)
• Bam, Bampot (Crazy person, Maniac)
• Bane (Bone)
• Bap (bread roll) (bap is more NE or Ulster Scots, word is also used in parts of England and Wales, roll of bread is more the norm in central Scotland)
• Barrae,Barra (Barrow)
• Barkit (Dirty)
• Batters (Cover - for a Book)
• Bak (bake)
• Baxter (baker archaic)
• Bealin (Very angry)
• Ben (Mountain) (Gaelic loanword)
• Beuk (Book)
• Bere (Barley)
• Besom (Floor brush, unpleasant adult female, can be a fond term for a mischievous female child as in "you're a wee besom")
• Bide (stay at, live at, remain)
• Bidie-in (a co-habitant, particularly a live-in sexual partner)
• Bing (Heap, Pile, Coal tip)
• Big (Build)
• Biggin (Building)
• Birk (Birch tree)
• Birlin (Spinning)
• Blate (Shy)
• Blaw (Blow)
• Blether (Babble, Talk Nonsense)
• Bluid (Blood)
• Bonny, Bonnie (Beautiful) (Often used about attractive younger females, She's a bonnie lassie and about Scotland)
• Bonxie (Great Skua) (mainly in Insular Scots spoken over bird's natural habitat range)
• Boak (throw up)
• Bowfin (Disgusting)
• Brae (steep hill)
• Braid (Broad)
• Bridie (Meaty pastry originally produced in the Forfar area)
• Braw (Fine, Handsome)
• Bree (Soup)
• Breid (Bread)
• Brewster (Brewer, archaic)
• Brig (Bridge) (cf Dutch brug)
• Brock (badger)
• Bunnet (flat cap, often made from tweed fabric, and now other hats in general)
• Burn (stream)
• Butterie (North East word for a buttery bread roll)
• Byke (Bees or Wasps nest, Hive)
• Byle (Boil)
• Byre (Cow shed)

C

• Caw, Ca (properly to Drive something over or in, increasingly also to Call)
• Caipital (Capital) (modren phonetic Lallans spellin)
• Cairt (Map)
• Canna, Cannae (Mair recent phonetic spellin) (Can't)
• Cannie (Careful, skilful)
• Carse (River bank land, flood plain)
• Cauld (Cold)
• Ceity (City) (modren phonetic Lallans spellin)
• Chap (Knock)
• Claes (Clothes)
• Claim (Slang for offer to fight) "Ah'm claiming you" "See you, you're claimed"
• Clart (coat, cover) She clarted her piece wi jam; He clarted himsel wi dubs.
• Clarty (extremely dirty -- as if coated with mud)
• Cleg (gadfly)
• Cleuch, Cleugh (Gorge, Ravine)
• Clout, Cloot (cloth)
• Clout, Clowt (strike, hit, a nail)
• Cludgie (Slang for lavatory)
• Clype (Tell tale) (cf Flemish klappen)
• Cou, Coo (Cow)
• Coont (Count) (modren phonetic Lallans spellin)
• Corbie (Raven)
• Corn (Oats)
• Couthie (Agreeable, Comfortable)
• Cowp (Tip over)
• Craitur (Creature)
• Crabbit (Bad tempered)
• Crack, Craic (Chat, Banter) (primarily Ulster Scots but Aberdeen away folk often calls the crack)
• Craw (Crow)
• Cry (Call, Name)
• Cuddie (Donkey, Horse)

D

• Dae (Do)
• Daft (Silly, Foolish)
• Daith (Death - can have Strae added if a Natural Death)
• Dee'd (Died)
• Deid (Dead)
• Deif (Deaf)
• Deaved, Deived (Deafened, Bored)
• Deuk (Duck)
• Delite (Delight) (not "Delicht" as non-native speakers sometimes think based on false analogy)
• Didna, Didnae (Mair recent phonetic spellin) (did not)
• Dinna, Dinnae (Mair recent phonetic spellin) (do not)
• Disna, Disnae (Mair recent phonetic spellin) (does not)
• Div (NE emphatic form of Do)
• Dochter (Daughter)
• Doitit (Senile)
• Douk,Dook (a swim, dipping in water)
• Doun, Doon (down)
• Doun the stair, Doon the stair (downstairs) (note Scots uses the singular unlike English)
• Dour (Sullen, Grim, Stern)
• Dreich (Dull) (often used in connection with the weather or the landscape)
• Droukit, Drookit (soaking wet)
• Drouth (thirst)
• Dubs (Puddles)
• Dug (Dog)
• Dunderheid (Idiot, One of Slow Wit)
• Dunt (Hit or knock)
• Dwaum, Dwam (Swoon, Fainting spell, Daydream)
• Dyke (Wall)

E

• East (East is the traditional Scots form) (regional variant, Aest )
• Easter (Eastern particularly in traditional Scots placenames)
• Eh (Yes - Dundonian form of Aye)
• Eh (I - Dundonian form of Ah)
• Emmers (Embers)
• Erse (Irish, archaic)
• Expone (expound, explain)

F

• Fae (From~ whit folk says in spoken Scots)
• Fair (Quite)
• Faither (Father) (modern phonetic spelling)
• Fantasie (Fantasy)
• Fank (Sheep Fold) (Gaelic Loanword)
• Fankle (Becoming entangled, an entanglement or tricky situation)
• Faw (Fall)
• Fecht (Fight)
• Feil (Crazy)
• Ferm (Farm)
• Finger (Finger) (soft rather than a hard "g" in Scots as in German)
• Fitba (Football)
• Fither (Father)
• Fluir, Flair (modren phonetic Lallans spellin)(Floor)
• Frae (From~ archaeic an leeterar Scots form)
• Fowk, Folk (Folk, People) (Used where English speakers tend to say "People", marked regional difference in pronounciation is not always related to Anglicising trend in modern speech)
• Forenuin (Forenoon)
• Forfoch(t)en (Tired Out)
• Forgaither (forgather)
• Fou (full), suffix -fu
• Foustie (Decayed, Gone off)
• Fouter (Fiddle about, Tamper with)
• Fower (Four)
• Fykie (Fussy, Complicated)

G

• Gadg(i)e (Guy) (Romany loanword)
• Gae, Gan(g) (Go)
• Gallus (Daring, Cheeky, Impish)
• Gailey (Ship, archaic) (Ship is a traditional Scots word as well as an English one)
• Gate (Road, archaic)
• Gean (Wild cherry tree)
• Gemme (Game)
• Gey, Gye (Very)
• Ghaist (Ghost)
• Gie (Give)
• Glaikit (foolish, daft)
• Glaur (Wet mud, Clay)
• Glebe (Land attached to a kirk for use by the minister)
• Gloamin (Twilight)
• Glower (Frown)
• Gowan (Daisy)
• Greet, Greit (Cry, Weep)
• Grun(d) (Ground)
• Guddle (Catching fish by hand in a stream)
• Guff (Bad smell)
• Gutties (training or gym shoes, running shoes, sneakers) (perhaps from gutta percha?)
• Guid (Good)
• Guidbrither (Brother-in-Law)
• Guidfaither (Father-in-Law)
• Guidman (Husband archaic now usually just "ma Man" for "my husband")
• Guidwife (Wife archaic)

H

• Haw, Haa (A large manor, a "Hall")
• Haar (Thick mist, usually cold, typically blowing in from the sea)
• Hae (Have)
• Haiver, Haver (The oat, Talk Nonsense) (Haiver is a more modern phonetic spelling)
• Hail (Whole)
• Hailsome (Nutritious)
• Hame (home)
• Hauch, Haugh (Low lying ground in a river's flood plane, meadow)(-gh spelling tends to be used in placenames)
• Haud (Hold)
• Hauf (Half)
• Haund, Haunds (Hands)
• Heich, Hie (High) (guttural sound unusual in modern speech)
• Heid (Head)
• Hielands (Highlands)
• Hen (Hen, chicken meat)
• Hing (Hang)
• Hippin (Nappy, Diaper)
• Hiv (Have emphatic) (particularly in central belt)
• Hotchin, Hoatchin (Heaving, adjectival description of a busy location)
• Hou?, Hou come? (see Whit wey?)
• Hous, Hoos (House) (Hoose is more a phonetic English spelling)
• Howf (Pub, Shelter, a favourite place to hang out; a burial ground)
• Howk, Holk (Dig particularly used for harvest of potatoes)
• Humf (Hump, Carry a heavy load)

I

• Inch (Small Island/Isle) (Gaelic Loanword)
• Indwaller (Inhabitant)
• Ingan (Onion)
• Innin (Introduction)
• Intae, Intil (into)

J

• Jag (Prick, Injection)
• Jaiket (Jacket)(modern phonetic Lallans spelling) can also mean Drunk/Intoxicated, as in "he's well jaikit him".(probably lallans vernacular)
• Jalouse (Guess, Suspect)
• Jeelie, Jeilie (Jam)(modern phonetic Lallans spelling)
• Jings (a mild exclamation, an expression of suprise. 'Crivens, Jings and help ma boab' is an old Scots version of 'Heavens, Jesus and Help me God')
• Jink (Dodge, Turn quickly)
• Jouk, Juke (bow)
• Juice (Carbonated drink, soda)
• Jyner (Carpenter, Joiner)(modern phonetic Lallans spelling)

K

• Kail (Cabbage) (cf Dutch kool)
• Kenspeckle (Prominent)
• Keek, Keik (Peep, Look at, Glimpse) (cf Dutch kijk)
• Ken (Know, to know) (cf Dutch kennen)
• Kent (Knew)
• Kintra (Country)
• Kirk (Church) (often reserved for the Church of Scotland with Chapel used for Roman Catholic churches instead which is sometimes viewed as a mild perjorative) (cf Dutch kerk)
• Kist (Chest) (cf Dutch kist)
• Knowe (Knoll)
• Kye (Cattle)

L

• Lad(-die) (Boy, young man) (Angus and NE fowk says Loun)
• Lade (Channel to lead water to a mill)
• Laich, Laigh (Low, archaic)
• Lairge (Large) (modren phonetic Lallans spellin)
• Learn, Lairn (modren phonetic Lallans spellin) (Learn, Teach) (Note a key difference in idiom here from English, That will learn them is Scots for "that will teach them a lesson")
• Laldie (Thrashing or punishment originally, now used in phrase Gie it laldie! similar to "Give it Hell" in English)
• Lang (Long) (of a boy or man - tall, e.g. Lang Johnie)
• Lass(-ie) (Girl, young woman) (NE fowk says quine)
• Laverock (Lark)
• Lea (Meadow, Pasture)
• Leid (Language, Lead metal)
• Leet, Leit (List still used formally in job interviews)
• Leuk (Look)
• Licht (Light, Lamp)
• Linn (Waterfal)
• Loan (Lane)
• Loun, Loon (Boy, Man) (NE Wird)
• Lowp (Jump)
• Lugs (Ears)
• Lum (Chimney)

M

• Ma (My)
• Mairch (Borders) (modren phonetic Lallans spellin) (This is cognate with 'march' in older English, 'Mark' in German, 'Marche' region in Italian.)
• Mair (More)
• Maist (Most)
• Mak (Make) (Note that Made is a traditional Scots verb form for the past tense as well as Makkit)
• Makar, Makkar (Poet or bard, particularly for literary figures from the 15th and 16th centuries)
• Masel (Myself)
• Maukit, Mockit (Dirty, Unclean)
• Maun (Must) (Neither maun nor must is used very often by native Scots Speakers, hae tae or need tae is used to denote an obligation instead, the use of maun/must is usually reserved to conclusive conditions and even then is not particularly common)
• Mavis (Song thrush)
• Memmer-s, Member-s (Member) (some Scots language activists from the NE think that Memmers on the Scottish Parliament website is by false analogy with words like Number/Nummer. Highly prominent Scots language organisations like the Scots Literary Society and the Ulster Scots Agency use this spelling on their website as well, however.)
• Mercat (Market)
• Messages (Shopping, Errands)
• Mey (May) (modren phonetic Lallans spellin) (Neither mey nor may is used very often as a verb by native Scots Speakers, Mibbie or Mibbies for maybe is usually combined with the verb to go/tae Gae to form a conditional future tense instead, Can is preferred in forming questions)
• Mibbe, Mibbies (Maybe, Perhaps)(modren phonetic Lallans spellin)
• Mind (o) (Remember)
• Ming (Unpleasant odour)
• Midge (Gnat)
• Mirk (Darkness)
• Mither (Mother)
• Mony (Many)
• Monyfauld (Numerous)
• Muckle (Much) (Peerie and Muckle is uised for sma(w) an big in Insular Scots)
• Meikle (form of muckle -Large) (Particularly in traditional Scots placenames e.g. Meikle and Little Earnock in Hamilton, a phrase people repeat that monys a meikle maks a muckle is actually gibberish because Little was replaced by Meikle. People in the NE say mony a puckle maks a muckle.)
  In Caribbean Inglis, the expression becomes 'every mikkle mek a mukkle'.
• Muir (Moor)

N

• No,Nae (Not)
• No Fair (Unfair)
• Nane (None)
• Naw (No) (modren phonetic Lallans spellin)
• Neep, Neap (modren phonetic Lallans spellin)(Turnip)(some people claim that Neep refers to swedes in Scots rather than turnips and Tumshie is used for turnips)
• Neb (Nose)
• Ned (Juvenile Delinquent)
• Nether (Lower) (Very common in traditional Scots placenames) (cf Dutch neder-, neer-
• Neuk (Corner)
• Nicht (Night)
• Niver (Never)(modren phonetic Lallans spellin)
• Novelle (Novel - as in the beuk)
• Nowt (cattle) (mainly a NE word, Kye is mair common as collective plural for cou)
• Nyaff (Annoying person)

O

(Auld Scots orthography haed "ou" for an /u/ ("oo") sound (vouel 6). The phonetic "oo" spellin wis borraed fae English for tae mak fowk unaquent wi Scots soond it richt.)

• O (Of)
• Oor (Hour)
• Oorie, Ourie (Eerie)
• Oose (oosie) (Wool (wooly), Thick fluffy dust)
• Oot o (Out of)
• Ootstaundin (Prominent)
• Ootwi (Outside, without)
• Ower, Owre (Across, Over, Too, the Anglicised form "Over" is often used even in Scottish Standard English for "Too" as well as in modified traditional placenames for Upper usually contrasting with Nether for Lower)
• Oxter (Arm pit) (cf Dutch oksel)

P

• Pape (Pope, also used as a mildly perjorative term for Roman Catholics)
• Paps (Female breasts)
• Pairk, Park (enclosed Field) (Pairk is a phonetic Lallans spellin)
• Pairt (Part) (modren phonetic Lallans spellin)
• Panloaf (Scots speakers mildly perjorative name for Morningside style Scottish Standard English)
• Parritch (Porridge)(modren phonetic Lallans spellin)
• Partan (Crab)
• Paitrick (Patridge)
• Peched oot (Out of breath)
• Peelie-wallie (Sick, pale)
• Peerie (Small) (Insular and Caithness(?) Scots)
• Peevers (Hop Scotch)
• Piece (Packed Lunch, Sandwich)
• Pinkie (Small Finger)
• Pish (Piss)
• Plouks, Plooks (Pimples)
• Ploum, Ploom (Plum)
• Poke (Bag particularly of sweets or chips, Sack)
• Polis (Police) (NE fowk says The Boabbys, Ulster Scots word is Peelers)
• Puckle (an imprecise amount; a few)
• Polite (Polite) (not "Policht" as non-native speakers sometimes think based on false analogy)
• Puggie (Monkey, One-armed bandit, (Cash)Maschine, Go-Kart)
• Puir (Poor)
• Plunk (Set down)
• Propone (Propose)
• Puddock (frog) (cf Dutch pad(de)=toad)

Q

• Quine (Girl, Young woman) (NE word)

R

• Radge (Crazy) (Romany loanward?)
• Rammie (Small scale disturbance or fight)
• Redd (Tidy up)
• Reek, Reik (Smoke) (cf Dutch rook)
• Reid (Red)
• Richt (Right, Real, Really, Proper)
• Rigg (Ridge, Field)
• Rone (Roof gutter)
• Rone-pipe (Drainpipe)
• Ruid (Cross)
• Rummlin (Rumbling)

S

• Sair (Sore)
• Sair Heid (Headache)
• Sauch (Willow archaic)(Found in placenames for low lying marshy areas)
• Sal(l) (archaic) (neither shall nor sall is used very often by native Scots speakers, verb to go/tae Gae is used to form the future tense)
• Sark (Shirt)
• Schame (Municipal housing estate, "the Projects") (modren phonetic Lallans spellin of Scheme)
• Sclim, Sklim (Climb)
• Scoush, Scoosh, Skoosh, (squirt) (skoosh case is slang for something easily accomplished)
• Scran (Food)
• Scunner (Annoyed, Disgust, object of disgust including person particularly small child)
• Scrieve (Scratch, Scribble)
• Sederunt (Those in attendence at a meeting, like Leet still in formal use in modern Scotland)
• Semple (simple)
• Shank (leg, archaic)
• Shak (shake)
• Shaw (Small wood, copse, dell)
• Sheuch (Ditch) (still very commonly used in Ulster)
• Shuid (Should) (in general in both Scots and Scottish Standard English most Scottish people use shuid/should much less frequently than English people do, Wad/would is preferred especially by native Scots speakers, Hae tae and Need tae is prefered for denoting obligation)
• Shouders, Shooders (Shoulders) (cf Dutch schouders)
• Shouglie, Shooglie (shakey)
• Skail (Spill, scatter, disperse particularly football crowd from old terraced standing areas)
• Skelf (Splinter)
• Skelp (Hit, Smack)
• Skint (Broke, poor)
• Sleekit, Sleikit (Sly, Sneaky, Underhand)
• Smirr (Fine rain, drizzle)
• Snaw, Sna (Snow)
• Sodger (Soldier)
• Sooth (South) (modren phonetic Lallans spellin)
• Sonsie (Jolly, Plump)
• Souk,Sook (Suck)
• Sour,Soor (Sour)
• Sowel, saul (Person i.e. soul) (bit old-fashioned given the religious angle but phrase puir wee sowel sometimes used for an unfortunate child)
• Sparrae,Sparra (Sparrow)
• Speir (tae) (Ask) (often used in a speir tae so and so sort of way, Ask is also a traditional Scots word as well)
• Speug(ie) (Sparrow) (NE word)
• Splore (Explore) (modren phonetic Lallans spellin)
• Stair (Stairs) (Note Scots uses the singular where English uses the plural)
• Stairtit (Started)(modren phonetic Lallans spellin)
• Staundart (Standard)(modren phonetic Lallans spellin)
• Stane (Stone)
• Stank (Drains)
• Stent (Extent) (modren phonetic Lallans spellin)
• Steamie (Public laundry, washhouse)
• Steep (Soak)
• Stey (Steep)
• Stour, Stoor (Dust)
• Stot (bounce, as in a ball off the ground) (cf Dutch stuiten)
• Stotious (Drunk)
• Stovies (Stewed potatoes)
• Stowed oot (Absolutely packed with people)
• Stramash (Uproar)
• Strang (Strong)
• Strynd (decent)

T

• Tae, Til (To)
• Taes (Toes)
• Tatties (Potatoes)
• Tak (Take)
• Teuchter (pejorative for Country person or Highlander, Bumpkin)
• Tuk (axe)
• The Day (Today)
• Thegither (Together)
• The Morn (Tomorrow)
• The Morn's Morn (Tomorrow morning)
• The Nicht (Tonight)(The nite is more common)
• The Nou, The Noo (Right now, Just now)
• Thae (Those)
• Thair (Their) (modren phonetic Lallans spellin)
• Thay (They)(modren phonetic Lallans spellin)
• Thare (there)(modren phonetic Lallans spellin)
• Thing (thing)
• Think (think)
• Thole (endure)
• Thon (Scots uises This, That, Thon for the English "this", "that", "that one over there")
• Thoum (Thumb)
• Thrapple (Throat)
• Thrawn (Awkward, Troublesome particulay used about children)
• Throu (Through, During)(modren phonetic Lallans spellin)
• Till (Until)
• Tirlin(g) Pin (type of door chapper where a metal ring is scratched on a fixed metal bar)
• Toun (Town, also a group of farm buildings)
• Tourie (pompon on a hat e.g. 'toorie bunnet' which is anothe name for hats similar to a Tam o'Shanter hat)
• Tumshie (Turnip)(see also Neep)
• Twa, Twae (modren phonetic Lallans spellin) (two) (cf Dutch twee)

U

• Unce (Ounce)
• Unco (Very, Extremely)
• Unner (Under, in Glasgow the Undergound is traditionally called "the Subway" so Subwey would be more likely to be said than Unnergrund in that context contrary to what many non-Glaswegians would expect)
• Up the stair (Upstairs) (note Scots uses the singular unlike English)

V

• Varsitie (University)
• Verra (Very, negative: "Verra bad" no "Verra guid")(see Unco, Gey)

W

• Wabsteid (website-new English word) (new Lallans word not adopted yet by most native speakers, most have limited exposure to written Scots beyond the annual Burns celebrations and Oor Wullie and The Broons each week in the Sunday Post and seldom read Lallans publications)
• Wabbit (Exhausted, weak)
• Wad (Would)
• Wally (made of porcelain)
• Wallies (False teeth)
• Wastren, Westren, Wester (Western) (Wastren is more phonetic Lallans)
• Wark n. wirk v. (work, or a building)
• Wean (child) (contraction of "wee ane", particularly common in Ulster Scots which is essentially part of wm.Sc. and is even used by Hiberno-English speakers in parts of the RoI )
• Webster (Weaver, archaic)
• Wee (Small, Little)
• Wester (Western particularly in traditional Scots placenames)
• Whaur (Where)
• Wheesht (be quiet, silent as phrase "Haud yer wheesht!" often used with noisy children)
• Whilk (Which, archaic, modern Scots uses Whit or That where English uses "Which") (cf Dutch welk)
• Whins (Gorse, Furze)
• Whit (What)
• Whit Wey?, Hou Come?, Hou? (Why?)
• Wi (With)
• Wis (Was)
• Wir (Our) (see also Oor)
• Wisna, Wisnae (mair recent phonetic spellin) (was not)
• Write (Write)
• Wye (Way)
• Wynd (narrow winding street)

Y

• Yer (Your)
• Ye (You)
• Yett (Gate)
• Yit (yet, still, to this day) (modren Lallans spellin)
• Yin (one-phonetic spellin) That's ane, see abuin (ane an abuin rhymes in some airts)
• Yon (That one over there) (essentially same meaning as Thon, often used to refer to something in the distance but still within eyesight of both people involved in conversation)
• Yowe (Ewe)

See forbye

• RRSSC
• Wikipedia:RRSSC Common wordleet (English ti Scots)
• Wikipedia:RRSSC Common wordleet (Scots til English)

Fremmit airtins

• The Online Scots Dictionary