Glossary Of Scottish Words Used By Robert Burns: S-Words
S-Words
by Robert Burns
- Sae
- So.
- Saft
- Soft.
- Sair
- To serve; a sore; sairie, sorrowful; sairly, sorely; sair't, served.
- Sark
- A shirt.
- Sarkit
- Provided in shirts.
- Saugh
- Willow.
- Saugh-woodies
- Withies made of willows, now supplanted by ropes and chains.
- Saul
- soul.
- Saumont
- Salmon.
- Saunt
- Saint.
- Saut, Sautit
- Salt, Salted.
- Saw, Sawin'
- To sow, sowing.
- Sax
- Six.
- Scaith
- To damage, to injure, injury.
- Scaud
- To scald.
- Scauld, scawl
- To scold, a scold.
- Scaur
- Apt to be scared; a precipitous bank of earth which the stream has washed red.
- Scawl
- Scolding wife
- Scone
- A kind of bread.
- Sconner
- A loathing, to loath.
- Scraich and Scriegh
- To scream, as a hen or partridge.
- Screed
- To tear, a rent; screeding, tearing.
- Scrieve, Scrieven
- To glide softly, gleesomely along, swiftly.
- Scrimp
- To scant; scrimpet, scanty;
- Scroggie
- Covered with underwood, bushy.
- Seed
- Saw, did see.
- Seizin'
- Seizing.
- Sel'
- Self; a body's sel', one's self alone.
- Sell't
- Did sell, sold.
- Sen', Sen't
- To send, sent, or did send.
- Servan'
- Servant.
- Sets, Sets off
- Goes away.
- Settlin'
- Settling; to get a settlin', to be frightened into quietness.
- Shachlet-feet
- Ill-shaped.
- Shair'd
- A shred, a shard.
- Shangan
- A stick cleft at one end, for pulling the tail of a dog, etc., by way of mischief, or to frighten him away.
- Shank-it
- Walk it; shanks, legs.
- Shaul
- Shallow.
- Shaver
- A humorous wag, a barber.
- Shavie
- To do an ill turn.
- Shaw
- To shew; a small wood in a hollow place.
- Sheen
- Bright, shiny.
- Sheep-shank
- To think one's self nae sheep-shank: to be conceited.
- Sherra-muir
- Sheriff-muir, the famous battle of 1715.
- Sheugh
- A ditch, a trench, a sluice.
- Shiel, Shealing
- A shed, a shepherds cottage.
- Shill
- Shrill.
- Shog
- A shock, a push off at one side.
- Shoo
- Ill to please.
- Shool
- A shovel.
- Shoon
- Shoes.
- Shore, Shor'd
- To offer, to threaten; offered and threatened.
- Shot
- One traverse of the shuttle from side to side of the web.
- Shouther
- The shoulder.
- Sic
- Such.
- Sicker
- Sure, steady.
- Sidelins
- Sideling, slanting.
- Silken-snood
- A filet of silk, a token of virginity.
- Siller
- Silver, money, white.
- Simmer
- Summer.
- Sin
- A son, since.
- Sinsyne
- Since then.
- Skaith
- To damage, to injure, injury.
- Skeigh
- Proud, nice, saucy, mettled.
- Skellum
- A noisy, reckless fellow.
- Skelp
- To strike, to slap; to walk with a smart tripping step, a smart stroke.
- Skelpie-limmer
- A technical term in female scolding.
- Skelpin, Skelpit
- Striking, walking rapidly; literally striking the ground.
- Skinklin
- Thin, gauzy, scaltery, a small portion.
- Skirl, Skirling
- To cry, to shriek shrilly, shrieking, crying.
- Skirl't
- Shrieked.
- Sklent
- Slant, to run aslant, to deviate from truth.
- Sklented
- Ran, or hit, in an oblique direction.
- Skouth
- Vent, free action.
- Skreigh
- A scream, to scream, the first cry uttered by a child.
- Skyte
- A worthless fellow, to slide rapidly off.
- Skyrin
- Partly coloured, the checks of the tartan.
- Slade
- Did slide.
- Slae
- Sloe.
- Slap
- A gate, a breach in the fence.
- Slaw
- Slow.
- Slee, Sleest
- Sly, slyest.
- Sleekit
- Sleek, sly.
- Sliddery
- Slippery.
- Slip-shod
- Smooth shod.
- Sloken
- Quench, slake.
- Slype, Slypet
- To fall over; fell over, with a slow reluctant motion.
- Sma'
- Small.
- Smeddum
- Dust, powder, mettle, sense, sagacity.
- Smeek
- Smoke.
- Smiddy
- A smithy.
- Smirking
- Good-natured, winking.
- Smoor, Smoored
- To smother, smothered.
- Smoutie
- Smutty, obscene; smooty phiz, sooty aspect.
- Smytrie
- A numerous collection of small individuals.
- Snakin'
- Sneering.
- Snapper
- Mistake, stumble.
- Snash
- Abuse, Billingsgate, impertinence.
- Snaw, Snawie
- Snow, to snow, snowy.
- Snaw-broo
- Melted snow.
- Sned
- To lop, to cut off.
- Sned-besoms
- To cut brooms.
- Sneeshin
- Snuff; sneeshing-mill, a snuff-box.
- Snell, Snelly
- Bitter, biting; snellest, bitterest.
- Snick, or Sneck
- The latchet of a door.
- Snick-drawing
- Trick contriving.
- Snirt, Snirtle
- Concealed laughter; To breathe through the nostrils in a displeased manner.
- Snool
- One whose spirit is broken with excessive slavery; To submit tamely, to sneak.
- Snoove
- To go smoothly and constantly, to sneak.
- Snowk, Snowkit
- To scent or snuff as a dog, scented, snuffed.
- Sodger
- A soldier.
- Sonsie
- Having sweet engaging looks, lucky, jolly.
- Soom
- To swim.
- Sooth
- Truth, a petty oath.
- Sough
- Sound dying on the ear, or a continued sound, like the noise of a high wind.
- Souk
- To suck, to drink long and enduringly.
- Soupe
- Milk.
- Souple, Soupled
- Flexible, swift; suppled.
- Souse
- Cold
- Souter
- A shoemaker.
- Souther, Sowther
- To solder.
- Sowens
- A dish made of oatmeal -- the seeds of oatmeal soured, etc. boiled up till they make an agreeable pudding.
- Sowp
- A spoonful, a small quantity of anything liquid.
- Sowth
- To try over a tune with a low whistle.
- Spae
- To prophecy, to divine.
- Spails
- Chips, splinters.
- Spairge
- To clash, to soil, as with mire.
- Spates
- Swollen streams.
- Spaul
- A limb.
- Spaviet
- Having the spavin.
- Speat, Spates
- A sweeping torrent after the rain or thaw; sudden floods.
- Speel
- To climb.
- Speer
- Call.
- Spence
- The parlour of a farmhouse of cottage.
- Spier
- To ask, to enquire; spier't, inquired.
- Spinnin-graith
- Wheel and roke and lint.
- Splatter
- To splutter, a splutter
- Spleughan
- A tobacco pouch.
- Splore
- A frolic, noise, riot.
- Sprachled
- Scrambled.
- Sprattle
- To scramble.
- Spreckled
- Spotted, speckled.
- Spring
- A quick tune air in music, a Scottish reel.
- Sprit, Spret
- A tough-rooted plant, something like rushes, jointed leaves rush.
- Sprittie
- Full of spirits.
- Spunk
- Fire, mettle, wit, spark.
- Spunkie
- Mettlesome, fiery; will o' the wisp or ignis fatuus; the devil.
- Spurtle
- A stick used in making oatmeal pudding or porridge, a notable Scottish dish.
- Squad
- A crew or party, a squadron.
- Squatter
- To flutter in water, as a wild duck, etc.
- Squattle
- To sprawl in the act of hiding.
- Squeel
- A scream, a screech, to scream.
- Stacher
- To stagger.
- Stack
- A rick of corn, hay, peats.
- Staggie
- Diminutive of stag.
- Staig
- A two-year-old horse.
- Stalwart
- Stately, strong, stout.
- Stane
- A stone.
- Stang
- Sting, stung.
- Stank
- A pool of standing water; slow moving water.
- Stan't
- To stand, did stand
- Stap
- Stop, stave.
- Stark
- Stout, potent.
- Startin'
- Frighted.
- Startle
- To run as cattle stung by the gadfly.
- Staukin
- Stalking, walking disdainfully, walking without an aim.
- Staumrel
- A block head, half-witted.
- Staw
- Did, steal, to surfeit.
- Stech, Stechin
- To cram the belly; cramming.
- Steek
- To shut, a stitch.
- Steer
- To molest, to stir.
- Steeve
- Firm, compacted.
- Stell
- A still.
- Sten, Sten't
- To rear as a horse, to stride, to leap suddenly; reared.
- Stents
- Tribute, dues of any kind.
- Stey
- Steep; styest, steepest.
- Stibble
- Stubble: stubble rig, the reaper in harvest who takes the lead.
- Stick-an'-stow
- Totally, altogether.
- Stilt, Stilts
- A crutch; to limp, to halt; poles for crossing a river.
- Stimpart
- The eighth part of a Winchester bushel.
- Stirk
- A cow or bullock a year old.
- Stock
- A plant of colewort, cabbages.
- Stockin'
- Stocking; Throwing the stockin'; When the bride and bridegroom are put into bed, and the candle out, the former throws a stocking at random among the company, and the person whom it falls on is the next that will be married.
- Stook, Stooked
- A shock of corn, made into shocks.
- Stoor
- Sounding hollow, strong, and hoarse.
- Stot
- A young bull or ox.
- Stound
- Sudden pang of the heart.
- Stoop, or Stowp
- A kind of high narrow jug, or dish, with a handle, for holding liquids.
- Stoure
- Dust; More particularly, dust in motion; stourie, dusty.
- Stown
- Stolen.
- Stownlins
- By stealth.
- Stoyte
- The walking of a drunken man, stumble.
- Strack
- Did strike.
- Strae
- Straw; to die a fair strae death, to die in bed.
- Straik
- To stroke; straiket, stroked
- Strappan, Strappin'
- Tall, handsome, vigorous.
- Strath
- Low alluvial land, a holm.
- Straught
- Straight.
- Straught on a board.
- Die and be stretched on a board.Straight.
- Stravagin
- Wandering without an aim.
- Streek
- Stretched, to stretch.
- Striddle
- To straddle.
- Stroan
- To spout.
- Stroup
- The spout.
- Strunt
- Spirituous liquor of any kind; to walk sturdily, to be affronted.
- Studdie
- The anvil.
- Stuff
- Corn or pulse of any kind.
- Stumpie
- Diminutive of stump; a grub pen.
- Sturt
- Trouble; to molest.
- Styme
- A glimmer.
- Sucker
- Sugar.
- Sud
- Should.
- Sugh, or Sough
- The continued rushing noise of wind or water.
- Sumph
- A pluckless fellow, with little heart or soul.
- Suthron
- Southern, an old name for the English nation.
- Swaird
- Sword.
- Swall'd
- Swelled.
- Swank
- Jolly.
- Swankie, or swanker
- A tight strapping young fellow or girl.
- Swap
- An exchange, to barter.
- Swarfed
- Swooned.
- Swat, Sweatin'
- Did sweat, sweating.
- Swatch
- A sample.
- Swats
- Drink, good ale, new ale, or wort.
- Sweer
- Lazy, averse; dead-sweer, extremely averse.
- Swingein
- To beat, to whip.
- Swinke
- To labour hard.
- Swirl
- A curve, an eddying blast or pool, a knot in wood.
- Swirlie
- Knaggie, full of knots.
- Swith
- Get away.
- Swither
- To hesitate in choice, an irresolute wavering, in choice.
- Swoor
- Swore, did swear.
- Syebow
- A thick necked onion.
- Syne
- Since, ago, then.
Source:
The Poetical Works Of Robert BurnsCopyright 1910
Ward, Lock, and Co., Ltd