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 Burns
Copyright 1910
Ward, Lock, and Co., Ltd