Glossary Of Scottish Words Used By Robert Burns: W-Words

W-Words

by Robert Burns

Wa'
Wall; wa's, walls.
Wabster
A weaver.
Wad
Would; to bet, a bet, a pledge.
Wadna
Would not.
Wadset
Land on which money is lent; a mortgage.
Wae
Woe; waefu', sorrowful, wailing.
Waefu'-woodie
Hangman's rope.
Waesucks! Wae's me!
Alas! O the pity!
Wa'-flower
Wall-flower.
Waft
Woof; the cross thread that goes from the shuttle through the web.
Waifs an' crocks
Stray sheep and old ewes, past breeding.
Wair
To lay out, to expend.
Wale, wal'd
Choice, to choose; chosen.
Walie
Ample, large, jolly, also an interjection of distress.
Wame, wamefu'
The belly; a belly-full.
Wanchansie
Unlucky.
Wanrest, wanrestfu'
Restless, unrestful.
Wark
Work.
Wark-lume
A tool to work with.
Warld's worm
A miser.
Warl', or warld
World.
Warlock
A wizard; warlock-knowe, a knoll where warlocks once held tryste.
Warly
Worldly, eager in amassing wealth.
Warran'
A warrant, to warrant.
Warsle, warstle, warsl'd, or warstl'd
Wrestle, wrestling, struggling; wrestled.
Warst
Worst.
Wastrie
Prodigality.
Wat
Wet; I wat -- I wot -- I know.
Wat
A man's upper dress; a sort of mantle.
Water brose
Brose made of meal and water simply, without the addition of milk, butter, etc.
Wattle
A twig, a wand.
Wauble
To swing, to reel.
Waught
Draught.
Waukin
Waking, watching.
Waukit
Thickened as fullers do cloth.
Waukrife
Not apt to sleep.
Waur, waur't
Worse, worsted.
Wean
A child.
Wearie, or weary
Many a weary body, many a toilsome person.
Weary-widdle
Toilsome contest of life.
Weason
Weasand, windpipe.
Weavin' the stocking
To knit stockings. See Stockin'. Throwing the stockin'.
Wechts
Corn baskets.
Wee
Little; wee things, little ones; wee bits, a small matter.
Weed
Jugs.
Weeder-clips
Instrument for removing weeds.
Weel
Well; weelfare, welfare.
Weet
Rain, wetness; to wet.
Weird
Fate.
We'se
We shall.
Wha, whase, wha's
Who, whose, who's.
Whaizle
To wheeze.
Whalpit
Whelped.
Whang
A leathern thong; a piece of cheese, bread, etc.
Whare
Where. Whare'er, where'er.
What reck
Nevertheless.
Wheep
To fly nimbly, to jerk; penny-wheep, small beer.
Whid
The motion of a hare running, but not frightened; a lie.
Whidden
Running as a hare, or coney.
Whigmeleeries
Whims, fancies, crotchets.
Whilk
Which.
Whingin'
Crying, complaining, fretting.
Whins
Gorse.
Whirligigums
Useless ornaments, trifling appendages; the capitals which surmount the columns on the new bridge of Ayr.
Whisht
Silence; to hold one's whisht, to be silent.
Whisk, whisket
To sweep. to lash.
Whiskin' beard
A beard like the whiskers of a cat.
Whissle
A whistle, to whistle.
Whitter
A hearty draught of liquor.
Whittle
A knife.
Whunstane
A whinstone.
Whyles
Whiles, sometimes.
Wi'
Wish.
Wick
To strike a stone in an oblique direction -- a term in curling.
Wicker
Willow (the smaller sort).
Widdifu'
Twisted like a withy; one who merits hanging.
Wiel
A small whirlpool.
Wifie-wifkie
A diminutive or endearing name, for wife.
Wight
Stout, enduring.
Willyart-glower
A bewildered, dismayed stare.
Wimple, wimplet
To meander, meandered; to enfold.
Wimplin'
Waving, meandering.
Win, win't, wind
To wind, to winnow; winded, as a bottom of yarn.
Win, wons
Live, dwells.
Winna
Will not.
Winnin'-thread
Putting thread into hanks.
Winnock
A window.
Winsome
Hearty, vaunted, gay.
Wintle
A staggering motion; to stagger, to reel.
Winze
A curse, or imprecation.
Wiss
To wish.
Withouten
Without.
Wizened
Hide-bound, dried, shrunk.
Wonner
A wonder, a contemptuous appellation.
Woo'
Wool.
Woo
To court, to make love to.
Woodie
A rope; more properly one of withies or willows.
Woody
Halter.
Wooer-babs
The garter knitted below the knee with a couple of loops.
Wordy
Worthy.
Worset
Worsted.
Wow
An exclamation of pleasure or wonder.
Wrack
To tease, to vex.
Wraith
A spirit, a ghost, an apparition exactly like a living person, whose appearance is said to forebode the person's approaching death; also wrath.
Wrang
Wrong, to wrong.
Wreeth
A drifted heap of snow.
Wud
Wild, mad; wud-mad, distracted.
Wumble
A wimble.
Wyle
To beguile.
Wyliecoat
A flannel vest.
Wyte
Blame, to blame.

Source:

The Poetical Works Of Robert Burns
Copyright 1910
Ward, Lock, and Co., Ltd