A Glossary of Scottish words and terms used on this website. The words include definitions and explanations. These Scottish words are listed here to assist you in your wedding planning. Brae ~ hill. Brat ~ simply a piece of woolen cloth that one would wear over other clothing. It was often worn like a cloak, but was also used like a sash or shawl. The length of the Brat was entirely dependent upon the wearer and the style at the time. The average Brat would have been 1 to 1.5 yards long from doubled cloth (up to 60" wide). Today the Brat is known as the Fly Plaid. Braw ~ something good, a braw day is a great weather day. Breacan ~ old style kilt or philamor, a flat piece of fabric, pleated by hand each time worn. Breacan feile ~ big kilt, see brecan. Breid tri chearnach ~ also curtch, kertch, breid, a three-cornered kerchief of white linen, tied under the chin. Often the point hanging down the back was embroidered elaborately, to show off the woman’s needlework skills. Worn only by married women. Young, unmarried girls wore a Cockernonie. Bridal Concomitant ~ a bridal flag or ensign, flown from the housetop on the wedding day. Embellished with wedding symbols, such as the claddaugh or lukenbooth. Bridie ~ originating in the town of Forfar, also called Forfar bridie, a baked shortcrust pastry with minced beef, onions, and spices. One hole on top signifies no onions, two holes signify onions have been added. Brigadoonery ~ gaudy, beyond good taste. The exaggerated Scottishness of the movie ‘Brigadoon’. Brog, Brogan ~ simple deerskin shoes, the forerunners of today's brogues where the decoration is an outer layer of leather in which holes have been punched. Brogues ~ footwear made of skin, light weight, with holes punched in to let out the water from streams and rivers. Bubba ~ derived from brother, a nickname given to boys , especially the eldest son, often replacing their given name. Outside the family, it is a term of affection for a buddy. Outside the southern states, it can mean someone of low economic status and limited education, or apply to a good-ol-boy who doesn’t function well in business or social relationships due to a self-absorbed outlook on life. While not a Scottish word, Clan MacBubba necessitates an explanation. Bumbee tartan ~ a fabric woven to look like a tartan, but isn’t, a bumbee is a bumblebee. Tartans designed with a complete lack of taste, no sense of history, and incorrect weaving patterns which should have no place in tartan history. Burn ~ stream. C ~ Scottish wordsCantle ~ the metalwork clasp on a dress sporran.Cath dath, Cada ~ war pattern on hosiery, tartan hose. Ceety Haw ~ city hall. Ceilidh ~ ('kel or Kay’-lay) dance, social gathering. A Scottish Gaelic word for “visit”, as these began as informal gatherings in individual’s homes. Ceilidh Dancing ~ informal, cheerful, lively dancing to Celtic music played on the fiddle, flute, tin whistle, accordion, bodhran, small bagpipes, usually performed in lines of 2 or more dancers. Celtic Knots ~ decorative knots that are interwoven with no beginning and no end. Ceud mile failte, cuad mile failte ~ a hundred, thousand welcomes. Chaipel ~ a wedding chapel. Chantie ~ chamber pot, used in Bridal hazing. Clan ~ actually derives from the Gaelic clann, meaning 'children' or 'stock'. In Scotland, it's meaning can be a tribe, race, or family unit. Clan Badge ~ clan symbol and motto, now worn on the bonnet. Clan Motto ~ war cry, used in battle. Cockade ~ an ornamental ribbon on headgear. Can be a rosette, ribbon, or other ornament. Worn as an identifying badge or as part of a livery. From the mid-17th century, French bonnet à la coquarde meaning a bonnet worn proudly, from an obsolete word, coquard, meaning proud. The colloquial word was coq, pronounced cock. Cockernonie ~ gathering of a woman’s hair into a snood. Come ben the hoose ~ come in the house, welcome. Concomitant ~ a flag or banner. Cota fiaraidh ~ tartan jacket cut on the bias. Cota gearr ~ man’s plain cut doublet or jacket. Covenanters ~ a 17th century Presbyterian religious movement to free Scotland of Catholicism, to develop the character and operation of the Scottish Parliament, and began a revolution throughout the British Isles.  Image courtesy Wikipedia Craiker ~ originally a boaster, evolved into cracker, which is now anyone residing in Georgia. Cranachan ~ pottage dessert. Creelin’ ~ a creel is a basket to hold fish. Creeling is part of the groom’s hazing. A creel was filled with rocks and strapped on the groom’s back. He had to walk the town until his bride kissed him, or he completed a circuit of town. Cuaran ~ boot. D & E ~ Scottish wordsDealg ~ pin, fastener.Diced ~ ribbon band on bonnets, usually red, black, and white check flashes. A Hanoverian (English) military fashion. Didgeridoo, didjeridu, didj ~ claimed to be the world’s oldest wind instrument, used by the indigenous tribes of Australia. Described as a wooden trumpet, it’s a cylinder about 30 to 60 inches in length.  Dirk ~ a Scottish word meaning a long dagger, with a blade length of 7 to 14 inches. Its blade length and style varied, but it was generally 7-14 inches. A weapon of offense, used with the targe and sword. Scotsmen would swear the oath on their dirk. After the Battle of Culloden,th eEnglish forced the following oath of fealty, to never “…possess any gun, sword, or pistol, or to use tartan…and if I do so may I be cursed in my undertakings, family and property, may I be killed in battle as a coward, and lie without burial in a strange land, far from the graves of my forefathers and kindred; may all this come across me if I break my oath." F ~ Scottish wordsFairings ~ love tokens. Small gifts as tokens of affection, such as sweets, hair ribbons, or small jewelry items.Fantoosh ~ posh, swanky, possibly above one’s class. Fede Ring ~ during the Middle Ages, Scots gave a silver fede ring. This ring was consigned to the kirk, when arranging for their proclamation of marriage. Feile ~ kilted. Feileadh-beag ~ (feela beg) the small kilt, with no tartan above the waist. Today’s modern kilt. Feileadh-mor ~ big wrap, or plaid. Flashes ~ decorative fabric, attached to the garters, to show below the fold of men’s hose when wearing a kilt. Foreland or Foreshore ~ the beach. Friggle-Fraggles ~ trifles, useless ornaments of dress. G ~ Scottish wordsGairden ~ garden.Geegaw, gewgaw, guie-gaue ~ a worthless ornament, a toy, broken fragments of china used as toys. Ghillie Brogues ~ men’s shoes, commonly worn with a modern kilt. Glen ~ a small, narrow, secluded valley. Glif ~ a sudden fright or scare. Growthiness ~ fertility. Guid-man ~ husband. Guid-wife ~ wife. guie-gaue ~ see geegaw. H ~ Scottish wordsHaggis ~ a traditional Scottish dish made of sheep’s pluck, oatmeal, onion, suet, spices, salt and stock.Hain ~ husband. Haudin ~ home, house, holding. Highland Games ~ Highland games are festivals held throughout the year in Scotland and other countries as a way of celebrating Scottish and Celtic culture and heritage, especially that of the Scottish Highlands. While centered on competitions in piping and drumming, dancing, and Scottish heavy athletics, the games also include entertainment and exhibits related to other aspects of Scottish and Gaelic culture. [a direct quote from wikipedia.com] Houlies ~ wild, drunken brawls, especially at Penny Weddings. I & J ~ Scottish wordsIlk ~ same, kind, class, family.Jacobite ~ a partisan of the Stuarts, from the revolution of 1688. Jacobite shirt ~ a casual kilt shirt of cotton or linen, usually with leather cording to lace to neck opening. K ~ Scottish wordsKailyaird ~ backyard.Kebbuck ~ cheese. Kilt ~ A kilt is a pleated tartan fabric garment.Kilt belt ~ belt worn with a kilt, of heavy leather, usually with a decorative buckle. Kirk ~ church. Kirtle ~ a Medieval long ladies dress. L ~ Scottish wordsLeine, varied spellings ~ (lean or lean-e) shirt, shift, smock.Leine-croich ~ saffron shirt, war shirt, worn by ancient Highlanders. Linn ~ waterfall. Loch ~ lake. Luckenbooth Brooch ~ a decorative brooch with intertwining hearts, topped with a crown symbolic of Mary Queen of Scots. Lucky Sixpence/Bawbee ~ sixpence old Scots good luck piece. M ~ Scottish wordsMacBubba ~ a clan affiliation formed in South Carolina, tongue-in-cheek, combining a celebration of Scottish ancestry with Southern redneck humor. A certificate of membership is provided, as with joining any other clan. Bubba is a southern term meaning brother, an endearment for close friends, or a slur used by a non-southerner and aimed at men of low economic status and limited education ~ the good-ol-boy who has difficulty maintaining business and social relationships. Obviously, clan MacBubba is meant as a friendly, endearing term.Mairiage ~ marriage. Meenister ~ minister, preacher, pastor. Mindin’ ~ a small gift or momento as a reminder of the giver. Mo chasen ~ rough deerskin footwear, which the American Indians turned into mocassins. Modesty piece ~ a decorative piece of cotton, linen or lace , worn over a woman’s bosom for modesty or warmth. Mogan ~ footless wool hose. Moor ~ an expanse of open rolling infertile land, possibly boggy, dominated by sedge and grass, often a source of peat. N & O ~ Scottish wordsNeeps and Tatties ~ mashed turnips and potatoes, mashed and served separatelyOotby ~ out of doors. Osian ~ hose, stockings. P ~ Scottish wordsPantalettes ~ undergarments covering the legs of women and girls in the 1800's. Originating in France, later called pantaloons, they were of fine cotton with lace trims that would look pretty, if accidentally revealed. Sometimes hems were shortened to deliberately reveal the handiwork on the pantalettes.  Peitean ~ Gaelic for waistcoat, a sleeveless jacket or vest. Philabeg ~ kilt, from feile, which means kilted. Philamore ~ big kilt, breacan feile. Plaid ~ (plade) Fly plaid ~ simply a piece of woolen cloth that one would wear over other clothing. It was often worn like a cloak, but was also used like a sash or shawl. The length of the Brat was entirely dependent upon the wearer and the style at the time. The average Brat would have been 1 to 1.5 yards long from doubled cloth (up to 60" wide). Today the Brat is known as the Fly Plaid.Plinth ~ stand to display a quaich. Pluck ~ sheep heart, liver and lungs, used in haggis Polonnaise ~ a fashion from the 1770’s, the skirt is gathered from the waist down. There can be one gather, three, or several, forming poufs along the hemline of the garment. P.O.S.H. ~ Port Out, Starboard Home, a term derived from the British Empire in India. Traveling to India, the left, North, or port side of the ship was the coolest. When returning to England, the right, North, or starboard side was the coolest. To be assigned a room on the North side of the ship became a luxury…it was posh, elegant, fashionable, luxurious. Powl ~ pool or pond. Prince Charlie Jacket ~ formal evening wear, usually worn today for weddings. Puirt-a-beul ~ mouth music. Q ~ Scottish wordsQuaich ~ ancient drinking cup with two handles and used with both hands.R ~ Scottish wordsReiver ~ border raiders from both sides of the English- Scottish border, who stole cattle back and forth from the 13th through the 16th century. The Borders people were always poor and often devastated by armies. The terrain is mountainous or open moorland, but good for grazing. The winter months, with long nights and cattle fat from summer grazing were the most popular reiving months. As soldiers the reivers were considered among the finest light cavalry in all of Europe.Robert Burns ~ the poet laureate of Scotland, a cultural icon among Scots worldwide, authored Auld Lang Syne Robert Burns Dinner ~ a celebratory dinner on the evening of Robert Burn’s birthday, January 28th. Haggis is the main entrée, marched in with music and flair. Lots of Scotch whisky flows. Everyone wears sundry interpretations of Scottish national costume ~ the men wearing kilts and the ladies tartan scarves and kilted skirts. There’s usually bagpipes, singing and dancing. The evening closes with reading of Burn’s poetry and a singing of Auld Lang Syne (his poem) which means old, long ago. Ruana ~ ladies shawl or poncho. S ~ Scottish wordsSaltire ~ Scottish flag. Sasannach ~ Englishman. Saunds ~ beach. Scarf ~ ladies’ tartan plaid, see sgarfa. Schenachy ~ bard, storyteller who toldsgeulachds and sgeulachd bheag. Scone ~ (99% of Scotland pronounces scone to rhyme with gone), a Scottish quick bread, usually cut into triangles, then cooked on a griddle or baked on a sheet. They also serve fried tattie scones, similar to Jewish latke, in a full Scottish breakfast.  Scotch eggs ~ a cold, peeled hard-boiled egg, wrapped in a sausage mixture, coated with breadcrumbs, then deep-fried. Actually created in Fortnum & Mason, a London food shop in 1738. Common picnic fare.Scottish Country Dancing ~ a more formal style of Scottish dancing than found at a Ceilidh. The participants are grouped into sets of 3, 4, or 5 couples who work together to dance a sequence of formations. Sealie-Hoo ~ a child’s call, thought to bring luck to it’s possessor, also any unusual headdress. Sept ~ Irish for Clan, modern meaning a subsidiary of a clan. Sett ~ the color and pattern on a tartan. Sgal ~ strong wind, gale. Sgarfa ~ scarf, a ladie’s tartan plaid. Sgeadasachadh ~ to tidy up, as in the bestman whitewashing the groom’s home. Sgeulachd ~ story. Sgeulachd bheag ~ anecdote. Sgian Dubh ~ short ceremonial dagger, worn with a kilt inserted in the top of the stocking.  Shamrock ~ a potted plant kept in every house for luck.Image courtesy of stockxchange.com Shaw ~ a woodland, the woods, a stand of trees. Shoon ~ shoes. Sia sgilligean ~ sixpence. Siller ~ silver money. Sixpence ~ a coin of the realm, see bawbee and sia sgilligean. Skarrach ~ swiftly passing shower of rain ora light snowfall. Skirl ~ musical sounds from a bagpipe. Slàinte ~ (slawn-cha), health, salvation, Deoch-Slàinte, a toast. Smuirich ~ kiss. Snaoim gatrain ~ special knots used to tie garters. Speerin’ ~ asking the father for his daughter’s hand in marriage. Sporran ~ man’s purse, worn around the waist. Sporan Molach ~ hairy purse worn with the kilt. Spredith ~ cattle or livestock of any kind, hence our ranching term “spread”. Spreid ~ a flock of sheep, see spredith. Spuin ~ spoon. The Stone of Destiny ~ also known as the Coronation Stone. A block of sandstone, originally it was at the Abbey of Scone. Kenneth MacAlpin, the first King of Scots, was seated on the stone for his coronation ceremony around 847. From then until 1292, when John Baillol was crowned king, the Scottish king sat upon the stone for his coronation. In 1296 the Stone was captured by Edward I of England and removed to Westminister Abbey. The stone was fitted into the old wooden chair. This chair came to be called St. Edward's Chair. From the coronation of Edward II onward, following the custom in Scotland, the English sovereigns sat upon the stone to be crowned. In 1950, a group of Scottish students removed the Stone from Westminster Abbey. Their plan was to return it to Scotland. They accidentally broke it into two pieces. They smuggled both pieces north into Scotland. A Glasgow politician arranged for it to be professionally repaired by a stonemason. After four months the stone was left on the altar of Arbroath Abbey. The Stone was then returned to Westminster Abbey. In 1996 the British government returned the Stone to Scotland. It now sits in Edinburgh Castle. Many Scotsmen feel this is not really a returning, as the castle is the military headquarters of the British Army in Scotland. There is an understanding that the stone will be taken to Westminister Abbey whenever needed for a British coronation. T ~ Scottish wordsTarge, Targaid ~ a Scottish word meaning target or shield, a weapon of war. With a spike attached in the center, and a dirk in hand, the two made a double slashing combination, that could be followed by the sword in the other hand. Tartan ~ a woven fabric, of which kilts are made. A Tartan identifies a clan, sometimes a clan has several tartans.Tartan Day ~ in the United Sates, April 6th is our National Tartan Day, designated to recognize the contributions that were made by Scottish-Americans to the development of the United States. Tatties ~ potatoes, see neeps and tatties Thareoot ~ out of doors. Thigging ~ fowl feathers washed and saved forpillows and comforters. Possibly evolved into ‘ticking’, the stripped cotton fabric used to hold the feathers.  Thistle ~ the national flower of Scotland.Image courtesy morguefile.com Tonag Mhor, Tonnag ~ big shawl, woman's shoulder shawl, poncho. Toon Green ~ town square. Toorie ~ little pompom atop the Glengarry and Balmoral bonnets, often red. Torq, torque, torc, muntorc ~ neckpiece, jewelry from ancient Celt times, of various metals, plain or woven, sometimes with knotwork designs and elaborate end caps. Trews ~ tartan trousers, more like a pair ofheavy tights with foot stirrups, worn for riding horseback. Triubhas ~ trews, trousers. Tryst, Tryste ~ an appointment to meet, arendevous, a cattle market or fair, an engagement or betrothal. U ~ Scottish wordsUnicorn ~ a mythical animal, held in great reverence by the Celts, depicted with the body and head of a horse, hind legs of a stag, tail of a lion, and a single horn in the middle of the forehead.Usquebagh ~ (oos-kew-baw) water of life, Scotch whiskey. W ~ Scottish wordsWaddin ~ wedding.Weskit ~ vest  Whistle Benkie ~ itinerant musician,piper, harper, or fiddler who plays at weddings or gatherings for loose change as payment. Image courtesy of wikipedia.com Wifie ~ wife. End of Scottish Words Glossary, new Scottish words are being added regularly. Many of the words listed in the Scottish Words Glossary are used on more than one page in Scottish Wedding Dreams. When through using the Scottish Words Glossary, simply close the page to return to where you were reading before you accessed the Glossary. 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Bodhran ~ (much disputed, bow-rawn, rhyming with cow brawn) a drum, popular in Scottish and Irish music, originally used to provide cadence for both pipers and warriors. Usually 14” to 18” in diameter and 3” to 8” deep. Played with a double headed stick called a cipin, tipper, or beater.
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