An Etymological Dictionary of the Scottish Language

An Etymological Dictionary of the Scottish Language
John Jamieson, D.D.
Edinburgh: Printed for Archibald Constable and Company, and Alexander Jameson, Edinburgh.
1818.AMERAND, adj. Green, verdant; probably written ameraud. Douglas.
From the colour of the emerald, Fr. emeraud.


To BEGARIE, v. a. 1. To variegate, to deck with various colours. Lyndsay.
2. To stripe, to variegate with lines of various colours, to streak. Begaryit, striped, part. pa. Douglas.
3. To besmear; to bedaub, to bespatter.
"S. begaried, bedirted;" Rudd. vo. Laggerit. Lyndsay.
This v. has an evident affinity to our Gair, gare, a stripe of cloth, and Gaired, gairy, q. v. The word is immediately allied to Fr. begarr-er, to diversify; begarri, of sundry colours, mingled.

BERY BROUNE, a shade of brown approaching to red. Gawan and Gol.
We still say, "as brown as a berry," S. A. S. beria, bacca.

BLA, BLAE, adj. Livid; a term frequently used to denote the appearance of the skin when discoloured by a severe stroke or contusion, S. Douglas.
Su.G. blaa, Isl. bla-r, Germ. blaw, Belg. blauw, Franc. plauu, lividus, glaucus.

BLACK AVICED, adj. Dark of the complexion, S. from black and Fr. vis, the visage. Ramsay.

BLACK-BURNING, adj. Used in reference to shame, when it is so great as to produce deep blushing, or to crimson the countenance, S. BRmsay.
Su. G. Isl. blygd, shame, blushing; blygd-a, to blush; q. the burning of blushes.

BLACK-COCK, s. The Heath-cock, black Game, S. Tetrao tetrix, Linn.
V. Penn. Zool. p. 266. Tetrao seu Urogallusminor.—Gallus palustris Scoticus, Gesn. Nostratibus, the Black cock. Sibb. Scot p. 16. V. Caper cailye.

BLACK FISH, fish when they have recently spawned. V. Reid Fische.

BLACK-FISHING, s. Fishing for salmon, under night, by means of torches, S. V. Leister. Statist. Acc.

BLACK-FOOT, s. A sort of matchmaker; one who goes between a lover
and his mistress, endeavouring to bring the fair one to compliance, S. pronounced black-fit; synon. Mitsh, q. v.

BLACK-HEAD, s. The Powit-gull, Shell. Ncill.

BLACK-MAIL. V. Mail
Black-mail, s. A tax paid by heritors or tenants, for the security of their property, to those freebooters who were wont to make inroads on estates. Acts Ja. VI.
Germ. blackmal, id. from Alem. blaken, praedari.

BLACK PUDDING. V. Mart.

BLACK SPAUL, a disease of cattle, S. Essays Highl. Soc.

BLANCHART, adj. White. Gawan and Gol.
Fr. blanc, blanche, id. The name blanchards is given to a kind of linen cloth, the yarn of which has been twice bleached, before it was put into the loom; perhaps immediately from Teut. blanch; id. and aerd, Belg. aardt, nature. V. Art.

BLAUCHT, adj. Pale, livid. Palace of Hon.
A. S. blue, blaec; Su. G. blek. Isl. bleik-r, E bleak, pallidus. A.S. blacian, Su. G blek-na, to wax pale.

BLE, BLIE, s. Complexion, colour. Gawan and Gol.
This word is common in O. E. A. S. bleoh, blio, color.

To BLECK, BLEK, v. a. 1. To blacken, literally, S. Polwart.
2. To injure one's character. Bannatyne Poems.
3. To cause moral pollution. Abp. Hamiltoun. A.S. blaec-an, denigrare. Isl. blek, liquor tinctorius.

BLEHAND, BLIHAND, adj. Sir Trist.
"Blue, from bleah, Sax. caeruleus. Blehand brown. A bluish brown," Gl. The word is merely A. S. blae-hewen a little transformed. The idea seems, "a brownish colour, inclining to purple or violet."

BLYWEST, adj. in the superl. Houlate.
"Blythest, most merry," Gl. Perhaps it rather refers to colour; q. the palest.

BLOISENT, part.pa. One is said to have a bloisent face, when it is red, swollen, or disfigured, whether by intemperance, or by being exposed to the weather; Aug.
This appears to be radically the same with E. blowze; " sun-burnt, high-coloured;" Johns. Teut. blose, rubor, purpurissum, redness, the colour of purple; blos-en, rubescere; blosende wanghen, rubentes genae, purpled cheeks.

BLUE-GOWN, s. The name commonly given to a pensioner, who, annually, on the King's birth-day, receives a certain sum of money, and a blue gown or cloak, which he wears with a badge on it, S. V. Bedeman.

BLUNKET, s. Expl. " Pale blue; perhaps any faint or faded colour; q. blanched-" Sibb. Sir Gawan and Sir Gal.

BOR, BOIR, BORE, s. 1. A small hole or crevice; a place used for shel ter, especially by smaller animals, S. Sir Tristrem.
2. An opening in the clouds, when the sky is thick and gloomy, or during rain, is called a blue bore, S. It is sometimes used metaph. Baillie.
Su. G. Germ. bor, terebra; Isl. bora, foramen; A. S. bor-ian, to pierce.

BRANDED, BRANNIT, adj. Having a reddish-brown colour, as if singed by
fire. A branded cow is one that is almost entirely brown, S. Germ. braun, id. Minstrelsy Bord.

BROWNIE, s. A spirit, till of late years supposed to haunt some old houses, those, especially, attached to farms. In stead of doing any injury, be was believed to be very useful to the family, particularly to the servants, if they treat ed him well; for whom, while they took their necessary refreshment in sleep, he was wont to do many pieces of drud gery, S. Douglas.
Ruddiman seems to think that these spirits were called Brownies, from their supposed "swarthy or tawny colour." They may be viewed as corresponding with the Swartalfur, i. e. swarthy or black elves of the Edda, as the Liosalfar, or white elves, are analogous to our
Fairies.

Brown cow, a ludicrous designation given by the vulgar to a barrel of beer or ale, from its colour, as contradistinguished from that of milk, S.

BURNET, adj. Of a brown colour. Douglas.
Fr. brunette, a dark brown stuff for merly worn by persons of quality.

BYPTICIT, part.pa. Dipped or dyed.
Lat. baptizo. Houlate.



CAMSTONE, s. 1. Common compact limestone, S.
2. White clay, indurated; Loth. Teut. kalmey-steen, lapis calaminaris.

CANDAVAIG, s. 1. A foul salmon, that has lien in fresh water till summer, without migrating to the sea; Ang.
2. Used as denoting a peculiar species of salmon, Aberd. Statist. Ace.
Gael. ceann, head, and dubhach, a black dye.

CHANOS, adj. Gray. V. Canois.
Douglas.

CORCOLET, s. A purple dye, Shetl.

CRAMESYE, CRAMMESY, s. Cloth of crimson, a grain-colour. Douglas. Fr. cramoisi, id.

CUDBEAR, s. The Lichen omphalodes, dark purple dyer's lichen, S. Statist, lice.



DALMATYK, s. A white dress worn by Kings and Bishops. Wyntown.
Thus denominated, as being brought from Dalmatia.

DOSK, adj. Dark-coloured. Douglas.



EMERANT, EMIRAND Adj. Green. Douglas.



FAW, adj. Pale red. V. Fauch.

FAW, adj. Of diverse colours. Gawan and Gol.



GAIRED, GAIRY, adj. Having streaks of different colours, S. A gairy cow, a cow thus streaked.

GOOL, GULE, adj. Yellow. Dunbar.
A. S. geolu, guul, Su. G. gul, id.

GRAY, adj. Denoting what is bad or fatal, a Kelly.

GREE, s. 1. Tinge, dye. Ross.
2. The ichor which oozes from a sore in a brute animal, Ang.

GREEN BREESE, A stinking pool, Banffs.

GREEN LINTWHITE, Greenfinch, S.

GREEN SLOKE, Oyster green, S.

GREY, s. A badger. King's Quair.

GREY, s. A greyhound. V. Grewe.

GRIECE, s. Gray griece, a fur worn by the Lords of Parliament; Acts Ja. II.
Germ. greis, grey.

GULE, adj. Yellow. V. Goot.




HEUCK-STANE, s. Blue vitriol; as used for removing this disease, ibid. [HEUCK = a disease of cows, inflaming the eye]

HEWYD, HEWYT, part. pa. Coloured. Barbour.

HODDEN-GREY, adj. Applied to cloth worn by the peasantry, which has the natural colour of the wool, S. Ramsay. E. hoiden, rustic, clownish.



KEELIVINE, KEELIVINE-PEN, s. A black-lead pencil, S. Perhaps q. guille de vigne, a quill made from the vine. Sir J. Sinelair.



LAYKE, s. Paint. Philotus.
Fr. lacque, sanguine colour.

LATTOUN, s. 1. A mixed kind of metal. Douglas.
2. Electrum. Ruddiman.
3. The colour of brass. Douglas.
Isl. laatun, Belg. latoen, orichalcum.

To LIT, LITT, v. a. To dye, S. Doug.
Isl. lit-a, tingere; litr, Su. G. lit, color.
Lit, Litt, s. Dye, tinge, S. Acts Ja. II.

LITSTAR. s. A dyer, S. Burrow Lawes.




PAYS-EGGS, Eggs dyed of various colours, given to children to amuse themselves with at the time of Easter, S.
Dan. paaske-egg, coloured eggs; Belg. pasch-eyeren, ova paschalia.

PEIRS, adj. Sky-coloured. Douglas.
O. Fr. pers, perse, caesius, glaucus.

PIRNYT, PYRNIT, part. pa. Striped with different colours. Douglas.
Pirnie, adj. Having unequal threads, or different colours, S. Cleland.
Isl. prion, lanificium textile.

POURPOURE, s. Purple. Douglas.
Fr. pourpre, id.




RAPLACH, RAPLACK, RAPLOCK, REPLOCH, s. Coarse woollen cloth,  homespun, and not dyed, S. Lyndsay.
Su. G. rep-a, vellere, and lock, cirrus; q. the lock of wool, as plucked from the animal

REVE, s. A colour between yellow and grey; Lat. ravus. Sir Gawan.

RUD, adj. Red.
Wallace.
A. S. rude, reod, Alem. ruod.
Rude, s. 1. Redness. Douglas.
2. Those parts of the face, which in youth and health have a ruddy colour, S.B. Chr. Kirk.
A. S. ruda, rubor, vultus.

SANGUANE, SANGUYNE, adj. Having the colour of blood; Fr. sanguin.
Douglas.

SCAD, s. Any colour seen by reflection; or the reflection itself, S. Rutherford. A. S. scade, umbra.

SHOT-ABOUT, adj. Striped of various colours, S.A. from shooting shuttles alternately. Gl. Sibb.

SKAILLIE, SKAILYIE, s. Blue slate. S.B. Acts Ja. VI.
Belg. schalie, id. Moes.G. skal-jos, tiles.
SKILLIE pen, a pencil of soft slate, S.

To SMAD, v. a. To stain, to discolour. Houlate.
Su. G. smet-a, Belg. smett-en, to soil.
SMAD, t. A stain of any kind, S. B.
Belg. smette, id.; Teut. smadde, convitium.

TRUE-BLUE, adj. An epithet given to those accounted rigid Presbyterians, from the colour of the cockade worn by the Covenanters, S. True Bleu Presb. Loyalty.

URE, s. Colour, tinge, S.B.
Belg. verw, Sw. ferg, id.



VIRIDEER, s. The keeper of the grass or green wood in a forest. For. Lawes.
L.B. viridar-ius, Fr. verdeur, id.


WADD, s. Woad, used in dyeing. Chalm. Air.
A.S. wad, waad, Teut. weede, woad.

WAN, adj. 1. Black, gloomy. Wallace.
A. S. wan; wan wolcen, atra nubes.
2. Dark-coloured; or rather, filthy. Wallace.
A.S. wan, wonn, also signify filthy.

WHITE BONNET, one who, in a sale by auction, bids for his own goods, or who is employed by the owner for this purpose, S.