The speech patterns of the Scots are famously rich and evocative. It’s a special pleasure to hear Gaelic, the lingua franca from Scotland’s earliest days and still spoken in parts of the Highlands and the Hebrides—especially on the Isle of Skye, where about 60% of the population still use this millennia-old language. Here are some words, Gaelic and otherwise, that you might encounter during your travels around Scotland.
aber -- river mouth
ach -- field
aird -- promontory
alt -- stream
auch -- field
auld -- old
baillie -- magistrate
bal -- hamlet or tiny village
ben -- peak, often rugged
birk -- birch tree
brae -- hillside, especially along a river
brig -- bridge
broch -- circular stone tower
burn -- stream
cairn -- heap of stones piled up as memorial or landmark
ceilidh -- Scottish hoedown with singing, music, and tall tales
clach -- stone
clachan -- hamlet
close -- narrow passage leading from the street to a court or tenement
craig -- rock
creel -- basket
croft -- small farm worked by a tenant, often with hereditary rights
cromlech, dolmen -- prehistoric tomb or monument consisting of a large flat stone laid across upright stones
dram -- 1/8 fluid ounce
drum -- ridge
dun -- fortress, often in a lake
eas -- waterfall
eilean -- island
factor -- manager of an estate
fell -- hill
firth -- arm of the sea reaching inland
gait -- street (in proper names)
gil -- ravine
glen -- a small valley
haugh -- water meadow
how -- burial mound
howff -- small, cozy room or meeting place
inver -- mouth of a river
kil, kin, kirk -- church
kyle -- narrows of ancient or unknown origin
land -- house built on a piece of ground considered as property
larig -- mountain pass
links -- dunes
loch -- lake
machair -- sand dune, sometimes covered with sea grass
mon -- hill
muir -- moor
mull -- cape or promontory
ness -- headland
neuk -- nose
pend -- vaulted passage
provost -- mayor
reek -- smoke
ross -- cape
schist -- highly compact crystalline rock formation
strath -- broad valley
tarbert -- isthmus
tolbooth -- old town hall (often with prison)
uig -- sheltered bay
uisge -- water
uisge beatha -- water of life, whisky
way -- bay
wynd -- alley
Note: This information was accurate when it was published, but can change without notice. Please be sure to confirm all rates and details directly with the companies in question before planning your trip.
