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Place names are made up of components which are referred to as elements. These elements are simply the words people used to describe a place or their response to their environment. A more complete background to Scots in place names, pronunciation and spelling can be found accompanying Introduction to Scots origins of place names in Britain.
This is a glossary of the elements from Scots most frequently found in the place names of Britain. It does not claim to be a comprehensive list of Scots elements found in Scottish place names, but it can claim to be the most comprehensive to date. Some elements which are the same as English have not been included. The meaning given is that which occurs in place names. Examples (with grid references) are given for each element.
Abbreviations
adj = adjective
n = noun
| Element | Meaning | Examples |
| easter adj | eastern(-most), lying to the east | Easter Anguston NJ8201, Easter Balmoral NO2694 |
| elbuck n | elbow | Deil’s Elbuck NX9393 |
| eller n | elder | Eller Bog NX9385, Ellerslee NX9785 |
| fal adj | see faw | Falkirk NS8781, Falfield NO4408 |
| fank n | enclosure | Fank Wood NS0878, Fank Burn NN7024 |
| faugh n | fallow ground | Longfaugh NJ8322, Faugh NS9312 |
| fauld n | part of the outfield of a farm manured by penning cattle on it, fold | Shuttlefauld NO1109, Stane Fauld NX2768 |
| faw adj | variegated, of different colours | Faw Hill NT6213, Faw Side NY3596 |
| fell n | rocky hill, hill-moor, high-lying ground | Fell Hill NX2990, Garheugh Fell NX2751 |
| fey n | small field, croft | Kirk Fey NX1238, Fey Wood NX8977 |
| firth n | estuary, inlet of the sea | Firth of Tay NO3727, Firth of Lorn NM7628 |
| flag n | flagstone | Horse Flags HY4849, Fowl Flag HY5055 |
| flosh n | see flush | Flosh Burn NT5303, Floshknowe NY0076, Floshend NY3168 |
| flow n | morass, peat bog | Fala Flow NT4358, Anderside Flow NS6233 |
| flush n | boggy ground where water lies on the surface | Flush Hill NX0067, Tranew Flushes NS3407 |
| foggy adj | mossy, spongy | Foggy Moss NJ4654, Foggyleas NO2414 |
| forest n | large area of land not necessarily wooded, originally used for deer hunting | Forest Lodge NJ0216, Garadhban Forest NS4086 |
| forking n | division of a river into one or more streams | The Forkings NJ6421, Forkings of Raith NS2962 |
| fowl n | bird of any kind | Fowl Craig HY5054, Fowl Taing HU5179 |
| frith n | wood, clearing in a wood | Frithfield NO5507, Frithbie NY2065 |
| gair n | strip of green on a hill, patch of marshy ground in heather | Gair Burn NY6279, Gair Shank NT2809 |
| gairy n | steep hill, precipice | Gairy Lochs ND4685, Kittlegairy Burn NT2741 |
| garth n | shallow shingly part of a river | Garthbanks HU3612, Garthdee NJ9103 |
| gate n | road | Gateside HU2978, Canongate NT2673 |
| girth n | sanctuary | Girthgate NT5043 |
| glack n | narrow valley | West Glacks NJ6039, The Glack NH7856 |
| gled n | buzzard, kite | Upper Gledfield NH5790, Gled Brae NX7893 |
| glen n | valley | Friar’s Glen NO6879, Sma’ Glen NN9029 |
| gore n | strip of land at the side of a field | Gore Bridge NT6942, Gore Moss NX9973 |
| gote n | drain, ditch, narrow inlet of the sea | Tod’s Gote ND3544, Whitemoss Gote NS2958 |
| gouk n | see gowk | Gouknest NS4047, Gouk Hill NS3482 |
| gowk n | cuckoo | Gowkhall NT0589, West Gowkhill NJ9046 |
| grain n | branch of a river, arm of a valley | Willow Grain NS8412, Wolf Grain NO4388 |
| green n | village green, grassy ground surrounding a house | Woodgreen NS3044, Allerdean Greens NT9845 |
| grip n | from gruip: drain | Millgrip HY6123, Rough Grip NJ3605 |
| gullet n | gully, ravine | Gullet Spout NX9195, The Gullet NY4887 |
| gutter n | mud, mire, puddles | Thorter Gutter NT0217, Black Gutter NX4185 |
| hack n | wild, rocky stretch of moorland or moss | Hack Field HU1756, Hackland HY3920 |
| hag, hagg n | hollow of marshy ground in a moor, hillock of firmer ground in a bog | Hag Brae NO5050, Hagg Dean NU1627 |
| hally adj | holy | Hallywell Rig NT6953 |
| hame n | home, settlement | Cauldhame HU3938, Tyninghame NT6079 |
| hard n | piece of firm ground as opposed to a bog | Wester Hardmuir NH9456, Burn of Hardwall HU3769 |
| hass n | see hause | Katie’s Hass NT2941 |
| hatton n | farm or settlement with a hall or main residence (a combination of Scots haa (hall) + toun) | Easter Hatton NO1947, Merryhatton NT5479 |
| haud n | overhanging bank of a stream, retreat | Haudgate Hole NT8655, Haud Yauds NT8368 |
| haugh n | river-meadow, level piece of ground beside a stream | Haugh of Glass NJ4239, Haughhead HY4010 |
| hause n | gap, opening, neck of land, head of a pass | Hause Burn NX8762 |
| head n | see heid | Herston Head ND4191, Heugh Head NO5098 |
| heck n | rack or grating for fodder, for drying fish, or across a stream | Hunterheck NT1004, Old Haiks NO6111 |
| heid n | head, highest part of a valley, summit of a hill | The Deil’s Heid NO6741 |
| hemmel n | from hammel: covered shed for cattle | Blue Hemmel NY7475, Hemmel Knowe NT7759 |
| heuch n | precipice, crag, cliff, steep bank | Heuch of Coul NN9712, Little Heuch Law NT7816 |
| hip n | projecting piece of land | Lamahip NO5592, Hanginghip Plantation NY2473 |
| hirst n | hillock, knoll, barren, unproductive piece of ground | Netherhirst NY4473, Sandy Hirst NT6379 |
| hog, hogg n | young sheep | Hog Burn NT3918, Hog Lairs NT9113 |
| hole n | cover, shelter, hole | Brockholes NJ6307, Low Todhole NY6298 |
| holl n | see howe | East Holl NJ1456, Holl Burn NO2103 |
| hollin n | holly | Hollin Burn NT7803, Hollinsheugh Hill NU1519 |
| holm n | from howm: stretch of low-lying land beside a river | Lyneholm Cleuch NY2791 |
| hope n | small enclosed upland valley, hollow among the hills; bay | Hopehead Burn NT1438, St Margaret’s Hope ND4494 |
| howe n | hollow depression, low-lying piece of ground | Hopeless Howe NX3366, Howe Moss NJ7641 |
| howie adj | full of hollows | Howierig NS8478, Howie Sound HY4631 |
| jingle n | see chingle | Deil’s Jingle NY2795, Near Jingle Sike NY4986 |
| kail n | cole, a variety of cabbage | Kail Yard ND4996, Kail Cairn NT3825 |
| kaim n | see kame | Maiden Kaim NO8883, North Kaim NS3461 |
| kame n | comb, long narrow steep-sided ridge, crest of a hill | Burn of the Kame HU4785, Easter Kame HU3788 |
| kip, kipp n | projecting point of a hill, peak | Hyndhope Kip NT3519, Kipps Farm NS7366 |
| kippie adj | hilly, having kips | Kippie Island NT8844, Kippie Knowe NT7716 |
| kirk n | church | Kirkhill NK0152, Kirkmichael NO0860 |
| kirn n | churn, natural feature resembling a churn | Wester Kirn NJ2000, Auld Wife’s Kirn NT0500 |
| knab n | see knap | The Knab HU4840 |
| knap n | hillock, knoll, rounded knob, lump, bump | Marnock Knap NO8277, Square’s Knap NO8183 |
| knock n | hillock | Big Knock NT1017, East Knock NO4876 |
| knowe n | hillock, knoll, protuberance | Lamb Knowe NS7917, Lang Knowe NS9830 |
| kyle, kyles n | sound, strait | Kyle of Durness NC3765, Kyles of Bute NS0472 |
| lade n | watercourse leading to a mill | Mill Lade ND3648, Distillery Lade NR3358 |
| laigh n | from laich: stretch of low-lying ground | Laigh Drumdow NS2105, Laigh Riggend NS7669 |
| laigh adj | low | Laigh Hill NT1228, Laigh Wood NX1585 |
| lair n | mud, mire, bog, quicksand; place where animals lie down, enclosure | Hog Lairs NT9113, Nouts’ Lair NO7586 |
| land n | land, the fields, countryside | Meikle Kirkland NX8269, Woodlands NH8351 |
| lane n | marshy meadow; sometimes English ‘lane’ | Rushy Lane NT0011, Shiels Lane NX1970 |
| lang n | long, tall | East Langton NS4051, High Langmuir NS3941 |
| latch n | mire, swamp | Little Latch NO4538, Latchfold NJ8146 |
| law n | round, conical often isolated hill, | Lucklaw NO4120, Macbeth’s Law NO2034 |
| lea n | grass-land | Oaklea HY4506, Rashboglea NJ8645 |
| lee n | see lea | Netherlee NS5758, Merrylee NS5659 |
| ley n | see lea | Langley NJ5156, North Whiteley NJ4347 |
| links n | grass-covered dunes | Cullen Links NJ4967, Fisherrow Links NT3473 |
| linn n | waterfall, cataract, deep, narrow gorge, shrubby ravine | Flatt Linn NS6451, Furmiston Linn NX5992 |
| lint n | flax | Lint Brae HY4006, Lintdub Moss NY2381 |
| loan n | right of way for stock to common grazing, lane, small common ground | Braid Loans NY6477, Byres Loan NT3865 |
| loaning n | lane, bypath, right of passage for animals by means of a loan | Brownrigg Loaning NX9976, Cadgers’ Loaning NY1288 |
| lodge n | hunting lodge, house, fishing-hut | Drumbuie Lodge NO0344, Dryfe Lodge NY1893 |
| lone n | see loan | Lone NJ0748, Moat Lone NT2602 |
| loop n | winding of a river, lake or glen | Thumb Loop NX3386, Upper Loop NJ7544 |
| loup n | the jump, the leap, narrow part of a river, small cataract | Wild Mare’s Loup NO7186, Black Loup NX3778 |
| lug n | corner, recess, ear | The Lug HP6317, Banklug NS4456, Blacklug NJ4137 |
| mains n | home farm on an estate | Buittle Mains NX8160, Carberry Mains NT3570 |
| meikle adj | see muckle | Meikle Auchrae NX6494, Meikle Cat Cairn NJ3515 |
| mere n | small pool | Mere Cleuch NT1008, Leishmere NH4040 |
| mickle adj | see muckle | Mickle Corum NN8502 |
| midden n | refuse heap | Windydoors Midden NT4142, Blackmiddens NJ4226 |
| mire n | peat-bog | Blackmire NJ1050, Bloody Mires NX5388 |
| mirk adj | dark, obscure, black | Mirk Bank NY2791, Mirk Gill NY1199 |
| moor n | heath, unenclosed upland usually covered in heather | Moor of Dallachy NJ3663, Muckla Moor HU4367 |
| moss n | mossy ground, moorland | North Meiklemoss NK0331, Nutberry Moss NY2668 |
| mote n | mound, hillock, embankment, motte | Straw Mote NS7917, Bardrochwood Mote NX4565 |
| mouth n | entrance to an enclosed place, mouth of a burn or river | Pool Mouth NK1446, South Mouth HU6871 |
| muckle adj | great | Muckle Burn HY3411, Muckle Ayre HU4655 |
| muir n | rough grazing | Barr Muir NS5833, Blackiemuir NO6971 |
| mull n | headland, promontory | Blue Mull HP5504, Mull Glen NX1331 |