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Glossary of Scots origins of place names in Britain: A to D

Introduction | A to D  | E to M | N to Y

Element Meaning Examples
aller n alder Aller Dean NT9847, Allershaw Burn NS9611
auld adj old Auld Byres NS4219, Auld Mill NO4862
balk n alternative form of baulk Howbalk NU0513
baud n thicket, thickly growing gorse Bauds of Cullen NJ4766, Birkenbaud NO7296
baulk n unploughed rig in a cultivated field often used as a boundary Baulk Hill NO0709, Baulk of Struie NO0709
bell n top of a hill, highest part of a slope; bell-shaped Bell Craig NS5583, Bell Hill NY5397
belt n narrow plantation Belt Hill NX6679, Belt of Muirtack NJ9938
bent n open ground or sandy hillocks covered with coarse, rush-like grass Bent NO6972, Bent Bridge NS4359
bicker n fight, quarrel Bicker Bridge NJ5959, Bicker Burn NJ6058
bield n place giving refuge or shelter Bieldside NJ8802, Craigy Bield NT1756
biggin n building Langbigging HY7644, Midbigging HY5103
bink n ledge in a cliff, shelf Binks Hill NT4103, Black Binks NO2565
birk n birch-tree Braes of Birkenhills NJ7445, The Birks NJ7261
bog n morass, bog Bruntshielbog NY4082, Dean Mill Bog NT7571
bonnet n soft flat hat The Bonnets NN8751, Blue Bonnet Hill NH5038
bonnie adj see bonny Bonnie Doune NK0364, Bonnie View NT9550
bonny adj beautiful, pretty, handsome, attractive Bonny Braes NX0669, Bonnyside NJ7915
boo n manor house, village (used in Northern Isles and parts of Caithness) Boo Breck HY2716
bought n sheepfold; curve, bend High Boughthill NY7886, The Bought HY5608
bow n cattle Bowfield NS3958, Bowhouse NO2610
Bracken n fern Bracken Gill NY2994, Brackenhill NN9114
brae n slope of a hill; uplands (in plural form) Brackeny Brae ND2349, Braes of Coul NO2857
braid adj broad Braid Bog NJ4218, Braidhaugh NT5910, Braid Cairn NO4287
brewster n brewer Brewster’s Burn NS8208, Brewsterwells NO4809
brig n bridge Brig o’Turk NN5306, Blackburn Brig NJ8744
broch n circular prehistoric tower Broch of Borwick HY2216, Oxtro Broch HY2526
brock n badger Brock Burn NS5259, Brockholes NJ6307
broo n brow of a hill, overhanging bank of a hill Broo Gill HU2678
brow n see broo Throw Brow NT1012, Wedder Brows NT2209
brunt adj burnt Brunt Rig NS7208, Bruntland HU5142
bu n bull Bu Hill HY2204
bucht n see bought Buchtrig NT7714, Bucht Slack NT0427, Bucht Burn NS5543, Bucht Sike NT7819
bught n see bought Sheep Bught Rock NX7243, New Bught Hill NX1471, Todsbughts NS8372
burgh n Scots and Scottish English spelling of borough, town (originally with a charter) Jedburgh NT6520, Edinburgh NT2876
burn n stream Nether Burn NS9308, Newbigging Burn NJ6108
burrow n form of burgh Burrowgate HY6123, Burrowley NJ9834
butt n ground disjoined from adjacent lands, strip of ploughed land, irregularly shaped ridge Butt Hill NS7714, Longmeadow Butts NT5435
cairn n pyramid or pile of loose stones Macbeth’s Cairn NJ5705, White Cairn NJ5931
cald adj see cauld Cald Burn NO2977, Cald Well NY5382
carlin n old woman, old man Carlin Burn NS5242, High Carlingcraig NS5639
carse n low land along river bank, flood plain Carse Loch NX9184, Carse of Bayfield NH8073
caul n weir, dam Old Caul Burn NY2371
cauld n see caul Nisbetmill Cauld NT6524
cauld adj cold Cauldwells NJ8056, Cauld Cleuch NT4601
causey n causeway Causeyhead NS4346, Causeyport NO9198
chingle n gravel, shingle Chinglebraes HY4208
clash n large hollow or cavity on hillside Clash Burn NO7892, Clash of Wirren NO4975
claver n clover Claver Hill NY7479, Claver Sike NY7379
cleuch n see cleugh Corbie Cleuch NS8503, Chapel Cleuch NS8112
cleugh n gorge, ravine, cliff, crag Cleugh of Tongue NX5253, Baron’s Cleugh NT1460
clift n cliff, cleft, cave Clifton HY5042
clint n cliff, crag, precipice Clint Burn NY7279, Clintlaw NO2853
close n enclosed land, farmyard, narrow alley Green Close NY2354, Howclose NX8775
cloy n see cleugh Cloy Rig NX3281, Cloybank NS7779
coble n ferry boat Coble Haugh NO0517, Coble House Point NO4619
comb n bosom of a hill, hollow in a mountain side East Comb NO7047, Lishaw Combs NY5984
corbie n raven, crow Corbie Craigs NS4509
corby n see corbie Corby Linn NY5587
corrie n hollow on the side of a mountain or between two mountains Corrie of Bellaty NO2460
corse n cross, market place, crossing place Corse Burn NJ5507, Corse Sike NY3475, Corston HU3612
cot n small house, cottage Sheepcot Hill NY0584, Washingcot Rocks NJ0852
cote, cott n see cot East Cote Farm NY1255, Woodside Cott NH8307
cotton n small collection of farm-cottages Cotton of Carnegie NO5241, Carriston Cotton NO3204
cottown n see cotton North Cottown NJ7715, Upper Cottown NJ7615
cove n cave, cavern Cove Harbour NT7871
cowper n horse dealer Cowper’s Craig NJ8266
craig n rocky place Swallow Craig NS7310, White Craig NO2175
cran n crane, heron Cran Moss NX1033, Cranbog NJ8760
craw n crow, pen, pig-sty Craw Stane NJ4926, Craw Wood NY1379
croft n land of superior quality, kept constantly manured and under crop, smallholding Westburn Croft NJ9420, White Croft NM9336
croo n small yard, sheep pen Billia Croo HY2210, Croo Field HU2051
crook n from cruik: bend in a river, curved or crooked piece of ground Avoncrook NS9472, Crook of Devon NO0300
crooked n bent, winding Crooked Bank NS9010, Crookedshaws NT8025
cutty adj short Cutty Cleuch NY2279
dass n ledge on a hillside or cliff Green Dass NX9198, The Dass NT4750
daugh n see davoch Daugh of Aberlour NJ2842
davoch n measure of land Easter Davoch NJ4607, Davoch of Grange NJ4851
dean, den n deep wooded valley (dean - south of the Forth, den – north of the Forth) Dunglass Dean NT7671, Easter Denhead NO2441
dess n see dass Desswood NO5799
dod n bare hill with rounded top Deuchrie Dod NT6272, Friardykes Dod NT6569
dodd n see dod Dodd Sike NY7079, Great Dodd NY7992
doocot n dovecot Doocot Den NJ7863, Doocot Point HY4716
doup n bottom, end of anything, buttocks, backside Little Doups NJ8361, The Doups NT6536
drum n long narrow ridge or knoll Disdow Drum NX6156, South Drum NO5359
dub n small pool of water, puddle Waterless Dub NT2394, Davy’s Dub NS1855
dyke n stone or turf wall Deer Dyke NO6676, Dykefoot NO4781

 

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