A Dictionary of the Older Scottish Tongue

dictionary by Craigie

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June 25, 2026

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A Dictionary of the Older Scottish Tongue is a comprehensive scholarly dictionary that documents Scottish words in use from the 14th to the 17th century. Sir William Craigie, a prominent Scottish lexicographer, was the chief editor of this significant work. The project began in 1925, with publication commencing in 1931, and was completed in 2003. This dictionary, along with the Scottish National Dictionary (which covers words from 1700 onwards), has been digitized and made available online as the Dictionary of the Scots Language.123

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Scholarly dictionaries
plan, Sir William Craigie, undertook A Dictionary of the Older Scottish Tongue himself, covering the period from the 14th to the 17th century in Scottish speech. Enough material was amassed under his direction so that editing could begin in 1925 (publication, however, did not begin until 1931), and before his…
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plan, Sir William Craigie, undertook A Dictionary of the Older Scottish Tongue himself, covering the period from the 14th to the 17th century in Scottish speech. Enough material was amassed under his direction so that editing could begin in 1925 (publication, however, did not begin until 1931), and before his…
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Scottish National Dictionary
…language before 1700, the 12-volume Dictionary of the Older Scottish Tongue, was completed in 2001; it and the Scottish National Dictionary were digitized and made available on the Internet as the Dictionary of the Scots Language in 2004.
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…language before 1700, the 12-volume Dictionary of the Older Scottish Tongue, was completed in 2001; it and the Scottish National Dictionary were digitized and made available on the Internet as the Dictionary of the Scots Language in 2004.
Read More