• Search tip: for exact phrase use "quotation marks" or for all words use +
  • More search tips here

                  Your Scottish Archives Glossary

                  The Your Scottish Archives Glossary defines archaic words and phrases, mostly Scots law terminology, commonly found in documents and records in Scotland’s archives. If you think a word or phrase should be added to the glossary, or an existing entry could be defined better, please contact us at your@scottisharchives.org.uk.

                  You can also use the Dictionary of the Scots Language as a further resource at https://dsl.ac.uk/ for Scots words and phrases (including legal terminology).

                  To find a term within the glossary, click on the initial letter of the word you are looking for, then select the relevant syllable segment displayed below.

                  Example: to find the term “roup” select section “R” then sub-section “Ro”

                  A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W Y
                  Ab Ac Ad Ag Ai Al Am An Ap Ar As At Au Av Aw
                  Acc Acq Acr Act

                  acta and decreta

                  Latin for ‘acts and decreets’ (laws and decisions), but also used in the National Records of Scotland as specifically the acts and decreets of the Privy Council.

                  Acta Dominorum Concilii (ADC)

                  Latin for ‘Acts of the Lords of Council’, which are the records of the king’s council acting as a court of law (before the Court of Session started) 

                  Acts of Adjournal

                  procedural regulations made by the High Court of Justiciary in virtue of statutory power.

                  Acts of Sederunt

                  procedural rules made by the judges of the Court of Session in virtue of statutory power.