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                  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

                  forestalling

                  the crime of buying goods on their way to a market with the intention of selling them there at an inflated price.

                  forfeiture

                  the loss of property following on the commission of a crime or on the breaking of some condition by which the property was held from a superior; usually coupled with escheat.

                  forisfamiliat, forisfamiliate

                  relating to a son or daughter separated from the father’s family by marriage, living elsewhere, or by having received a separate share of property before the father’s decease.

                  forisfamiliation

                  the separation of a child from its father’s family, by marriage for instance; it could happen if the child gave over his/her claim to legitim.

                  forpet

                  a Scots measure of dry capacity.

                  forsamekle, forsameikill

                  a Scots term meaning “for as much.”

                  forthcoming

                  a legal action ordering a debt to be paid or a debtor’s property to be surrendered to his creditor(s).