• 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

                  original archival material

                  (i) primary source material such as records made and used in the course of life or business purposes; (ii) the item as it was created, rather than a copy of that item, such as photocopies.

                  original order

                  the organisation of records established by the creator of the records.