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NOTES

A

Abhr, abhra, fat, rich, oily; 'cloimh abhrais,' oiled wool, wool prepared for spinning; 'abhrta,' 'abhrtach,' 'abhrtadh,' a feast, festival, rich entertainment.

Abhr, aur, prayer (?). A place at the, base of 'Beinn Righ Coinnich'--King Kenneth's Mount, or 'Beinn airidh Coinnich'--Ben of Kenneth's shieling, in South Uist, is called 'Auratot,' 'Auratobhte,' prayer ruin. The spot is green and grassy, and contains the remains of an oratory, which was used by seafarers before and after voyaging. A font and other ecclesiastical objects have been found among the ruins. Cf. 'aurtech,' gen. 'aurtige'; 'for bendchopar ind aurtige,'--on the roof of the oratory.--Windisch's Wörterbuch. Perhaps merely a diphthongised form of 'or,' prayer, as in 'abhran,' 'oran.'

Acair, anchor. The anchor in the West is often a stone. A form of anchor in olden times was a cylinder made of heather ropes bound strongly together, closed at one end and filled with stones. This anchor was called 'mogais,' cylinder. At anchor, 'air chruaidh,' lit. 'on hard,' fast.

Adhamhnan, Adamnan. There are several dedications in Scotland to St Adamnan. There is a 'Port Adhamhnain,' port of Adamnan, in Iona, Mull, and Lismore. A cross called 'Crois Adhamhnain,' cross of Adamnan, stood above the port of Adamnan in Iona, and there is a 'Crois Adhamhnain,' cross of Adamnan, in North Uist. This cross is incised on a large ice block at which the saint is said to have stood when preaching the first Gospel message to the natives. The people are said to have cut the cross on the side and set the stone on edge in honour of the occasion. There is a 'Srath Adhamhnain,' Strath Adamnan, in Strathfillan. Near Strath of Adamnan is 'Beinn Chaluim,' mountain of Columba. Adamnan was the successor and biographer of Columba.

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Ai, sheep. 'Cuir a stigh an ai,' put in the sheep. Perhaps connected with Greek aix, a goat.

Ai, swan. 'Chi mi ai air loch a mhuilinn,' I see a swan on the mill loch. 'Chi mi ai air ailn an eilein,' I see a swan on the loch of the island. 'Ai' seems to mean white, whiteness; perhaps akin to 'aigh,' beautiful.

Aibheis, eibheis, an abyss, a place or person in ruins or unkempt.

Aicil, a form of 'faicill,' circumspection.

Aigne, the (bird) swift, anything of unusually quick motion. 'Co luath ris an aigne,' as quick as the swift. 'Co luath ri aigne nam ban baoth,' as swift as the thoughts of the foolish women.

Ailbh, al, rock foundation, anything hard, solid, rigid, immovable.

Ailinde, most beautiful. The people use many forms of this superlative, as 'ailne,' 'ailindeach,' 'aildiche,' 'aluinnde,' and others.

Aingeal, ainheal, aitheal, athal, light, flame, fire, glowing fire, angel. Cf. 'aithine,' 'athaine,' 'aine,' fire, glowing peat.

'Aingeal' occurs in many place-names, as 'Tom Aingil,' 'Dun Aingil,' 'Cnoc Aingil,' 'Carn Aingil,' in Lochaber, Lismore, Islay, Iona, Muckairn, Uist, Lewis, and other places. As the names indicate, the places stand high. Dun Aingil in Lochaber is situated on the side of a mountain 686 feet above the sea, and is also called 'Cladh Choireil,' St Cyril's Burial-ground. This is the only 'angil' knoll known to me used as a place of burial, though at Muckairn a 'Cnoc Aingil' or 'Tulach Aingil' adjoins the burying-ground, 105 feet above sea-level, called by some 'Cladh Choireil,' Cyril's Burial-ground, and by others 'Cladh Easbuig Earail,' Bishop Harold's Burial-ground. Harold was the first bishop of the see of Argyll and the Isles, disjoined from that of Dunkeld in 1200.

'Cnoc Aingil' in Iona is a green knoll on a sandy plain. In his 'Life of Columba,' Adamnan says that angels were wont to converse with Columba on this knoll, and that during drought the brethren carried the tunic of the saint round the knoll singing psalms and repeating prayers the while, whereupon copious rain

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fell. Pennant mentions that the people of Iona rode sunwise round 'Cnoc Aingil' on St Michael's Day.

Probably these knolls were places of sun-worship and fire-worship, which were current in the West as they are in the East.

In a poem composed over two centuries ago, 'aingeal' is twice used for fire--

'Aingeal' meaning fire is current in some districts though obsolete in others. The word is borrowed into Scots and applied to the hearth, as 'ingle,' 'ingle-neuk'--neuk being from 'an iuc,' '’n iuc,' the corner, the angle.

The idea of an angel guarding the door is not unknown to literary art. At an inn visited by Burns an angel was painted above the door. The house was kept by a husband and wife whose names were Peace and Grace. When Burns revisited the place he found the angel gone, the husband dead, and the wife more gracious than graceful, on which he composed the following lines:--

Airil, the angel Ariel. The people speak of 'Airil nan og,' Ariel of the youth; 'Airil ail nan og,' Ariel beauteous of the youth, and other endearing terms. Those who were under his care enjoyed perpetual youth and perpetual beauty. Ariel is called the 'city of Judah,' 'the strength of God,' 'the lion of God,' and other favoured names.

Āis, milk, milk preparation; dainty, delicacy, nectar, ambrosia.

Āis, wisdom. 'Ais na mna sithe,' the wisdom of the fairy woman. (See 'cnoc.')

Alc, fhalc, falc. In some districts 'alc' is applied to the razor-bill (alca torda), and in some to the guillemot (uria troile). The razor-bill and the guillemot resemble one another closely, and at some

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distance can only be distinguished by the practised eye. In Cornwall both birds go by the name of 'mum' from the sounds they emit. The guillemot, however, is slightly larger and more graceful, and its bill is long, pointed, and smooth, while that of the razor-bill is shorter, more rounded, and more furrowed towards the point. The eggs, like the birds, resemble one another in shape, size, and markings.

A crofter in Lewis, a shrewd, sensible man, went under the name of 'Alcag,' Little 'Alc.' He had come to Lewis from Mull. Mackenzie of Lewis and he had frequent wit-combats, generally to the discomfiture of the former. On one occasion Mackenzie, with whom the man was a favourite, and a friend met the 'Alcag' returning from Stornoway with a pot on his head, when Mackenzie said, 'I will pay you the price of the pot if you will allow me to make a rune upon you without retorting,' and proceeded:--

To this Mackenzie's friend added:--

The man replied:--

[paragraph continues] Combats of this kind were frequent between chiefs and clansmen, probably to the advantage of both.

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Altaich, nurture, nourish, bring up.

Amadan-De, butterfly, God's fool. In some districts the term is 'amadan-leith,' grey fool. Sometimes applied to giddy, foolish children.

Aon, Aona, Aoin, Aoine, Fast, Friday. (See 'Di.')

Arna Moire, kidney of Mary; 'tearna Moire,' saving of Mary. This is a square, thick Atlantic nut, sometimes found indented along and across, the indentations forming a natural cross on the nut. It is occasionally mounted in silver and hung round the neck as a talisman. Every nurse has one which she places in the hand of the woman to increase her faith and distract her attention. It was consecrated on the altar and much venerated.

Arrais, evil, wicked, demon. Cf. 'arracht,' spectre.

Ath-aodach, athaodach, second clothing, second-hand clothing. A person wearing a new suit is addressed:--

[paragraph continues] With some people 'athaodach' means new cloth, the explanation being that the wool is first 'aodach na caora,' the sheep's clothing, and afterwards man's clothing:--