A Dictionary of the Older Scottish Tongue (up to 1700)
Hide Quotations Hide Etymology
About this entry:
First published 1983 (DOST Vol. V).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
Quotation dates: 1650-1700+
[0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,1,1,1,1,1,1]
(Piltok,) -ock, Polltack, n. Also: pelltack; (plltock). (Of unknown origin: ‘app. a diminutive’ (OED.). Also in the mod. dial. of Orkney, Shetland and Caithness as piltock, pelltack, etc. = ‘the coalfish at an early stage of its development, gen. about the second year’ (SND, s.v. Piltock n.).) — c1650-1700 Descr. Zetland 8 (see Podlok).
But especially with podlines (young sheaths) called by the inhabitants polltacks [v.r. in Macfarlane's Geog. Coll. III. 252 pelltacks] c1650-1700 Ib. 41.
And podlocks (here plltocks) 1701 Brand Orkney & Shetl. 72.
This bastard leprosy … is caused by the many grey fishes such as sillucks, piltocks etc. which they eat
You may wish to vary the format shown below depending on the citation style used.
"Piltok n.". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 16 Dec 2025 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/dost/piltok>
