Dictionaries of the Scots Language
Dictionars o the Scots Leid

A Dictionary of the Older Scottish Tongue (up to 1700)

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About this entry:
First published 2002 (DOST Vol. XI).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

U. The commonest spelling for the vowel u in initial position in Older Scots is v, as can be seen from the quotations below. In order to avoid confusion, our practice is to ‘normalise’ vocalic v to u in the headword section of each entry, while leaving the v as it occurs in the quotations and etymologies. For a discussion of the variation between u and v in both English and Scots, see the note to U in OED.