Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)
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First published 1941 (SND Vol. II).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
Quotation dates: 1701, 1821
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BURGH, n.2 A prehistoric structure. see Broch, n.1, 1, and etym. note.Sh. 1821 Scott Pirate (1822) xxvii.:
One of those dens which are called Burghs and Picts-houses in Zetland, and Duns on the mainland of Scotland and the Hebrides.Ork. 1701 J. Brand Descr. Ork., Zetland, etc. viii.:
These houses are also called Burghs, which in the old Teutonick or Saxon Language, signifyeth a Town having a Wall . . . about it; as also a Castle, for as one observeth in his Dictionary. . . . All places that in old time . . . had the name of Burrough, Bury or Burug were places one way or other fenced and fortifyed.
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"Burgh n.2". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 21 Dec 2025 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/snd/burgh_n2>
