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Dictionars o the Scots Leid

Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)

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First published 1956 (SND Vol. IV).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

GALTI, GOLTI, n. Also gulti(e), goltie, †ga(u)lt, gott. For vocalised forms, see Gaut. [′gɑlt(i), ′gɔlt(i), ′golti, ′gʊlti]

1. A pig, esp. a castrated boar (Rxb. 1825 Jam., galt; Sh. 1866 Edm. Gl., galti, 1914 Angus Gl., gulti, 1932 J. M. E. Saxby Trad. Lore 196, gultie), “used only of young pigs and gelded older [male] pigs” (Ork. 1929 Marw., golt(ie); Ork.¹ 1943, galt; Ork.⁵ (golt), Cai. 1953), “now comm. only as a nickname (occas. tabu-name, sea-term) or a pet-name for a pig, fatted pig” (Sh. 1908 Jak. (1928), galti, golt(i); Sh. 1953).Cai. 1795 Stat. Acc.¹ VII. 525:
Teind geese, meat swine, and mill gault.Ork. 1893 Saga-Bk. Viking Club II. 41:
We've twa gude gaults into the stye And many a gude ane rinning thereby.Ork. 1922 J. Firth Reminisc. 157:
Twa grey golts lying in a stye, The mair they get the mair they cry. (A pair of millstones.)

2. Used also in Sh. and Ork. in place-names for a rocky point or skerry (Jak. and Marw.). Hence applied to any rock or stone on land of a rounded bulky shape.Ork. c.1912 J. Omond Orkney 80 Years Ago 21:
When ploughing began, they [horses] were as wild as hares, and as my informant said, “fled around like birds, and many a big golt of a stane flang the man and ploo aboot.”