Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)
Hide Quotations Hide Etymology
About this entry:
First published 1976 (SND Vol. X).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
Quotation dates: 1806-1942
[0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,0,0,0,0,0]
YOWT, n., v. Also yowte, yout(e), youtt (Fif. 1827 W. Tennant Papistry 109); yoot. [jʌut; s.Sc. + jut]
I. v. To cry, roar, shout, howl, hoot, bellow, of animals and human beings (Abd. 1790 A. Shirrefs Poems Gl.; Sc. 1808 Jam.; Rxb. 1923 Watson W.-B., yowt, yoot; Per., Slg., Rxb. 1974). Also fig. Also in Eng. dial.Slk. 1821 Hogg Poems (1865) 318:
The houndis are yowting bye.Sc. 1825 Jam.:
A cow is said to yout, when she makes a noise.Sc. 1826 Wilson Noctes Amb. (1855) I. 150:
Gar a' the hills yout wi' sheer vociferation.Fif. 1873 J. Wood Ceres Races 33:
[He] youts "But Minister ye brak Your word that Sabbath-day ye spak."Edb. 1897 W. Beatty Secretar vi.:
Greedy, yelping curs that must ever be yowting and worrying at something.Per. 1910 W. Blair Kildermoch 118:
The yowtin' o' some knowt beasts doon in a meadow.Fif. 1916 G. Blaik Rustic Rhymes 75:
A towsy collie that wad youte Ahent a hare.
II. n. 1. A shout, roar, scream, cry (Abd. 1790 A. Shirrefs Poems Gl.; Rxb. 1923 Watson W.-B., yowt, yoot; Per., Slg., Rxb. 1974). Deriv. yowtlin, a crying child (Uls. 1929).Mry. 1806 R. Jamieson Pop. Ballads I. 244:
They vanish'd wi' an elrich yowt.Lnk. 1818 A. Fordyce Country Wedding 209:
Her waefu' youtes brought frae some distance A neighbour cat to her assistance.Slk. 1832 Hogg Queer Bk. 185:
When the Carle gave a yowte.Per. 1898 C. Spence Poems 56:
The yout was heard at Totty crag.Per. 1942 W. Soutar Poems in Scots & English (1961) 72:
'Be aff!' yapp't Francis wi' a yowt.
You may wish to vary the format shown below depending on the citation style used.
"Yowt n., v.". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 13 Dec 2025 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/snd/yowt_n_v>
