John Jamieson

Born in 1759, John Jamieson was a Scottish minister, antiquary, and philologist whose work made a lasting mark on the study of Scots. He served in the Secession church, but he became especially well known for his deep interest in language, history, and old literature.

Jamieson is most famous for compiling An Etymological Dictionary of the Scottish Language, a major reference work that gathered Scots vocabulary and traced the history of many words. His research drew on manuscripts, earlier texts, and spoken usage, and it helped establish Scots as a subject worthy of serious scholarly attention.

He died in 1838, but his reputation has endured through his contribution to lexicography and Scottish cultural history. For listeners interested in older Scottish writing and speech, he remains an important guide to the richness of the language.