John Jamieson

author

John Jamieson

1759–1838

A pioneering Scottish lexicographer and minister, he is best remembered for compiling the landmark Etymological Dictionary of the Scottish Language. His work helped bring serious scholarly attention to Scots at a time when it was often overlooked.

1 Audiobook

An Etymological Dictionary of the Scottish Language in which the words are explained in their different senses, authorized by the names of the writers by whom they are used, or the titles of the works in which they occur, and deduced from their originals

An Etymological Dictionary of the Scottish Language in which the words are explained in their different senses, authorized by the names of the writers by whom they are used, or the titles of the works in which they occur, and deduced from their originals

by John Jamieson

About the author

Born in Glasgow on 3 March 1759, he studied at the University of Glasgow and later continued classes in Edinburgh before entering the ministry. He served Secession congregations in Forfar and then Edinburgh, building a reputation not only as a preacher but also as a deeply curious scholar of language and history.

His lasting achievement was the Etymological Dictionary of the Scottish Language, first published in 1808. The dictionary gathered Scots words from a wide range of sources and treated them with unusual seriousness, making it an important early work in historical lexicography and a major contribution to the study of Scots.

He was also known as an antiquary and philologist, and his interests ranged beyond language into Scottish history and culture. He died in Edinburgh on 12 July 1838, but his dictionary remained influential long after his lifetime and is still associated with the preservation and study of the Scots tongue.