Scottish (Scots) Dialect of English traditionally spoken in Scotland and regarded by some experts as a distinct Germanic language. It is also called Lowland Scots (or Lallans), to distinguish it from the Scots Gaelic (or broad Scots) spoken in the Scottish Highlands, and to differentiate it from the English of Scotland's middle class. It developed from the Northumbrian dialect of Early English before ad 700. Over the following 600 or 700 years, it spread throughout Scotland. Before the union of the English and Scottish crowns in 1603, the Scottish language was both a national language and an official court language. The language continues as a spoken dialect in many areas, and as a vehicle for a vibrant literature.

Scot·tish / ˈskätish/ • adj. of or relating to Scotland or its people: the Scottish Highlands Scottish dancing.• n. [as pl. n.] (the Scottish) the people of Scotland. See also Scots.DERIVATIVES: Scot·tish·ness n.