Scots is a living language. So, although words die out, new words are still being created. This week’s word is not one that I knew until I moved to West Lothian. I heard it frequently there and it is a useful addition to my vocabulary. After all, the quality of the purvey is important to the success of any social gathering. It is used mainly of funerals but also of weddings and parties in general. It did not appear in the Dictionary of the Scots Language until the Second Supplement was uploaded in 2005. This supplement was the product of Scottish Language Dictionaries’ ongoing Word Collection which now contains 62,969 words illustrated by 40,550 quotations. The first record of purvey in the Word Collection comes from an Angus speaker in 1990 who informed the dictionaries that purvey is a noun meaning a “catering supply”. Such new information is stored until corroboration comes along and more examples started rolling in. From the Herald (26 April 1996) we have: “They explained that they were mourners and, having seen their granny off at the crematorium and having consumed the purvey, thought they would carry on the mourning at the karaoke on the grounds that the old gal would have liked that”. The Herald (10 Oct 2000) obliges with a further quotation: “Perhaps the only bitter taste was when Labour Party organisers objected to the quality of the cups and saucers supplied by Glasgow Council for the purvey back at Kelvingrove”. Ian Pattison in A Stranger Here Myself (2001) refers to a traditional funeral “ham purvey”.  Clearly this new use of purvey comes from the long established verb. We would be interested to know whether its use is spreading and, if so, into which areas. If you live outside the central belt and use this word or hear it used in your area, please let us know.

Scots Word of the Week is written by Chris Robinson of Scottish Language Dictionaries.

This week's Word is spoken by Dr Dauvit Horsbroch.