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

BIKE, BYKE, BEIK, s.
1. A building, an habitation, S.
Gawan and Gol.
2. A nest or hive of bees, wasps, or ants, S.
Douglas.
3. A building erected for the preservation of grain; Caithn.
Pennant.
4. Metaph. an association or collective body; S.
Lyndsay.
To skail the byke, metaph. to disperse an assembly of whatever kind; S.

Isl. biik-ar denotes a hive, alvear; and Teut. bie-bock, bie-buyck, apiarium, alvearium, Kilian. The Isl. word is probably from Su. G. bygg-a, to build, part. pa. bygdt; q. something prepared or built. There seems to be no reason to doubt that the word, as used in sense 2, is the same with that denoting a habitation. For what is a byke or bee-bike, but a building or habitation of bees?

BYK, Apparently, an errat. for byt, bite.
Dunbar.

BYKAT, BEIKAT, s. A male salmon; so called, when come to a certain age, because of the beak which grows in his under jaw; Ang.

BILBIE, s. Shelter, residence; Ang.

This, I apprehend, is a very ancient word. It may be either from Su. G. byle, habitaculum, and by, pagus, conjoined, as denoting residence in a village; or more simply, from Bolby, villa primaria; from bol, praedium, and by, a village. Thus bolby would signify a village which has a praedium, or territory of its own, annexed to it.

BILEFT, pret. Remained, abode.
Sir Tristrem.

A. S. belif-an, superesse, to remain; Alem. bilib-en, Franc, biliu-en, manere; Schilter.

BILGET, adj. Bulged, jutting out.
Douglas.

Su. G. bulg-ia, to swell, whence Isl. bylgia, a billow. Or, Isl. eg belge, curvo; belgia huopta, inflare buccas.