What does vau mean?
Vau is a chiefly Scottish noun meaning a valley, especially a small or narrow valley or glen. Its vowel is pronounced to rhyme with words such as “now” and “cow,” rather than with “wall.” The word is associated with Scottish landscapes and appears particularly in local place names, older writing, and regional speech; it is not common in standard British or American English. Because its modern everyday use is limited, vau is most often encountered in place names or when discussing Scottish dialect and topography. The term is also notable because it reflects a distinct Scots development from the wider English family of words connected with valleys.
nounA valley or narrow glen, especially in Scottish usage.
- A valley, especially a small or narrow one.
- A narrow valley or glen in Scottish geographical and literary usage.
"The little vau lay deep between the hills."
"The path descends into the narrow vau."
"In winter, snow gathered in the vau."
The regular plural is used in general prose, though the word is chiefly Scottish and often appears in place names.
"The high vaus of Glen Coe."
A tiny Scots word preserves the old English sound of “valley” while stripping it down to two syllables.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of vau
Vau is a Scots form of the word now generally written “vale,” meaning a valley. English “vale” comes through Middle English from Latin vallis, “a valley,” while the Scots vowel form developed within the sound patterns of Scots. Its closest familiar English cognates include “vale,” “valley,” and the element vall- in related words.
Related word forms
How vau is actually used
Chiefly Scottish. It is familiar from place names and traditional dialect usage rather than standard contemporary British or American English.