Amusingly enough, Edinburgh also possesses one narrow winding street called the Vennel, quite near there...

(a steep set of stairs from the Grassmarket up to Heriot Place)

Do the Scottish have a lot of things with French names? I would be surprised if they didn't since a large group of French sought exile there when the Pope and the French king tried to kill all of the knights templar.

The Dictionary of the Scots Language gives this: "vennel: A narrow alley or lane between houses, still freq. in street-names in many Sc. towns, as Edinburgh, Ayr, Dumfries, Forfar, Perth."

In my experience (brought up in a small Scottish market town 16 miles from Edinburgh) I would regard a wynd as something big enough to be given a street name with its own sign (e.g. a street in my town called Mill Wynd) and a vennel as something smaller, but essentially the same thing. (There seem to be several regional words in the UK for this - as well as vennel, GINNEL, SNICKET and ENTRY come to mind.)

One notable word of French origin used (at least until relatively recently) in Scotland is ASHET, a large serving-plate ( < assiette ). There is also the story of Edinburghers shouting "Gardyloo" (presumably [re]gardez l'eau) in past centuries when throwing the contents of pots de chambre out of the windows!

Thanks a lot for all this info everyone. I've only been to Edinburgh once, in 2000 for Scotland v France in the 6 nations (was is still 5 then?). I thought it was one of the most atmospheric places I'd ever been.

Neij, thanks for the memory! Ashet is a word I hadn't heard for a long time. The word is still used in Ayrshire, a deep oblong enamel dish mainly used for making steak & kidney pie for Ne'erday.

In St Andrews there's a lane called Butts Wynd. I'm sure you can imagine how tourists, of which there are many in St Andrews, mispronounce this name and are thus amused. Wynd is not a word I have encountered outwith Scotland - speaking of which, the word 'outwith' itself is a term seemingly unique to Scots usage - though one which I have very happily brought home with me to the States.