Broch
/brɒx/noun
A prehistoric Scottish stone tower, typically circular and built without mortar.
Did you know?Although the word may be Norse, the brochs themselves were built centuries before the Viking Age, so their name does not reveal who originally constructed them.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*bherǵʰ-
“High or elevated; a root associated with heights and fortified places”
Proto-Germanic
Proto-Germanic
*burgz
“Fortified settlement or stronghold”
Old Norse
Old Norse
borg
“Fortification, fortified town, or stronghold”
Middle Scots
Scots
broch
“A round prehistoric stone tower or fortified structure”
18th Century
English
broch
“A Scottish archaeological tower, especially one of the massive drystone structures found in the north and west”
Modern English
English
broch
“A prehistoric Scottish circular stone tower”