A Scottish dialectal word meaning quiet, used in some regional varieties of Scots.
A Scottish dialectal word meaning quiet, used in some regional varieties of Scots. The form reflects historical vowel patterns in Scots English where standard 'quiet' becomes 'quate'. It is a regional pronunciation rendered into spelling rather than a separate word, and is rarely seen in writing outside dialect literature or specialized dictionaries of Scots. Rarely written; mostly heard in speech.
The wee one finally fell asleep, so keep it quate for a bit.
Add your own interpretation of "quate".
Regional slang from around the English-speaking world — British, Australian, Irish, Caribbean, Nigerian, Filipino, AAVE, and the hyphenated-English dialects that make the internet sound local.
See all Regional & Other slang on Slangora.
Browse all slang words starting with Q.
A Scottish dialectal verb and noun meaning to cheat (verb) or a cheat/act of cheating (noun). An older form found in Scots literature and dialect. The 'ch-' for 'ch-' in 'cheat' suggests a Scots phonological variant. Now obsolete outside historical contexts.
An obsolete Scottish word meaning insane or mad — out of one's wits. Used in older Scots literature and dialect speech. No longer in active use. The word appears in Robert Burns and other Scottish writers of the 18th and 19th centuries.
(transitive, Commonwealth, UK, Irish) To make quiet.
No comments yet — say something.
Quate is a Scottish dialect word for quiet — the kind of spelling that captures exactly how it sounds in a Scottish accent, with the vowel drawn out and softened. It's the sort of word that belongs to regional speech traditions rather than written language, and you'll encounter it in literature, poetry, and conversations across Scotland. Telling someone to be quate carries the same meaning as telling them to hush, just with considerably more local colour.
The teacher shot him a look and said, 'Will you just be quate for five minutes?'
Quate means: Quate is a Scottish dialect word for quiet - the kind of spelling that captures exactly how it sounds in a Scottish accent, with the vowel drawn out and softened. It's the sort of word that belongs. It is a dialectal or regional word and rarely appears in mainstream teen culture; usage usually points to a family, regional, or literary source rather than peer slang. There is no real cause for parental concern; it is descriptive vocabulary rather than risky behaviour. As a place or proper-name reference it is purely descriptive.
quate means: Quate is a Scottish dialect word for quiet - the kind of spelling that captures exactly how it sounds in a Scottish accent, with the vowel drawn out and softened. It's the sort. Register: regional or dialectal, informal. Not common in mainstream English; use only if you specifically want a regional or literary effect, otherwise the standard equivalent is safer. A common learner mistake is using the word in a register it does not fit, or assuming a single global meaning; native speakers immediately notice when slang appears in formal contexts, so always check the surrounding register before producing it yourself.
No comments yet — say something.
(Scotland) quiet.
No comments yet — say something.