bothy

American

[both-ee, baw-thee] / ˈbɒθ i, ˈbɔ θi /

noun

Scot.

plural

bothies

a hut or small cottage.

bothy British

/ ˈbɒθɪ /

noun

a cottage or hut
(esp in NE Scotland) a farmworker's summer quarters
a mountain shelter

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of bothy

1560–70; probably < Scots Gaelic bothan hut, with -y ² replacing -an

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Hamish has joined Morag on cross-country skiing expeditions, island-hopping camping trips and has even spent a night in a bothy.

From BBC • Feb. 21, 2026

On one trip Morag hiked for 90 minutes to a remote bothy with six-month-old Hamish on her back in a child carrier.

From BBC • Feb. 21, 2026

Residents of a small Hebridean isle hope to attract a new member of the community after putting a former shepherd's bothy up for sale.

From BBC • Sep. 22, 2021

The bothy is very comfortable, with bunk beds in a separate dormitory, as well as sleeping platforms in the two communal rooms.

From The Guardian • Feb. 29, 2020

Why, it's the regular thing, like a shooting-box or a bothy in the Highlands.

From Nevermore by Bolderwood, Rolf

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023