Giff

Part of speech: conjunction

Definitions

1. An old Scots spelling of the conjunction "if", used to introduce a condition or supposition
2. A dialect variant of the conjunction "if", found in older Scottish writing to introduce a conditional clause
3. A Scots archaic form meaning "if", used to set up a hypothetical or conditional statement

Etymology: Before it became a dialect curiosity, "giff" was simply an older spelling of "if." Its ancestor, Old English "gif," introduced conditions in the same way, and the spelling survived in Scots and northern English writing long after standard English had settled on the modern form. Readers of older Scottish texts are meeting the same conditional they use every day. The spelling also survives in "giff-gaff," an informal phrase for an exchange of favours or mutual give and take. Its origin is uncertain, so the safest description is a playful pairing of two short words rather than a compound with a traceable history.