- place-names incorporating the term wick usually derive from one of two sources. Some reflect use of the Old English word wīc '(dependent) farm', as in Hedderwick 'heather farm' in Angus and Fishwick 'fish farm' in Berwickshire, while others, such as Lerwick in Shetland and Wick in Caithness, derive from Old Norse vík 'bay'. In A Vertebrate Fauna of the Shetland Islands (1899), Arthur Evans and Thomas Buckley remarked that the various inlets of the sea
are variously styled Wick, Voe, or Geo, according to their breadth and the nature of their surroundings.
The Vikings did not only settle in Shetland. They also had a significant linguistic impact on the Gaelic of the Western Isles, and Anglo-Scandinavian settlers who moved into the south of Scotland from England added many Norse words to the Scots language. The similarity of terms derived from Old Norse and Old English can often be confusing, and many an inquirer has ended up with their wicks in a twist. Particularly difficult are names like Prestwick, which seem most likely to be Old English wīc 'farm', yet are situated in a bay on the coast.