In Scottish universities, a first-year student or freshman; a novice or beginner in general.
From Scottish English, possibly derived from 'bejant' (variant spelling), with origins debated but potentially from Old French 'beguin' or related to the Beguines, a lay religious movement. The term became specifically associated with Scottish academic traditions.
Oxford and Cambridge have 'freshmen,' but Scottish universities have 'bejans'—this word is a perfect example of how different academic institutions preserved unique terminology, and the origin is genuinely mysterious even to scholars!
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