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A Dictionary of the Older Scottish Tongue (up to 1700)

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First published 1937 (DOST Vol. I).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

Bataile, Batale, Batell, n. Also: bataill(e, -ail, -ayle, -ayll(e, battaill; battale; bat-, battal, -all(e; batel(e, -eill, battel(l, -eill; batylle, battyle. See also Batailȝe. [ME. batayle, -aile, -ayl (also batel, -ell, etc.). OF. bataille, -alle, -elle.]

1. Encountering or conflict of armed hosts.(a) 1375 Barb. i. 24 (in hard stour off bataill); ii. 253 (in playne bataill). c1420 Wynt. ii. 10 (wytht were and batayle); 1028 (in harde batayle); v. 4871 (god off bataille). 14.. Acts I. 23/2 (quharof batayle may rise). 1456 Hay I. 1/20 (quhat thing is bataill); 249/19 (day of bataill). c1475 Wall. viii. 686 (to gyff battaill). 1513 Doug. i. vi. 62 (ondantabill in bataill). 1570 Leslie 24 (to geve battaill).(b) 1375 Barb. viii. 183 (battale for to beid). c1420 Wynt. iv. 1237 (slayne in batale); 1650 (but fandyng off batale). 1513 Doug. i. vii. 54 (excellent in batale); ii. iii. 14 (sum engyne of batale).(c) a1400 Leg. S. i. 263 (of syn ay batal risise). c1420 Wynt. iv. 2028 (slayne wythtin batalle). c1460 Wisd. Sol. 756 (worthi men in batall). 1490 Irland Mir. I. 161/31 (the hiest wictory in battal). 1513 Doug. xiii. ii. 71 (sa gret fervour of batall).(d) a1400 Leg. S. i. 258 (batell and striff); xxxiii. 76 (to ficht with hyme in batele). c1420 Wynt. iv. 2414 ( … the land wyth batell wan). c1450 Cr. Deyng 108 (slane into batell). c1515 Asl. MS. I. 324 (Mars god of batell). c1552 Lynd. Mon. 369 (mennis lyfe bene bot battell). 1567 G. Ball. 26 (with cruell battell). 1570 Leslie 124 (to vincus the King in battell). a1578 Pitsc. I. 24/8 (in plaine battell).(e) c1420 Wynt. i. 1501 (off batylle … thir sulde goddys be).

b. An engagement or encounter between forces.(a) 1375 Barb. ii. 1278 (ȝe sall isch to the bataill). c1420 Wynt. ii. 1219 (mast part in that batayle was tane); iv. 2387 (fywe batayllis he dyde). 1456 Hay I. 250/20 (the bataill was wonnyn); II. 17/16 (in divers voyagis and battaillis). c1500-c1512 Dunb. G. Targe 197 (the bataill brocht on bordour hard vs by). 1513 Doug. x. v. 108 (to graith thame for the batail).(b) 1375 Barb. iv. 277 (scho bad him till the battale spede). a1400 Leg. S. xi. 140 (that batale to do). c1515 Asl. MS. I. 220/26 (the said batale betuix thaim). 1513 Doug. i. i. 1 (the batalis and the man I will discrive); viii. 128 (the huge ardent batalys).(c) c1420 Wynt. iv. 1292 (the caus off that batalle); v. 454 (that ward in the batalle). a1508 Kennedy Flyt. 269 (the battall of Spottismuir). 1531 Bell. Boece I. p. iii. (maist dangerus and terribil battallis); 2 (ane maist dangerus battall).(d) c1420 Wynt. viii. 6806 (throw quhame thai wan this batell). 1497 Treas. Acc. I. 341 (the tithingis of the batel of Duns). c1515 Asl. MS. I. 300/24 (the thrid batell in erd). 1513 Doug. i. vii. 69 (the famus batellis). 1549 Compl. 80/6 (he tint threttyne battellis contrar Inglismen). 1563-1570 Buch. Wr. 24 (in hazard of ane battell). 1570 Leslie 121 (the batteill of Flowdoun). 1617 Mure I. 42/32 (from battells and debait).

2. A war.c1400 Troy-bk. ii. 3075 (in all tyme of thare battale [i.e. the Trojan war]). c1420 Wynt. iv. 1863 (the thryd batale Punyk). 1490 Irland Mir. I. 54/20 (the battale of Troy). 1622-6 Bisset II. 199 (the first battell Punik).

3. An encounter between two persons (or animals); spec. ordeal of battle; a duel.c1400 Troy-bk. ii. 1897 (to purge him by battell). 14.. Acts I. 23/2 (the kyngis borowman may hafe batayle of abbotis borowman); 49/2 (thruch na batal sal he pas). a1500 Rauf C. 828 (thay maid ane lang battail). a1500 Seven S. 437 (the grewhound baid hir batell). 1560 Rolland Seven S. 286/1 (quhilk I sall preif on him in plane battall). 1609 Skene Reg. Maj. 17 (gif he quha is challenged be overcome be battel).

4. A force in order of battle; a battalion. Arrayit bataile: see Arrayit ppl. a.1375 Barb. xi. 107 (till mak the front of the battale); 172 (his awne battale ordanit he); xiv. 44 (in twa battelis [E. bataillis] thai tuk the way). c1420 Wynt. iv. 745 (twa bataillis off sere natyownys). ?1438 Alex. ii. 1411 (the battellis come than on ane raw). c1450-2 Howlat 488 (quhen the batallis war joyned). c1475 Wall. i. 106 (the battaillis than to-giddyr fast thai ga). a1500 Gol. & Gaw. 23 (ane fair battell on breid). 1531 Bell. Boece I. 180 (the mid batallis faucht ithandly); II. 153 (seand the mid battal nakit of the wing). 1549 Compl. 13/17 (quhon that captans suld ordour battellis). 1596 Dalr. II. 271/33 (put his battell in array).