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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.

Boull, Bowl, n.² Also: boule, boulle, bouill; bowle, bowll-. [Northern e.m.E. boule (1570), Fris. bûgel, MDu. boghel (Du. beugel), MLG. bogel (LG. bögel), etc.]

1. A curved or semicircular piece of iron, esp. one forming the handle of a pot or bucket.With a pair of boullis cf. the mod. dial. pl. form bools used for the singular. See also Pot-boul. 1496 Treas. Acc. I. 295.
Giffin for ij tynnyt bandis and viij bowlis for trestis for the oosting burd 1521 Stirling B. Rec. I. 8.
Twa pottis, … j pair of boullis 1591 Edinb. D. Guild Acc. 461.
For girthing thir twa buckettis with irne, … vj irne girthes thairto, twa bowllis [etc.] 1597 Edinb. Test. XXX. 45.
Tuelf Flanderis pottis … Item, tua boullis at v lib. the pece 1609 Hilderstoun Silver Mines I. 190 b.
Four ringis and ane great bowle or pend of irne to the fynning furnace 1640 M. Works Acc. XXIX. 104 b.
For twa bukitts with iroun girthis and iroun boullis thairto for the bak wall 1653 Soc. Ant. XXIII. 302.
One old iron ketle wanting the boule

2. The ring of a key or of each limb of a pair of shears. 1583 Edinb. D. Guild Acc. 179.
For putting of ane new boull to the key of the ile dure 1597 Misc. Spald. C. I. 192.
Quhan scho klipis hir scheip, scho turnis the boul of the scheir thrie tymis in thair mouth 1611 M. Works Acc. IX. 3 b.
Ane lok and ane new bouill to the key 1633 Orkney Bp. Ct. 86 b.
He also melted lead and cust it throw the bowles of ane pair of cheiris thrie sindrie tymes 1643 Misc. Abbotsf. C. I. 184.
Ȝe took lead, … and meltit it, and powrit it throw the boul of the scheir