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First published 1963 (DOST Vol. III).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

Hill, Hyll, n. Also: hil(le, hyl(le, hell, heill. [ME. hill, hil(le, hyl(le, OE. hyll.]

1. a. A hill or (low) mountain.Examples in early place-names are Herishille (a 1166). Urilhille, Lamby hill (c 1220), and Rogero del Hille (1331), Thomas del Hill (1363).(a) 1375 Barb. ii. 508.
Thws in the hyllis levyt he Ib. xi. 185.
Bath hyllis and valayis a1400 Leg. S. xlii. 305.
A gret hyl, ves nere the ton c1420 Wynt. i. 141.
Besyde ane hylle is cald Accland Ib. 407.
That schype wes drywyn oure hyllis hie a1447 Bower Chron. II. 232.
Be hyll and mosse thaim self to weire 1472 Peebles B. Rec. 169.
Fra the march dik est with al the laf of the ester hyl(b) 1375 Barb. vi. 528.
About ane hill he held his way Ib. x. 83.
Ane vattir … That ran doun by the hillis syde c1420 Wynt. ii. 459.
Wpone ane hille was callyd Parnas a1500 Gol. & Gaw. 234.
Our the mountains gay, Holtis and hillis 1490 Irland Mir. I. 151/5.
The hillis ware the hie angellis … , the litle montanis ware the less angellis c1515 Asl. MS I. 312/20.
Our fader ... that offerit his son Jhesus in sacrifice to the hill of the croce 1513 Doug. i. ii. 50.
He … persit the bos hill at the braid syde Ib. iii. viii. 31.
The dym hillis on far we dyd aspy 1557–8 Ayr Common Good Acc. (MS.).
For makene ane bekin one the hillis 1570 Leslie 212.
The Inglismen began to appeir aloft in the hill 1596 Dalr. I. 43/24.
This is the last and hindmest hil in Scotland 1656 St. A. Baxter Bks. 125.
Convict of drawin ane knyff to Patrik Walkar, … and awowing to leaue him vpone the hill 1684 Sibbald Scot. Illustr. 28.
Colles, si singulares, nostratibus dicuntur a Hill, ... si glomerati Knowes dicuntur 1688 Reg. Privy C. 3 Ser. XIII. 313.
Ther best horse being in the hills grassing

b. In the names of certain hills. c1420 Wynt. iv. 2006.
The hill of Ethna than off fyre Brak out 1524 Edinb. Hammermen 112.
The masteris [being] weill gaderit at sanct Leonardis hell 1549 Compt. 10/29.
Delphos is ane solemnit place, on the hyl of Pernasus 1552 Reg. Cupar A. II. 102.
Certane acris of land callit Buttiris hyll, of our burght of Keiththik 1633 M. Works Acc. XXVII. 19.
Fra the gowane hilles to the gaites betuixt the castell ȝet and Lambes house end

c. The uncultivated higher ground used for grazing, lying beyond and above the arable; a community's common moor. a 1520 Acts I. p. xxvii.
Ȝour heidrowme to ȝour hill direct Fra ȝour hawch telit in effect a1598 Ferg. Prov. (1641) No. 347.
He that comes first to the hill may sit where he will

d. The piece of moorland where a commuinity's peats were cut, a community's peat-moss. 1674 Alyth Par. Ch. 116.
[Not to] send ther cairts to the hil for petts befor sabbaths midnight 1682 Urie Baron Ct. 96.
The peat hill of Wrie

2. A hillock, mound. 1513 Doug. viii. Prol. 166.
I grapyt graithly the gyll, Every modywarp hyll 1561–2 Edinb. Old Acc. II. 165.
For careing away of ane hill and erd lyand befor the freir yeard

b. The dump of hewn coal at the pit-head of a coal-pit. Also coalhill Cole n.¹ 4, coilheuchhill Col(e-heuch n. (c) attrib., collpot-hill Col(e-pot n. b. Also attrib. in hill-man (see quot. 1679, sense 3 below). 1544 Reg. Privy S. III. 156/2.
Payand thairfor yerlie xx scoir laidis of coillis at the hill of the said coleheuch allanerlie1554 Ib. IV. 497/1. 1675 Sheriffhall Coal Accompt Oct. 9.
For casting a broad the hill and making it even 1680 Ib. Aug. 17.
For casting a brod the heill

3. Attrib. with brae, dyke, fute, hede, etc. In Orkney, hill balk (back), a strip of (? normally uncultivated) land on the lower side of the hill-dyke, separating the arable land of a township from the common moor beyond it: see 1 c above and J. S. Clouston in Sc. Hist. Rev. XVII. 16 f., Ib. XX. 19 f. (esp. 20 n.). Hill-man, one of the extreme Covenanters who in the reigns of Charles II and James VII worshipped at 'conventicles' on the open moors; hill-preacher, a minister who conducted such services, a field-preacher. 1677 Sc. Hist. Rev. XVII. 19.
The peney land of Hootoft devydit ...: fyw rigis from the easting to Allexr Fflait. .for the towmell or hill balk of ane farding there pertening to him Ib.
Which three fardings towmell or hill balk is to contenue in rig rendell for this yer Ib.
Hill back 1573 Antiq. Aberd. & B. IV. 762.
William Forbes of the Hill Bray 1685 Soc. Ant. LVIII. 369.
The yaird dykes, park dykes, & hill dykes 1532-3 Dumferm. Reg. Ct. 89.
For the allegit wrangous ... laboryng of ane part of the hill end of Cragluscur 1599 Buchan Club II. 126.
[A certain 8th part of] the hillfaulds of Carmuk 1538–9 M. Works Acc. VI. 17 b.
Certane sleddis ledand fre stane fra the heich quarrellis … to the hill fut 1603 Moysie 90.
He … stayed his horse at the hill fute 1446 Reg. Episc. Aberd. I. 246.
Begynnande at the meir burn … and sua to the hill hede of Aichnedor a1578 Pitsc. II. 38/12.
The Scottismen lyghtit frome thair horse and send [thame] … to the hill heid abone thame 1614 Reg. Great S. 375/2.
Cum vulgo craigleaue et hilheuch in carbonariis suis de Wester Weymis 1621 Peebles B. Rec. 88.
Terras prope dictum molendinum vocatas lie Hilhoussis 1679 Cunningham Diary 18.
He entered in compt with his hill men anent the … cinner coal 1684 Symson Descr. Galloway 185.
Those that were displeased with the indulgence were ... in those days commonly called the hill-men 1692 Presb. Eloq. (ed. 2) 13.
They … that affect the name of sober Presbyterians disown'd these Hill-men Ib. 19.
One of the most wild and violent of the Hill-men 1680 Spirit Popery Out of Mouths Phanatical-Protestants 47.
The hill-preachers call the indulged ministers ... councel-curates 1681 Lauder Observes 23.
On[e] of the eminent conventicle hill preachers in Scotland 1691 Continuation Historical Relation Late General Assembly 56.
Mr Menȝie, he was first a hill-preacher, next he submitted to episcopacy 1680 Soc. Ant. XLV. 243.
The shout of a king hath been among the mettings of his people at hillsides 1669 Melrose Reg. Rec. II. 247.
Sounhouse reserved … to Lyall and his assignees … ane insoume and tua hill soume 1640 Misc. Abbotsford C. 165.
I suld tell whether it wer ane hill-spirit, a kirk-spirit or a waterspirit, that so trouble him 1586 Inverness Rec. I. 308.
He sawe the cottaris of the Hiltoun cutt the said halcht