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

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First published 1971 (DOST Vol. IV).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

Mele, Meil(l, n.¹ Also: mel(l, meel, meile, meyl(l, meyle, meal(l, meale, miel(l, mill(e, mile; and Male. [ME. mel(e, meel(e, e.m.E. mell(e, meal(e, OE. melo, ON. miǫl.] Meal; freq., or chiefly, spec. oatmeal as distinguished from the other kinds.Also with defining terms, as ate- (oat-), bere-mele, ferme-mele, hepit mele, pese-, ry-, scheill-mele: see the various separate entries.For further examples, see Malt n.(1) a1400 Leg. S. iii. 849.
Swet manna sprange And oyle thare-with as it war mele 1388 Antiq. Aberd. & B. III. 294.
The annuale of a chaldre of mele 1412 Melville Chart. 18. 1447 Dundee Chart. 24. 1477 Reg. Cupar A. I. 209.
Payand ȝerly … a bol of quhet in coys for a bol of mele in swmyr 1474 Acta Aud. 34/1. 1497 Prestwick B. Rec. 35. a1508 Kennedy Flyt. 427. 1548 Boyd. Fam. P. No. 26 (6 Aug.).
xxxij bollis of wittell be yeir that is to say twa pairt mele and third pairt beir 1575 St. A. Baxter Bks. 53. 1594 Prot. Bk. T. Auchinlek 35.
To pay hir … ane last bere and half last mele 1600 Dundee Shipping P. 67.
Mell 1604 Shetland Sheriff Ct. (ed.) 136. c 1653 Irvine Mun. II. 253.(b) 1445 Ayr B. Ct. 4 Oct.
That nane met meile bot the sellaris 1458 Reg. Great S. 143/1. ? 1468 Edinb. B. Rec. I. 235. c1500-c1512 Dunb. Flyt. 147.
Baith meill and schilling 1513 Doug. viii. Prol. 54. 1527 Selkirk B. Ct. fol. 115 a.
That all stuff as quheit, meill, malt, beir, present the merkat 1531 Treas. Acc. V. 460. 1531 Bell. Boece I. l.
The peple of Island … bray dry fische als small as meil 1535 Stewart 44422.
Ane boll of beir for fyve crownis wes sald; Baith quhit and meill in thair awin kynd als deir 1540 Lynd. Sat. 4110 (B).
Ane millar … That will steill nowdir meill nor malt Ib. 2117. c1540 Id. Kitteis Conf. 90. 1549 Banff Ann. I. 24.
The quhitt breid and aitt breid to be sauld … as the prices of quhytt and meill stands for the tyme a1568 Bann. MS. 252 b/46.
So fair a caik of meill 1576 Orkney Oppress. 64. 1583 Sempill Sat. P. xlv. 444.
A chalder of meill [: leill] a1605 Montg. Flyt. 472 (T).
Quhen they haue neither milk nor meill [: steill, deill] 1585 Acts III. 404/1. 1588 Treas. Acc. MS. 94.
In meill and bran 1596 Crim. Trials I. 399. 1596 Dalr. I. 65/27. 1598 Acts IV. 179/2. 1604 Glasgow B. Rec. I. 263.
Beir, vnground mait, aitis, meill, quheit, banis and peis 1649 Berw. Nat. C. XV. 350. c1650 Spalding II. 44.
12,000 bollis of oates, beir and meill 1660 Boharm Kirk S. 25 Mar.
That she had … dryed ane haldish corne in a pot for want of meill 1672 Acts VIII. 61/2. 1673 Kirkcudbr. B. Rec. 2 July. c 1690 Antiq. Aberd. & B. II. 442.(c) 1473 Reg. Cupar A. I. 171.
iiij boll of quehet and j bol of peys in coys for alsmekil meyle 1473 Ib. 181.
Meyl 1493 Dunferm. B. Rec. 47.
Meyll 1536 Glasgow Prot. IV. 102.
Meyll 1540 Boyd Fam. P. No. 18 (21 March). 1559 Inverness Rec. I. 36.(d) 1456 Misc. Bann. C. III. 94.
My meel that I left in myn ynnys in Tayn(e) 1550 Breadalbane Doc. No. 73 (see b (3) below).
Meale 1595 Duncan App. Etym.
Furfur purgamentum farinae, branne clats, seids of meale 1629 Hossack Kirkwall 257. 1633 Aberd. Council Lett. I. 385.
Meall 1650 Maxwell Mem. I. 354.
Charmes wer given somtymes in meall … sometymes in broathe 1662 Soc. Ant. XXII. 261. a1699 Skene Agric. MS.
A boll of oates … will give a boll of meal, and a boll of wheat … will give a boll of flowr. [etc.] 1693 Culross B. Rec. in Sc. Ant. IV. 83.
The laddell a measure appointed to take up the meal 1696 Wemyss of Bogie MSS.
Meall … good and sufficient clean coller, well dight(f) ?1549 Monro W. Isles 51.
In miell and reistit mutton(g) 1631 Buccleuch Household Bk. 22 Nov.
For mill to mak the fretters 1678 Fawside Coal Compt 34.
For a pecke of mille & ane halfe Ib. 83.
Mile(2) proverbs 1570 Sat. P. xvi. 83.
They say he can baith quhissill and cloik And his mouth full of meill [: weill] a1605 Montg. Misc. P. ii. 23.
[To] mett thame moonshyn ay for meill [: weill] a1628 Carmichael Prov. Nos. 155, 716, etc.

b. In various special contexts.Keall and meall, = meal-kail, sense 3 e below, and meal-an-kail in the later dial.(1) c1500-c1512 Dunb. xxxix.
For quhilk thair tennentis sald somer meill(2) 1560 Exch. R. XIX. 104.]
[7 bolls white meal, 1 chalder black meal(3) 1550 Breadalbane Doc. No. 73.
Fourtene bollis gud and sufficient meale … halfe quhite meile weill schillit 1564 Orkney & Shetl. Rec. I. 150.
Vnius laste farine auenatice, vulgo twyiss scheilit meill vocate 1579 Exch. R. XX. 343. 1644 Lochwinnoch Par. 173.
Of twyse schillit meill, xiij br.(4) 1661 Elgin Rec. II. 297.
She did give him keall and meall and he eating or suping the samine [etc.]

2. Appar. transf. to the growing crops. 1519 Rec. Earld. Orkney 92.
In pasturing of thair guidis on his ground … and eit baith his cornes, meills, and girse

3. Attrib. and comb. in a. mele-aittis, -corne, b. meillferme, c. meill-ark, -barrell, -cellar, etc., d. meill-byar, -seller. Also: Mele-maker, -man, etc.a. 1595 Edinb. Test. XXVIII. 19 b.
In the barne & barneȝaird … of mele corne thair xxiij bollis 1598 Reg. Great S. 321/2.
6 celdrarum farine avenatice … lie meill aittisb. 1620 Misc. Spald. C. V. 218.
The laird requeirit payment of his meill and malt fermes 1622 Urie Baron Ct. 48.
The haill tennents … ar decernit … to lay in thair meill ferme into the girners befor Candlemesc. 1540 Acta Conc. & Sess. MS. XIII. 119 b.
Ane fles fatt ane meill ark 1623 Peebles Gleanings 16. — 1569 Prot. Bk. T. Johnsoun (S.R.S.) 165.
Ane meilebarrell 1597 Glasgow B. Rec. I. 186. 1685 Soc. Ant. LVIII. 362. — 1563 Edinb. Test. LXVII. 143 b.
Ane meall furlott & ane pok 1686 Brechin Test. VII. 162 b. — 1548 Aberd. B. Rec. I. 259.
Thre meill girnalis out of my loft 1562 Will A. Betoun. 1567 Bamff Chart. 71.
Ane mekle mele girnell of aik 1638 Old Ross-shire I. 124. c1650 Spalding I. 195. Ib. 203. 1644 Tulliallan Coal Wks. 51.
The meall garnall 1689 Reg. Privy C. 3 Ser. XIII. 478. — 1581 Edinb. Test. IX. 104.
Ane of my mele kistis 1649 Ib. LXIV. 271 b.
Ane great meill kist, ane beir kist, ane candill kist — 1689 Brechin Test. VII. 211 b.
A meall kitt — 1622 Dundee B. Laws 54.
Be the vsing of … unstampit meall measors in mercats — 1692 Antiq. Aberd. & B. III. 25.
With the fullers mill … and … the meal mill — 1685 Soc. Ant. LVIII. 363.
A meillpeck, a corne peck — a1598 Ferg. Prov. No. 775.
Sairie be your meil poke, and ay your neive in the nook of it 1643 Glasg. Univ. Mun. III. 535.
Ane meil pocke for conteining a boll of meill 1675 Stirling Common Good 92. — 1593 Edinb. Test. XXV. 369 b.
Thrie meill punscheonis 1653 Ib. LXVII. 146. — 1627 Glasg. Univ. Mun. III. 529.
Twa meall pyps 1653 Edinb. Test. LXVII. 146. — 1522 Dunferm. B. Rec. I. 209.
Ane maill schryne ane schryn in the boutht — a1568 Jok & Jynny 35.
Ane meil sek 16.. Maidment Balfour Ballads vii.
Meill sicks — 1446 Coldingham Priory lxxxiv.
In pistrino … tua melsywys 1627 Edinb. Test. LIV. 55 b.
Ane meill seiff 1643 Glasg. Univ. Mun. III. 535.
Ane meil seif that cleanyes the meil 1685 Soc. Ant. LVIII. 362. — 1689 Kirkcudbr. Sheriff Ct. Deeds II. 336. (1 July).
[The master furnishing all necessary timber for … furnishing and upholding the said milne in a sufficient] meill sill — 1571–2 Canongate Ct. Bk. 354.
Ane meil-stand 1694 Inchmahome Pr. 163. — 1685 Soc. Ant. LVIII. 363.
In the girnell house … 2 meill barrells … a meill straik — 1681 Lauder Observes 40.
In a meal-tubd. 1497 Aberd. B. Rec. I. 425.
That nay meill byalris sal cum in the mercat 1694 Dunferm. Ann. 360.
That … the meall buyer shall be leyable [etc.] — 1538 Edinb. B. Rec. II. 92.
That na maner of regratouris, meill sellares … haif furlottis to mett in the meill merket 1597 Dundee B. Laws 49.
The said meall sellars sall present the haill stuffe [etc.] 1676 Kirkcudbr. B. Rec. MS. 3 June.
Actiounes … aganest meill sellerris

e. Meal-kail, broth consisting of meal and kale: also in the mod. dial. and cf. keall and meall, sense 1 b above. a1706 Blythsome Wedding in Watson's Coll. i. 10.
There will be meal-kail and castocks