A Dictionary of the Older Scottish Tongue (up to 1700)
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First published 2000 (DOST Vol. VIII).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
Quotation dates: 1632-1700+
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S(c)hable, Schabill, n. Also: sheabill, chable, shabel, shabble, sabble. [Obs. Germ. schabel, sabel, local varr. of Germ. säbel, Polish szabla, Magyar száblya. Cf. Ital. sciab(o)la. Cf. also 17th c. Eng. sabel (1617), of which the form sabble (see (b) below) may be a single instance, Germ. or Du. sabel, of the same ulterior origin, whence also the F. altered form sabre.] A sabre.Also attrib. with blade.(a) 1632 Lithgow Trav. v 208.
The onely best shables, or short crooked swords, that be in the world are made here [sc. Damascus] 1637 Aberd. Sheriff Ct. II 436.
[The defender had bought] ane gune and sheabill [for £6] c1650 Spalding I 238.
The Hollanderis canon and schables 1654 Dumfries Kirk S. 16 March.
For … blooding a man buy shabellis 1667 Edinburgh Testaments LXXIII 86.
Schabill 1670-1 Turner Pallas Armata 171.
The Persians, Turks, Russians, Polonians, and Hungarians, for most part wear scimiters and shables c1679 Kirkton Hist. 418.
And … smote him on the cheek with his shabel 1681 Fountainhall Decis. I 159.
The general … struck him with the pomel of his shable on his face 1681 Colvil Whig's Suppl. (1681) Sig. A 5b.
A sea-captain offered to strike off my head with a shable 1685 Proceedings of Society of Antiquaries LVIII 356.
Chable 1699 Whitelaw Sc. Arms Makers 221.
[Supplied] 250 mounted shables 1715 Macritchie Gypsies 118.
He was … repute an Egyptian, and did wear a pistol and shable(b) 1679 Wodrow Hist. III (1829) 44.
The commander … with a shabble struck him on the face 1683 Haddington B. Rec. (Robb) 20 Jan.
That he [sc. the jailer] … wear constantly a sword or sabbleattrib. 1699 Whitelaw Sc. Arms Makers 221.
Shable blades
