A Dictionary of the Older Scottish Tongue (up to 1700)
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First published 2001 (DOST Vol. X).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
Quotation dates: 1399-1400, 1499-1500
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Tel(e)man, Teil(e)man, n. [ME and e.m.E. tilmen (Cursor M.), till-man (1620); Tele v.] One who tills the soil, a farmer.(a) a1400 Legends of the Saints xxvii 54.
Thane tyd the king a tyme to ryd In the cunctre nere be-syd Quhare dweland wes this telman a1400 Legends of the Saints xxix 450.
Bot telemen left the tiltht in hy & folouyt hym [sc. the wolf] a1400 Legends of the Saints xl 201.
& he thane, as gud tele-man, To wirk in Goddis ȝard begane a1500 Bk. Chess 52.
Aucht popularis that bene thaim with … first thair bene the tele man & a smyth(b) a1500 Bk. Chess 1314.
This teileman … prowyder of fude for all the land a1500 Bk. Chess 1356.
This teileman has a huke to cut his corne a1500 Bk. Chess 2130.
Teilman
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"Telman n.". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 15 Dec 2025 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/dost/teleman>
