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

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Duleful, Duilful, a. Also: dol-, doulful, dulful(l, -fule, dullful; dulefull, -fule, duylful(l, duil-, deulfull. [ME. dol-, doul-, dul-, duleful (14th c.), variants of doleful, e.m.E. dooleful Dool(e)ful.]

1. Bringing or causing sorrow or grief; distressing, painful.Freq. with the alliterating nouns day and dede.(a) 1375 Barb. xx. 246.
At the last The dulfull dede approchit fast a1400 Legends of the Saints xliii. 569.
For-thi is thu seruand … Of doulful ded & nocht of lyfe 1461 Liber Pluscardensis 382.
Quhilk dulfull Deed has tane till his duellyng 1513 Doug. vi. iii. 128.
Sum on thar schulderis the gret beir vpbair, A dulful office a1570-86 Maitland Folio MS xxxiv. 72.
Schort be thair lyveis, And dulfull be thair end a1578 Pitsc. I. 389/3.
He was haistalie taine and put in dullful presone 1596 Dalr. II. 18/13.
A noble victorie, quhilk, the dulfuller it was till Ingland, the joyfuller was to Scotland 1600-1610 Melvill 143.
Whill we was all in … maist dulfull doutsomnes(b) c1420 Wynt. i. 162.
Drywand hys lyf till dulefulle dede c1420 Ib. ix. 1562.
At Gasklune That dulefule dawerke that tyme wes done a1500 Henr. Test. Cress. 309.
This duleful sentence Saturne tuik on hand a1500 Buke of the Sevyne Sagis 2496.
He grat and had a dulefull day 1533 Boece ix. vi. 300 b.
The duleful sicht of the corps of Colgerin causit Saxouns gif the bak 1537 Lynd. Depl. Magd. 15.
O dreidfull dragoun, with thy dulefull dart c1552 Id. Mon. 1325.
Tyll that dulefull day, Quhilk all the warld pat in affray 1596 Dalr. I. 124/3.
Ane honorable man … beir to the graue with a famous pompe, nochtwithstandeng dolorous and duleful 1610 Rep. Hist. MSS., Var. Coll. V. 116.
Quhen scho … left my hous efter that dulefull mariage c1650 Spalding I. 18.
Thus deit this noble Viscount … and the rest be this duleful fyre c1650 Ib. 218.
Much troubill, sorrow, and dulefull calameteis(c) 1513 Doug. ii. ii. 138.
Cummyn was the duylful day that doith me grys 1570 Satirical Poems xiv. 83.
Lat not his duilfull deith be smorde a1605 Montg. Misc. P. xxiv. 68.
O duilfull dume, delyvrit but delay 1596 Dalr. I. 159/19.
This battel to the Scottis … was sa duilful & deidlie that [etc.] 1611 Mure Misc. P. iv. 4.
My stait then worse then his, … Convoyed with duilfull death

2. Expressive of sorrow or grief; dismal. c1420 Wynt. v. 2720.
Wyth dulefull chere and sare murnyng a1500 Henr. Orph. 134.
O dulfull harp, with mony dolly stryng c1475 Acts of Schir William Wallace iv. 688.
With dulfull mayn retorned thir men of wer To Sanct Jhounston 1513 Doug. ii. viii. 83.
With duylful scryke and walyng al is confoundit 1513 Ib. vi. ix. 50.
Murnyng, granyng, gowlyng, and duylfull beir 1537 Lynd. Depl. Magd. 133.
All thare greit solace … Thow turnit in till dulefull dirigeis 1570 Leslie 32.
The people … lamenting his deathe with deulfull meane 1587-99 Hume vii. 148.
As men defait cled all in dulefull black c1614 Mure Dido ii. 840.
Her in bed they lay with duilfull chear 1609 Gardyne Garden 25.
As thou shalt see all those lamenting layes And duleful ditons cunninglie declare

3. Affected by grief; sorrowful, sad. c1420 Wynt. v. 1966.
Sho … entryd in a hows nere by The tempyll, dulefull and sary a1508 Kennedy Pass. Christ 802.
I … May seik and sing as dulfull dring allane 1513 Doug. ii. xi. 6.
Litill Ascanyus … Amang the duylfull armys … Of his parentis 1567 Satirical Poems vii. 75.
Quhat duilfull mynde mycht dewlie this deploir 1596 Dalr. I. 288/32.
The cleir cloudis to the dulfull was pleisant 1616 Mure Misc. P. xvii. 7.
A mourning mynd, Quhich fain wold wtter, … Thir latest dutyes of a dulefull hert c1650 Spalding II. 413.
As may be sein heir in dulefull Abirdein