Dictionaries of the Scots Language
Dictionars o the Scots Leid

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

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Idol(e, Ydol(e, n. Also: id-, ydoll. [ME. ydol, idol (1340–70), OF. idole, late L. īdōlum.]

1. An idol, in usual senses.(1) a1400 Legends of the Saints ii. 405.
Fendis that in ydolis ware a1400 Ib. ix. 183.
Full mony … to draw done the ydole mynte c1420 Wynt. v. 190.
Hale … wes … off nane ydole a statu 1456 Hay I. 7/36.
He gert thame … anourne that ydole, as thair god 1490 Irland Mir. 141/20.
The ydoles & goddis of the gentiles 1513 Doug. x. Prol. 154.
I wirschip nowder ydoll, stok, nor elf c1552 Lynd. Mon. 2403.
To bow ȝour body … Tyll ony ydoll maid of stone or tre(b) a1400 Legends of the Saints v. 3 15.
The idolis all, And of deme Dyane the fygure c1552 Lynd. Mon. 2423.
Daniell … wald nocht worschip thare fals idoll Bell 1567 Gude and Godlie Ballatis 71.
To trew that help may cum Of idolis maid be mennis band(2) 1546 Pitsc. II. 67/15.
Ȝour sanctwaries … ar full of idollis 1558-66 Knox I. 361.
Thay war entered to the pulling down of the ydollis and dortour 1560 Sc. Hist. Rev. XXI. 142.
That he … reforme his place of Cowper … birnyng oppinlie all idolis and imagis … tharin a1578 Pitsc. II. 145/7.
To cast doune the idollis of the kirk, that is to say the allteris and the imagies and all wther waine idollis a1578 Ib. 151/24.
The congregatioun … brunt the rude quhilk was ane great idoll(3) fig. a1568 Scott i. 119.
In sum hartis is gravit … Ane image callit cuvatyce of geir: Now, to expell that idoll [etc.] 1562-3 Winȝet I. 12/18.
The secund idoll is the wickit dum pastour

b. An image, representation. a1500 Henr. Test. Cress. 507.
The idole of ane thing … sa appeiris … Within the mynd as it was figurait

2. attrib. Idolatrous; of idols. 1592–3 St. A. Kirk S. 739.
Nevir to keip idoll dayis, sic as Ȝuill day, nor uther superstitions dayis holy 1622-6 Bisset II. 304/26.
This demas become eftirwarde ane idoll preist of Thessalonica