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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.

Male, Mail(l, n.³ Also: maile, mayl(l, mayle, meal(l, meale, mell, maull. [ME. (Layamon) and e.m.E. male, e.m.E. mail(e (1469), malle (15–16th c.), OF. male (F. malle), also MDu. male.] A travelling bag or portmanteau; a travelling case or trunk.Appar. usually as made of leather or cloth, but also of wood.Also soume male, a saddle-bag, see Soum n.(a) 1507 Treas. Acc. III. 257.
For tua lokkit males to pak the samyn gere in to cum fra London … xxxv s. 1529 Ib. V. 371.
Tua lang malis with four lang brassis 1538–9 Ib. VII. 43, 138. 1645 Aberd. Sheriff Ct. III. 44.(b) 1495 Halyb. 12.
A mayll, cost 7 s. 1505 Treas. Acc. III. 38. 1533 Ib. VI. 86.
To be ane maill to turs the Kingis clais intill, x quarteris Scottis russat 1536 Ib. 455.
For ane clois maill of tre for the Kingis claithis, iij frs. 1552 Ib. X. 83. 1561 Admir. Ct. Bk. (St. S.) 209.
Ane maill with buikis and writtingis 1567 Crim. Trials I. i. 493.
To tak up ane carriage of twa maills, the ane ane tronk, and the vthir ane ane leddirin mail c1575 Balfour Pract. 635. 1582 Edinb. Test. X. 289 b.
Tua greit maillis price iiij li., … fyve mydling maillis price of the pece xvj s., … tua small maillis price xx s. 1605 Bann. Memor. 366.
Ane pie of blak and tua blak cloikis quhilkis ar in my mail in my awin chamber 1612 Edinb. Test. XLVII. 146 b.
xxi maillis of selch skinis at xxvj s. viij d. the peice 1653 Ib. LXVII. 9 b.
Tua lairge maills with hatt caisis 1676 Cunningham Diary 75.(c) 1660 Honours Scotl. 124.
The vay that he has opened the meale 1680 Breadalbane Doc. (Tours) 6.
A leather-meall made after the fashion of a trunk(d) 1661 Aberd. Council Lett. IV. 177.
300 pund sterlin inclosit and seallit in ane maull

b. Attrib. in maill-pillion, mell-pillie, a pack-saddle. [e.m.E. (1639).] — 1665 Edinb. Test. LXXI. 408 b.
Ane great maill pilȝeane with lining thairin sutch as schirts [etc.] 1666 Ib. LXXII. 150.
Ane cloakbag and mell pillie 1675 Cunningham Diary 51.
To a new curpell to my maill pillion 1680 Ib. 115. 1685 Thanes of Cawdor 371.
Ane meal pilleone … 2 houssingirdis