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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.⁴ Also: maile, mayl(l, mall, mel(l. [Sc. var. of Mele n.¹, apparently chiefly in Fife and eastern Scotland north of the Forth.] Meal; oatmeal. Also attrib.(a) c1515 Asl. MS. I. 222/11.
i^c bollis of male 1513 Treas. Acc. IV. 494.
Eitemale 1611 Orkney & Shetl. Test. I. 2.
Thrie meill mall 1666-74 Fraser Polichron. 236.
Such corn as it afforded yelded no male but lickdusted trash(b) 1531 Dunferm. Reg. Ct. 49.
Fiwe bollis of maill 1540 Lynd. Sat. 4159 (Ch.).
Beir maill [: aill] 1556 Crail B. Ct. 13.
Ayt mayll 1559 Black Bk. Taymouth 129.
The feyr of maill and bayr xl s. 1562 Kirkcaldy B. Rec. 66. 1563 Black Bk. Taymouth 131. a1570-86 Maitl. F. xxxiv. 51.
The lairdis … top the beir and cheipis the meill [: aill], The ladie sellis the aittis 1564–5 Rec. Earld. Orkney 275.
Scheill maill 1566 Crail B. Ct. 1 Sept.
Awht bollis beyr awht bollis maill twa bollis quhyt 1572 Elgin Rec. I. 132.
Baikstaris of breid of quhyt and maill 1573 Dunferm. B. Rec. II. 2. c 1580 (1517) Edinb. B. Rec. I. 173. 1584 St. A. Baxter Bks. 36.
Ony dauch or maill 1612 Orkney & Shetl. Ct. Bk. (ed.) 25 Aug. c 1616 Montrose Treas. Acc. (Mary Hospital Rental) MS.
Rinmett wictual two pairt maill thrid pairt beir 1671 Dunferm. Coal Acc. 5 b. 1692 Brechin Town Council in Misc. B. Rec. 100. 1695 Conv. Burghs IV. 205.
For importatione of Irish maill, bear and peiseattrib. 1583 St. A. Test. II. 19 b.
Ane auld maill tub(c) 1482 Misc. Spald. C. II. 324.
Mell gywis xxiiij schillingis 1501–2 Wemyss Chart. 118.
xxv bollis of mel and v bollis of bere 1518 Selkirk B. Ct. (ed.) 45.
Mell 1529 Edinb. B. Rec. in Misc. Maitl. C. II. 78. 1594 Skipper's Acc. (Morton) 3 b.
For ane barell of mell bakinge 1595 Ib. 9 b.
For doune bering ell and mell and water and wettelis 1604 Lord Scone in Misc. Hist. Soc. II. 245.
Off fayftine chalders vituall tua pert mell and thrid pert ber 1650 Culross 242.
Twentie bolls of mell 1653 Sc. Ant. IV. 98.