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

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First published 1983 (DOST Vol. V).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

Oil(l, Oyl(l, Ule, n. Also: oil(l)e, oyl(l)e, oyhle, oylne, oiel, oyell, oyill; wle, ulle, wll; ol(e, (h)uill, uyl, wylle; owl(l, ouwle. [ME. and e.m.E. oyl(e (c 1290), oil(e, oille (Chaucer), also ME. oeile (a 1225), uile, oel (c 1400), OF. oile (12th c.), oele, oyle (Mod. F. huile). Cf. Olȝe and Uyll(e.] 1. Oil.Also in fig. context.(1) a1400 Leg. S. iii. 849.
Of his grawe … swet manna sprange And oyle Ib. xxii. 468. c1420 Wynt. v. 4032.
Anoynted wyth haly oyhle [C. oylye, W. oile] c1420 Bute MS. 171.
Oyle c1475 Wall. vi. 13. 1513 Doug. iii. iv. 137.
Oyll 1523 Perth Hammermen 21.
For the oylne that fand the starne in winter 1535 Stewart 35873.
Fat as the oyle 1552 Treas. Acc. X. 97.
Oille 1560 Edinb. B. Rec. III. 79.
Ane lowmpe of tre holkit for the oyle 1562-3 Winȝet I. 108/24.
Oil 1561–72 Thirds of Benefices 82.
Oyill 1588 Exch. R. XXI. 326.
The dewetie of oill of the said lordschip [of Orkney and Shetland] 1596 Dalr. I. 31/36.
Vnfrossin lyke oyle 1612 Bk. Rates (Halyb.) 311 (see Minorca). 1623 Acts Orkney & Shetland Courts in Misc. Maitl. C. II. 196.
Oill 1664 M. McKaill Moffat Well in Sciennes Conv. lviii.
And at the bottom of it there remaineth a great quantity of black oyl 1667 Hossack Kirkwall 341.
For presing sowme leitell oyell(b) 1490 Irland Mir. I. 141/22.
Vle 1494 Loutfut MS. 27a.
Wle 1509 Peebles B. Rec. I. 200.
Wle 1542 Treas. Acc. VIII. 127.
Ulle 1551 Hamilton Cat. 141.
Unctit nocht with material ule bot with the spret 1554 Misc. Bann. C. III. 67.
We intend nocht to be sellers of wle bot fourthschawers of the veritie 1583 Treas. Acc. in Soc. Ant. VII. 552.
For ule and saip to cresche the Madin with 1589-1600 Skipper's Acc. (Morton) 45 a.
Wll(c) 1490 Irland Mir. MS. 236.
In na vthire liquore … nouthire in wyne aill beire ole [etc.] 1539 Treas. Acc. VII. 217.
For vyre, clay, hair, ole, valx … for making of the gun muldis(d) 1610 Edinb. Test. XLVI. 116 b.
Four barrels of vyl at xviij s. the barrell c1615 Chron. Kings 180.
Powrit on hett uill(e) 1560 Edinb. Old Acc. II. 94.
ij^c stane of calke; … this twa^c stane wes grund be ouwle 1584 Cart. S. Nich. Aberd. II. 387.
For painten of the orlag … with owll(2) fig. 1598 Melvill Propine 16.
With the precious oyle of faith & loue in the lampes of our hearts burning

b. With qualifying words or phrases: see Olȝe n. 2 a.(1) 1540 Treas. Acc. VII. 357.
To … gunnaris … for expens upoun … vermenioun, ule petrolle, ule de olive, wannat ule 1565 Reg. Privy C. I. 360.
Twa barrell of fische huill 1621 Wedderb. Compt Bk. 171.
Sum anneis ol 1641-8 Skipper's Acc. (Smettone) 13 b.
For trin oyell to the pick 2 li. 15 s. — 1595 Orkney Rentals ii. 42.
Summa of scat oiel, 27 lisp., 8 mks. 1627 Ib. iii. 55.
Payand yeirlie ane lespund ywle … payand scat silver, scat wylle and garsum 1664 O'Dell Hist. Geog. Shetl. (1939) 250.
Scatt and corntiend oyle — 1663–6 Household Bks. Archb. Sharp 31 (see Nowt n. 2 d).
Nolt foot oyll Ib. 32.
The ferreiris accompt for a pot of hove [= hoof] oyll [2/o](2) 1538 M. Works Acc. (ed.) I. 233.
Vle petroll 1566 Treas. Acc. XII. 404.
[For fireworks] oyle petrole … , oyll linget 1590 Edinb. Test. XXI. 311.
Sax pund oyll rois at ix s. the pund Ib. 311 b.
Ane pund … oyl mastick at xviij s. the pund Ib.
Tua pund … oyll rew at x s. the pund Ib. 312.
Ane pund oille scorpium price xxiiij s. 1596 Elgin Rec. II. 45.
And that it wes oyle peter that wes layid to his hand 1598 Edinb. Test. XXXI. 350 b.
Tua pound of oyle bay at xx s. the pund Ib.
Oyle rose, oyle mastick and oyle cammamyle(3) 1490 Irland Mir. MS. 239.
The crisme is maid of the oile of the olive and of the balme Ib. 239 b.
The oile of the olive tre — 1548–9 Treas. Acc. IX. 296.
The vle of quhalis — 1568 Skeyne Descr. Pest 35.
Ane vnguent maid of quhit valx, oyle of rossis & vinagir — 1601 Treas. Acc. MS. 95 b.
Certane stark oylis of cannell … and uther medicamentis — 16.. Adv. MS. 22.2.11.
The oyll of lewender and oyll of tarpentin ye must straik your haill bodie thairwith — 1630 Spottiswoode Misc. II. 62.
Some oyl of speek 1663–6 Household Bks. Archb. Sharp MS. 31.
For oyll of speick gottine be Ralphe [£1/12/0] 1692 Foulis Acc. Bk. 144.
Oyl of speck and camomyle — 1647 Dalyell Darker Superst. 115.
[A child, being stripped, was rubbed with the] oyle of wormes

c. Attrib.(1) 1668 Edinb. Test. LXXIII. 203 b.
Ane tin oyll lamp 1674 Kirkcudbr. B. Rec. MS. 4 Nov.
To pay twentie shilling Scots for ane oyle barrell 1685 Soc. Ant. LVIII. 354.
2 large watter glases, an oyle glase 1692 Sheriffhall Coal Accompt 24 Sept.
For oill to the gine & a oill pige(2) 1627 Orkney Rentals iii. 56.
It will extend tua barrell butter in owl teind thre lespund(3) 1496 Mill Mediæv. Plays 226.
Quhen the craft passit to the Vle well with our Abbot

2. A kind or variety of oil; a certain quantity of oil.plur. ? a 1568 Sempill Sat. P. xlviii. 75.
With vlis to renew it 1582 Perth B. Ct. 27 Apr.
For certene olis … to cure his wife beand diseasit 1595 Conv. Burghs I. 471.
Ilk bark vllis tua barrell 1612 Brechin Test. II. 253.
Certanis vllis & sawis in pigis 1617 Aberd. Sheriff Ct. II. 233.
Conforme to the valour of the oylis 1622 Crim. Trials III. 514.
Witchcraft can nocht be accomplischet … bot be … poysonet oyles, … ruittis, vennemous oyles [etc.] c1650 Spalding II. 292.
Certan balmes, oyllis [etc.] 1682 New Mills Manuf. 16.sing. 1645–6 J. Hope Diary (1958) 158.
The seed whereof they ordinarlie make this oylle … is our ordinarie kaille seed 1684 Lauder Notices Affairs II. 479.
In cutting the stanchels with fyles and with ane oyll Ib. 480.
Thir fyles, with the oyll and aqua fortis, will cut thro a goad of iron