A Dictionary of the Older Scottish Tongue (up to 1700)
Hide Quotations Hide Etymology
About this entry:
First published 1983 (DOST Vol. V).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
Quotation dates: 1438, 1490-1629
[0,0,0,0,0,0,1,0,0,0,0,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,0,0,0,0,0,0]
Peregal(l, -ale, a. and n. Also: perr- and -igall, -ygall. [ME. and e.m.E. perigale (Cursor M.), -egall (15th c.), adj. (a 1300) and noun (c 1395), also perengale etc., OF. peregal, -ingal (12th c. in Godef.). Cf. Paregall a., Perequall n.]
1. adj. Fully equal (to, also unto, another thing or, chiefly, person) (in a particular respect, as rank, etc.). b. Worthy to do something.a. ?1438 Alex. ii. 9764.
Of dusches and dyntes thare was sic dale Thocht thay war nocht all peregale 1513 Doug. vi. xiv. 50.
Ȝon twa sawlys … Schynand with elike armys peregale [Sm. paregale] 1531 Bell. Boece II. 64.
Ane man nocht perregall to thaim [sc. the nobles] in linnage nor pissance 1531 Ib. 369.
With sic prudence … that nane was found perregal to him [sc. Wallace] 1567 Satirical Poems iii. 57.
In pulchritude to Paris perigall a1585 Maitland Quarto MS xlviii. 5.
Gif onye of ȝour … nymphes may be peregall Vnto my ladye scheinb. a1568 Scott vii. 21.
Wald God that I wer perigall Vnder that redolent ros to rest
2. noun. A person who is an equal to, also unto, another (in, also intill, a particular respect), one's peer; also, one's match.Chiefly in negative contexts.But (peir or) peregall, peerless, matchless.(1) 1490 Irland Mir. fol. 332.
It is nocht conuenient that in a realme be a perygall or compeir to a king 1546 Lynd. Trag. Card. 45.
Duryng my tyme I [sc. Cardinal Beaton] had no perigall 1560 Rolland Seven Sages 331.
In cunning he salbe … That he sall haue na peregall nor peir a1561 Norvell Meroure 54 b.
And how I wold suffer no man … To be my compagnion nor perregall 1567 Satirical Poems iii. 94.
And to him Dauy was na perigall c1590 J. Stewart 115 § 1. 1629 Boyd Last B. 62.
Though Jacob … seeme not to bee a peregall vnto the rugh man(2) 1513 Doug. ix. x. 152.
Apollo … na disdene at thé sal haue suthly Tobe hys peregall intill archery 1537 Lynd. Depl. Magd. 42.
To quhome in lufe I find no perigall(3) a1585 Arbuthnot Maitland Quarto MS xxxv. 92.
The pawne but peregall a1585 Maitland Quarto MS xxxix. 6.
Quha … in all bewtie is but peregall a1605 Montg. Misc. P. l. 15 (see Pere n.1 2 a (3).).
You may wish to vary the format shown below depending on the citation style used.
"Peregal adj., n.". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 15 Dec 2025 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/dost/peregall>
