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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.

Mile, n.¹ Also: mil(l, myl(e, myll(e; myil(e, myill; myell; meil, meill(e; mail, mayll; milne, mylne. [ME. mile, myl(e, OE. míl.] A mile, the measure of distance.Also haffe myle, Half a. 3 b (2), and Quarter-mile n.Also plur. without inflexion.(1) 1375 Barb. vii. 525 (E).
That thai War bot a myle fra him away Ib. xv. 276. a1400 Leg. S. xl. 737.
Nere the quartare of a myl a1500 Seven S. 74.
A grene a myle of at the mast c1550 Lynd. Meldrum 1063.
And how he waistit monie ane myle Betuix Dunbartane and Argyle c1552 Id. Mon. 1737.
Ane thowsande pais tak for ane myle 1568 Buch. Indict. 39.
Befoir he rod a myl out of Stirveling 1596 Dalr. I. 27/8. 1685 Acts VIII. 494/2.
A thousand seven hundreth and sixty yards are to make a myle(b) c1420 Wynt. viii. 4652.
Qwhill that thai ware Passyd thare fays a mylle and mare 1540 Lynd. Sat. 3136.
Is nane within ane myll Can better vse that craft 1616 Conv. Burghs III. 31.
Everie horse … for auchtein pennies ilk mylle(c) c1475 Wall. V. 782.
Within a myill(d) 1650 Laing MSS. I. 251.
Being within a mayll of the hous of Cartache(e) 1572-5 Diurn. Occurr. 349.
The Scottis … gaif bakkis be the space of half ane mylne 1633 Aberd. B. Rec. III. 56.
Ane spring within ane mylne of thair toune 1666 Jurid. Rev. XXIV. 15.
By this time I had ridine with them a milne or more(2) 1375 Barb. xi. 515 (E).
Bot twa myle betuix thaim wer a1400 Leg. S. xvii. 264.
It dowit he Of al the land thre myle about Ib. xxi. 202. c1420 Wynt. v. 1750. Ib. viii. 6261. 1456 Hay I. 52/21.
At twa myle or thre, that is bot a Franche legge c1500-c1512 Dunb. Flyt. 93.
Eolus … and Neptunus … mony hundreth myle hyne cowd ws blaw 1563 Misc. Wodrow Soc. 250.
‘Quhow mony myle to Montrois?’ R. ‘Ane poikful of plombes.’ 1596 Dalr. I. 13/27. c 1641–54 J. Gordon in Macfarlane's Geog. Coll. II. 597.
Four myle large from Ferseden(b) a1595 Descr. Isles 437.
But thrie mile braid(c) a1508 Kennedy Pass. Christ 1504.
To the castell sevin myll fra the ciete 1615 Highland P. III. 180.(d) 1375 Barb. xix. 486 (E).
Twa myile c1475 Wall. viii. 128.
The strenth was … vij myill on breid Ib. 1468.
Fyve myile … south 1584-9 Maxwall Commonpl. Bk. 2 b.
2 myile is ane lige c 1586 Maxwell Mem. II. 159.(e) 1545 Douglas Corr. 158.
The Guverner is in Lawder, vithin 10 meille off Gedbruchg(3) a1400 Leg. S. xl. 1403.
& mylys are … Fra Eglyne … To Quhythirne … Twa hundre myle of met way 1456 Hay I. 45/6.
The lordschip of Rome is of lenth and brede bot xv mylis a1500 Rauf C. 34, 49. 1513 Doug. vii. viii. 91. c1515 Asl. MS. I. 310/22.
The lenth of the erd x^m mylis 1528 Lynd. Dreme 644.
Deuidyng, aye, ane lig in mylis two c1552 Id. Mon. 1739. 1562-3 Winȝet I. 58/35.
Forgeing a mok to me mony mylis fra him 1566 Mary in Inv. Q. Mary xxxii n.
Twenty millis 1570 Leslie 140.
That nane of thame suld come within foure myllis to the King a1578 Pitsc. II. 250/22. Ib. I. 24/3.
Ane bushe of horsmen nocht fra thame twa mylles Ib. 266/21. 1596 Dalr. I. 30/10. ?1549 Monro W. Isles 14.
Sixty myles off 1616–19 M. Works Acc. (ed.) II. 82.
For his horse hyir … being 9^xx mylnes at 18d. the mylle 1639 Annandale Corr. 33.
Thes gentillmen … liue sum aucht or ten millis aboiffe mie 1641 Acts V. 562/2.
Foure myillis from Falkirk 1649 Hist. Fragm. II. 88.
Some 16 meills from this place 16.. Fraser in Macfarlane's Geog. Coll. II. 217.
8 mails in lenth 1668 Laing MSS. I. 268.
Mils 1678 Edinb. B. Rec. X. 344.
For convoyeing his grace some mylles af the citie 1682 E. Loth. Antiq. Soc. II. 26.
For full four meils in lenth 1685 Dunlop P. III. 16.
Bot 6 myelles from this

b. With defining term.Large, gret, long mile, a good mile, fully a mile. Short, small mile, less than a mile. Common mile, an average mile.(1) 1375 Barb. xiv. 395 (E).
The toun off Coigneris That wele ten gret myle wes thaim fra c1475 Wall. v. 286.
A large gret myile wichtly on fute [he] couth gang a1578 Pitsc. I. 142/24.
Donald of the Gillis … sould pase ane learge myle befor the rest of the oist c 1630 Macfarlane's Geog. Coll. II. 150.
But one short myll betwixt them 1644 J. Gordon in Ib. 579.
Cader is … 3 short myl beneth Kirkintillo. Kirkintillo Dumbartan 12 long myl Ib. 580.
A great moor … cums within 2 small myl of Dumbartan Ib. 510.
I do find a common myle of our countrey to hold of ellns sixteen hundreth Ib. 570.
Loch Rennoch 7 common myles long(2) 1624 Huntar Weights & Measures 9.
A Scottish myle containeth furlongs 8, falles 320, [etc.] … elnes 1920, … footes 5920, [etc.] 1632 Lithgow Trav. 362.
Three hundred maritine miles Ib. 415.
The Hungarian miles are the longest vpon earth, for euery one of theirs is sixe of our Scots miles, nine English c 1641–54 J. Gordon in Macfarlane's Geog. Coll. II. 510.
10 Scottish myles answer to 12 English myles … 50 of our myles agreeth … to 60 Italian miles 1687 Paterson Geog. Descr. 3.
The length of Edinburgh … is the old Scotish mile of 1184 paces, at 5 foot to the pace, which is very near the true sea-mile, … after which mile I intend to proceed

c. Expanded as a myle, twa etc. myle or mylis (of) way, land, ground, sea, etc.(1) 1375 Barb. xiv. 497 (E).
Bot halfindall a myle of way Fra the cite a1500 Gol. & Gaw. 572.
Thus thai mellit on mold, ane myle way and maire Ib. 1119. 1576 Reg. Privy C. II. 481.
James Schaw chaissit … him ane myle of gait 1596 Dalr. I. 15/34. 1650 Teinds Commission Valuation of Wamphray (R. C. Reid abstract).
Simeon Johnstoun … lives within half ane myle of gaite to the said lands(2) c1475 Wall. v. 100.
Twa myil thai had to gang Off vpwith erde c1500 Fyve Bestis 210.
Ȝe haue bot nyne myle of the farest way ?1549 Monro W. Isles 16.
Be six myle of sea(3) c 1680 Morisone in Macfarlane's Geog. Coll. II. 213.
Having two myls of ground onlie betwixt both the loch ends 1685 Dunlop P. III. 15.
The Speanisch toun … which is from this pleac 6 myells of sea and 6 of land

d. fig. — ?1438 Alex. ii. 1897.
He wist nocht ane myle of way Quhether that it was nicht or day c1500-c1512 Dunb. G. Targe 221.
New Acquyntance … fauouryt me quhill men mycht go a myle 15.. Christis Kirk 77 (M).
Bot be ane myle it come nocht neir him 1549 Compl. 16/23.
Ane vord … ful of sillabis half ane myle of lyntht a1568 Bann. MS. 157 b/6.
Ane myle his maister fra the way that loun will him leid