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

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First published 1986 (DOST Vol. VI).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

Pule, Puil(l, n. Also: pol(e; pul(l, pulle, pwle, pwll(e; puil(l)e, puyl(l, pwill; poul(l, powll, pouill; pool(l, poole. [ME pol, pool (13th c.), powl (14th c.), e.m.E. pole, pool(e, OE pól also pull, pyll.]

1. A pool. a. A small expanse of standing water, a pond or large puddle. b. A pool in a river. c. Also transf. d. comb.Also Bark puil.Probable or possible early instances are: c1190 Liber Calchou 114.
Blakepol 1217–27 Ib. 45.
De aliqua piscaria que sit … inter pool 1359 Exch. R. I 574.
Pro cariagio meremii … de foresta vsque le Pullea., b. (a) c1420 Wynt. vi 801.
In till a pwle [of the Findhorn] wndyr the bryg Thai kest hym downe 1456 Exch. R. VI 223.
De piscaria de Sloypule 1456 Hay II 139/6.
Wateris of pulis and dubbis ar hate in somer … for caus thai ryn nocht and [etc.] 1474 Acts II 107/2.
[No-one to take fish] out of wtheris pulys or stankis a1500 Bernardus 308. 1495 Acta Conc. I 396/2.
The fisching of the said watter of Vgy Scottis pule and crovis of the sammyn 1513 Doug. xiii Prol. 54.
Lakis, marrasis, or thir pulys [Ruddim. thare poulis] donk c1520-c1535 Nisbet Luke v 1, 2. Id. Apoc. xix 20. 1533 Bell. Livy I 18/2.
Their burreouris … kest baith thir barnis in ane pule within the flude mark Ib. 41/5.
Romulus … come to the pule of Caprea [L. ad Caprae paludem] to make ane orisoun to the faderis 1556 Dundee B. Ct. III fol. 77 (23 Oct.).
That thare hes bene … lyke as instantlie remanis ane standing pule corruptit with filth foranentis and besyde the kirkstyle 1559–60 Prot. Bk. M. Carruthers 60.
And the fischyng of the College of Lincloudane and pule of the samyn 1562 Aberd. Eccl. Rec. 12.
To be tene to the deipest and fullest pule or wattir of toun or parochin thair to be thryse douckit 1565 Inverness B. Rec. I 128. 1567 G. Ball. 185.
The watter of life we gaif thame neuer to drink, Bot stinkand pulis of euerie rottin synk 1568 Skeyne Descr. Pest 6.
Standand vatter, sic as stank, pule or loche moste corrupte and filthie a1628 Carmichael Prov. No. 201.
A still pule wil stink and ye steir it(b) 1458 Liber Aberbr. II 104.
And fra thyne to the pwll of Monboy, that is to say, the yallow pwlle a1508 Kennedy Flyt. 342 (M).
Thow come fule … Thair till ane pull [B. pule] and drank the paddok roid 1531–2 Selkirk B. Ct. (ed.) 121.
That na man fra this yeir furtht schuyll ony muk in the ester pull, bot gef the vatter ane fre passaige 1609 Acts IV 432/1.
The salmond fischeing … within the watter of Annane … with all vtheris garthis, pullis, haldis, laikis and nettis(c) 1513 Doug. vi v 58.
The deip stank of Cochitus … And eik the hellis puyll [Sm., Ruddim. pule], hait Stix [L. Stygiamque paludem] Ib. vii 33.
The woful puyl with watyr onlufly Ib. viii ii 49.
The streme … Ane standand stank semyt for tobe Or than a smoith puyl [Sm. puill, Ruddim. pule], or dub lovn and fair Ib. i Prol. 376, vi v 163. 1559 Inverness Rec. I 36.
The front to the full puill 1577 Reg. Great S. 748/2. 1581 Bann. Memor. 334.
Ane litill myre or a puile of watter 1581 Lanark B. Rec. 82.
Hie saw … William passand up to the rasche puill a1595 Cullen Chron. Aberd. 68.
Thair, reweris rwine of lyffe, Heir, standin pwillis of mwid 1595 Bamff Chart. 143. 1612 Reg. Great S. MS XLVI No. 457.
Incipien. a lie sandie puill kirkbank [etc.](d) 1557–8 Inverness Rec. I 16.
The Foull Doub … the said Foull Poull 1607 Ib. II 50.
Pouill 1643 Tulliallan Coal Wks. 14b.
Powll 1645 Ib. 141b.
To the heall warkmen … for meatt and drink to them for dichting off the poull(e) 1596 Dalr. I 7/28.
Quhen it hes mony sey portes burnes and watiris, poles stankes and standeng lochis of fresche water(f) ?1549 Monro W. Isles (1961) 56.
Ane gude raid for schippis callit Pollmoir in Irish, and in English the meekle pool [v.r. puill] 1633 (1711) Sibbald's Orkn. & Shetl. 55.
Here are two or three sterile loughs, or rather pooles 1640 Kirkcudbr. B. Rec. II 621.
Poollis 1679 Kirkcudbr. B. Rec. MS 19 July.
For going doun to fish in the Gibhill pooll … evrie fisher … sall evrie twa boatis of them keep ther poollis ordinarlie as they are casten to goe from pooll to pooll at evrie tydec. a1561 Norvell Meroure 11b.
And said to sinne, thou viperous beast infect, Bred in the poole most pestilentious 1560 Rolland Seven S. 10726.
O poysonit paddokis puled. 1684 Sibbald Scot. Illustr. iii 19.
The red-shank or pool-snipe a1688 Wallace Orkney 19.
Here is plenty both of wild and tame fowls, pull-fowls, hens, dukes, goose, etc.

e. Rendering L. charybdis, (the name of) a whirlpool. — 1531 Bell. Boece II 108.
He become ane oppressour of the pepil … comparit justly to ane insaciabil pule [L. inexplebilem charybdim]

2. Put for Poll n.¹ — 1375 Barb. xii 404 (E) (see Poll n.¹ 1 (a)).
Pulis 1512 Elphinstone Mun. 18.
The landis at the pull of Erth