Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)
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First published 1952 (SND Vol. III). Includes material from the 2005 supplement.
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
Quotation dates: 1825-1897, 1988-1996
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DWIN(N)LE, v. Also dwinnel, †dwinnil. Sc. forms of Eng. dwindle (see P.L.D. §64).
1. As in Eng.Sc. 1831 Wilson Noctes Amb. (1856) III. 267:
Compared wi' him, the geese . . . 'ill dwinnle doun to dyucks.Bnff. 1866 Gregor D. Bnff. 42:
The aits a' dwinnilt awa afore they ripent.Abd. 1996 Sheena Blackhall Wittgenstein's Web 7:
Frae bein the heid o the Blackbrae gang, the maist popular loon in the classie, he'd dwinnlit awa in sax wikks flat tae a naebody, o as muckle interest tae his feres as a fooshty docken growin in the park.Ags. 1988 Raymond Vettese The Richt Noise 18:
While thoosans dwinnil on the Broo
he maks o Scotland a country o mist,
o touristy ruins and tunes that insist
nocht's wrang in Brigadoon. Kcb. 1897 T. Murray Frae the Heather 64:
Sae I hae little houp thou wilt dwinnel, But onward rail, meddle, and whud.
†2. With out: to defraud, swindle.Rnf. 1825 Jam.2:
Dwinnilt out of a thing, deprived of it, or prevented from obtaining possession, by means of cozenage.
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"Dwinle v.". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 19 Dec 2025 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/snd/dwinnle>
