Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)
Hide Quotations Hide Etymology
About this entry:
First published 1976 (SND Vol. X).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
Quotation dates: 1903
[0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,1,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0]
DOTMEL, n. A cross-piece of wood at the fore end of the beam in the old Orkney plough.Ork. 1903 G. Marwick Old Roman Plough (1936) 7:
The little piece of wood within the kyollks or jaws is the principal means of this arrangement; the piece of wood is called the "dotmel."
[Form and orig. obscure. Marw. connects with Dottle, n.1, though this seems doubtful. The second element may represent Norw. mel, the bit of a bridle, which the part resembles.]
You may wish to vary the format shown below depending on the citation style used.
"Dotmel n.". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 19 Dec 2025 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/snd/snd00088671>
