Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)
Hide Quotations Hide Etymology
About this entry:
First published 1974 (SND Vol. IX).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
STIEL, n. Also steel, steil, steal, still. [stil]
1. The handle of a barrow, plough, etc., a stilt (s.Sc. 1802 J. Sibbald Chron. Sc. Poetry Gl., steil; Mry. 1813 W. Leslie Agric. Mry. 467; Rxb. 1923 Watson W.-B., Rxb. 1971). Also in Eng. dial.e.Lth. 1812 Foord Acct. Bk. MS. 121:
To mending a wheel barrou with 2 Stills.Bwk. 1823 A. Hewit Poems 95:
While I held up my barrow steel, Wi' lades o' stanes.ne.Sc. 1909 G. Greig Folk-Song vii. 1:
Sae weel's they banged the barrow steels.
2. A leather protector for a sore finger, a finger stall (Rxb. 1923 Watson W.-B., Rxb. 1971). It is somewhat uncertain whether this is the same word as 1. Cf. Stuil, n., 7. and Finger, n., 5.
[O.Sc. stele, id., of a barrow, 1515, Mid.Eng. stele, a handle, shaft, O.E. stela, stalk, stem.]You may wish to vary the format shown below depending on the citation style used.
"Stiel n.". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 20 Mar 2025 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/snd/stiel>
