A Dictionary of the Older Scottish Tongue (up to 1700)
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First published 1963 (DOST Vol. III).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
Quotation dates: 1623-1660
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(Kneling,) Kneil(l)ing, Kneeling, vbl. n. Also: knielling. [ME. kneling, etc.] Kneeling (espec. b., at Communion). — 1623 Lanark Presb. 1.
[She] confesses … that by knielling they socht thair healthe for Godes saik 1660 Canisbay Kirk S. in Old Lore Misc. (Viking C.) V. 130.
[She] confessed her … superstition in kneiling on her mother's graveb. a1633 Hope Major Pract. I. 32.
The acts of the Generall Assemblie … 1618, viz.: (1) anent kneilling at the sacrament 1637 Baillie I. 9.
Mr. Rutherfoord … will have our kneilling black idolatrie c1650 Spalding I. 241.
No kneilling wes thair, as wes wont to be a1651 Calderwood VII. 416.
Most of the reformed kirks has kneiling
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"Kneling vbl. n.". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 14 Dec 2025 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/dost/kneling>
