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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.

Quhale, Quhail(l, n. Also: quhaile, quhayle, quhele, quhell; whail(l, whal(e; quale. [Early ME, ME and e.m.E. qual (c1220), quale (c1325), whal (c1330), whale (Chaucer), OE hwæl, in inflected forms hwal-.] A whale. b. Whale-meat = Quhale-fisch n. a.Also pl. without inflection.? In early use, applied to any particularly large sea-creature, espec. the ‘great fish’ which swallowed Jonah. See also Huddo(u)n n.Balling of quhaill, whalebone: cf. Ballane n.(1) 14.. Acts I 384/2.
Giff ony fyndis a quhail besyde the ebbyng of the sey towart the flud merk it salbe the kingis eschet a1500 Henr. Practysis (O.U.P.) 55.
The quhidder of ane quhaill [: daill, haill, caill] c1500 Interl. Droich 70. c1500-c1512 Dunb. xiv 71.
Als fatt as quhailis c1552 Lynd. Mon. 4772.
Thay fangit ane fysche, More nor ane quhaill 1579, 1617 Despauter (1579) 10.
Balena, maxima bellua marina, ane quhaill 1596 Dalr. I 65/13.
Thair [sc. the Shetlanders'] riches consistes … in the oyle of quhailis, and of vthiris fishes ?1549 Monro W. Isles (1961) 87.
Ane great tak of quhaillis 1602 Shetland Sheriff Ct. (ed.) 13. 1581-1623 James VI Poems II 48/28.
Quhayles 1617 Aberd. Chart. 362.(b) c1460 Alex. (Taym.) 5974.
The oliphantis begouth to sweye To qualis and huddownys like war on the sey 1513 Doug. iii vi 137 (Ruddim., Sm.).
Quhale 1531 Bell. Boece I xxxvii.
This firth [Forth] is richt plentuus of … selch, pellok, merswine and quhalis 1548–9 Treas. Acc. IX 291.
Foure puntionis quhairin ane pairt of the quhalys war saltit, come in at Craumond Iland Ib. 296.
In sersing of the vle of the quhalis 15.. Lichtoun Dreme 60 (M).
Besyd me on ane fair medow grein I saw thre quhyt quhalis semlie to be sene c1552 Lynd. Mon. 5468. 1595 Duncan App. Etym.
Cetus, balæna, a whal 1596 Dalr. I 41/30.
Gret monstruous quhales, of quhilkes in our sey is a gret number 1622-6 Bisset II 213/17.
The king sall have the wraik … of the sea threwowt the realme of quhales and greit strowgeonis takin in the sea(c) 1614 Melrose P. 159.
Thay ar fischars of whailes 1630-1651 Gordon Geneal. Hist. 239.
Fourten great whaills 1661 Old Ross-shire I 229.
Innes to rander and restore to … Forbes ane whaill alledgit baleen which come in at or neir Findhorne … denyed … intromett with any creature of the sheap of a whaill(d) 1538 Treas. Acc. VIII 158.
For twa quhelis iij frs.uninfl. pl. 1602 Shetland Sheriff Ct. (ed.) 35.
For the wrangous intromissioun with certane oillie and sum quhaile of the kingis wrek Ib. 63.
Ane quantetie of quhaill cum in at Quhytnes quha maid twa kanns oillie thairof(2) 1490 Irland Mir. II 37/18.
As Ionas … was thre dais in the quhalis wame 1501 Doug. Pal. Hon. 1565. 1551 Hamilton Cat. 127. c1600 Montg. Suppl. xxxi 35.
Ionas, in the quhellis bellie(3) 1562 Treas. Acc. XI 226.
v balling of quhaill 1602 Shetland Sheriff Ct. (ed.) 9.
The stowth of certaine puddeinis, mele, quhaill and uther thingis

c. As the second element of a compound in pellok quhaill (= porpoise, ? dolphin) Pellok n.¹ 2 b.

d. attrib. and comb.Whale-fin, quhaill-horne, whalebone.Also Quhale-bane, Quhale-fisch, Quhale-schot. 1612 Bk. Rates (Halyb.) 332.
Whale fin the fin — 1562 Treas. Acc. XI 204.
xij bowtis of quhaill horne to be girdis to the werdingallis — 1602 Shetland Sheriff Ct. (ed.) 6.
The haill dewiteis of the vicarage of Fetlair … togidder with the haill quhailsilver … with uther restis restand be them — 1591 Edinb. Test. XXIII 266b.
Tuo gallounes of quhaill wlie

e. possess. in Quhalis-bane n.