A Dictionary of the Older Scottish Tongue (up to 1700)
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First published 2001 (DOST Vol. X).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
Quotation dates: 1588-1699
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Tinsal(l, Tinsell, n. [e.m.E. tynselle adj. (1502) made to sparkle, tynsell n. (1526), tynsel (a1548), tinsell (1583) a kind of cloth, (1593) threads, spangles, etc. of gold, etc., OF estincelle a sparkle, estinceler to sparkle.] Gold or silver thread or ornamentation. Also attrib. b. Tinsall veschell, ? gold or silver vessels. — c1590 Fowler II 188/19.
All these six garments were enriched with togue and tinsal of pure gold and siluer —attrib. 16… Bk. Dunvegan 194.
Ribbon, tinsell a piece [14 s. Scots] —b. 1588 Exchequer Rolls XXI 369.
Alexander Allane, porter in the court keiching, Alexander Moreis, aid of the tinsall veschell
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"Tinsal n.". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 14 Dec 2025 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/dost/tinsall>
