Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)
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First published 1968 (SND Vol. VII).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
Quotation dates: 1897
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PARTLE, v., n.1
I. v., intr. To waste time, work in a half-hearted way, trifle (Rnf. 1788 E. Picken Poems Gl.); also tr., to partle one's time (‡Ayr. 1965).Sc. 1897 C. Grey Misanthrope's Heir xxvii., xxv.:
A currant tart that's just gaun into the oven, if that hizzy wadna partle a' day oot there wi' a pickle berries . . . Gang and do my errand, and no stand partlin' there.
II. n. A small worthless thing, a trifle, detail (w.Sc. 1880 Jam.; Ayr. 1965).
[Prob. a variant with epenthetic r with emphatic force (cf. Hirple), of n.Eng. pawtle, po(w)tle, a freq. form of Pawt. II. may be a different word, phs. to be associated with part(icle).]You may wish to vary the format shown below depending on the citation style used.
"Partle v., n.1". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 4 Apr 2026 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/snd/partle_v_n1>
