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Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)

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First published 1976 (SND Vol. X).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

Quotation dates: 1828, 1921-1932

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WYLE, n.1 Also wile and dim. or deriv. forms wylie, wylock, †wewleck, -ock; †wavelock. An instrument for twisting ropes from straw, a thrawcruik (Lnk. (wavelock), s.Sc. (wylie, wewleck, -ock) 1825 Jam., Kcb. 1912 Trans. Dmf. & Gall. Antiq. Soc. 291, wylie; Rxb. 1923 Watson W.-B., wylie, -ock; em.Sc.(b), sm., s.Sc. 1961 Gwerin III. 212, wile(s), wylie). Comb. wylie-rope, a straw rope made with a wylie (Dmf. 1953). [′wəil(i), (-ək)]Ayr. 1828 D. Wood Poems 60:
A wyle I hae, but scarce can thraw't.Dmf. 1921 J. L. Waugh Heroes 79:
The kye were milket, butter was kirned, the wylie was turned.Gall. 1932 A. McCormick Galloway 207:
Hanging from the ceiling I still see the “wylie” which twisted hay ropes.

[A reduced form of Wavel, v., in the sense of moving to and fro, from the twisting motion of the instrument, the -eck, -ock ending, though appar. dim., possibly representing Heuk. For the phonology cf. the variant forms of Gavel, n.1, Nael, Raivel.]

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"Wyle n.1". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 5 Dec 2025 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/snd/wyle_n1>

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