A Dictionary of the Older Scottish Tongue (up to 1700)
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First published 1951 (DOST Vol. II).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
Quotation dates: 1549-1614
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(Fore-,) Foirsail(l, n. [e.m.E. foresaile, late ME. foreseile (1481–90).] A fore-sail. — 1549 Complaynte of Scotland 40/32.
Hail eftir the foir sail scheit a1570-86 Maitland Folio MS cxlvi. 20.
Of hie landis thair may cum flaggis, … And ryve ȝour foirsaill all in raggis 1614 Proceedings of Society of Antiquaries X. 224.
Canues to be … cors and bonnet of a foir saill
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"Foirsail n.". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 5 Dec 2025 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/dost/foirsaill>
