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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.

Tild, Tile, Tyl(l, n.¹ Also: till(e, tyld(e, tyild, tyle, tyile, tyill, tyoul. [ME and e.m.E. tile (Cursor M.), tyl (Chaucer), tyle (Trevisa), tille (c1440), OE tiᵹule, tiᵹele.]

1. a. Burnt clay or brick, as a material used in building, making tiles, pottery, etc. b. Tiles or bricks collectively.Also with expressions of quantity.See also Pan-tyll n.a., b. (1) c1420 Wynt. i 235.
He gert twa pillars … be made: Off tylde [W. tyld, E. tild] or plastyr wes the tane 1492 Myll Spect. 288/24.
Semereamus … was fullfillit sa of pryd that scho wallit with tild all abowt the tovne of Babillioun 1533 Boece 99.
Cesare … left ane stane hous … The paithment with tylde has bene laid like as the small pecis collectit ȝit verifijs 1531 Bell. Boece (M) I 268.
Sendand thame in Britane and vther realmes to wyn mettallis, quarellis, and to mak tylde [L. lateribus] 1533 Bell. Livy II 234/8.
The thak stane wes gevin to ilk man … and … fre licence … to tak wod, tyld and stane quhair he plesit for the biggin 1536 M. Works Acc. (ed.) I 136.
For … deid sand for laying of pauthment stane and tyld 1537–8 M. Works Acc. (ed.) I 225.
For x laid clay and tyld fra the castell and Potteraw to the werk c1552 Lynd. Mon. 1702.
Sum holkit claye, sum brynt the tylde c1552 Lynd. Mon. 1711.
With strong ingenious masonrye Upwarte thare wark did fortifye With brynt tylde stonis large … That towre thay rasit … iunit … With syment maid of pyk and tar Thay vsit none vther mortar 1553 Treas. Acc. X 208.
Franchemen makaris of tyld … cumand hame to mak tyld to my lorde governoures palice of Hammiltoun 1558–9 Treas. Acc. X 442.
For xij laidis of Tranent gray clay to lay the said tyld 1624 Edinb. B. Rec. VI 425.
Sick [houses] as salbe coverit with sklaitt, skailyie, leade, tyild or that stane 1641 Edinb. Test. LIX 270.
In the work hous … muildis of tyld and tymber 1662 Thanes of Cawdor 316.
If your honor be at leasour … to gae out to Dudistoun ye might have as much tyoul as wold serve all the hows … and a barck wold seik no money for hir fraught till she com heir(b) a1500 Coll. St. Salvator 162.
A litill basyn of payntit tile for the hee alter 1508 Treas. Acc. IV 116.
To the man of Bothuile that makis the tyle that suld cum to Strivelin to wirk 1611 Reg. Privy C. IX 592.
For making of good and sufficient tyile for building or sklaitting 1617 Lett. & St. P. Jas. VI 299.
Tyill 1632 Lithgow Trav. iv 139.
The covertures being erected … after the Italian fashion with gutterd tyle 1639 Edinb. Test. LIX 83.
Twa Flanderis babies of tyle estimat to ij s. 1674 Reg. Privy C. 3 Ser. IV 183.
The saids forstaires shall be built and repaired … with plaister and tyle 1681 Glasgow Chart. II 214.
Ordains them to be theicked with lead, sclait, scailȝie or tyle 1696 Cramond Kirk S. IV 31 Aug.
His tennents to bring 6 bagges of lymne for repareing of the kirk, and … the kirk thesaurer to provide tyle(c) 1670 Edinb. B. Rec. X 79.
To … make use of the Citydale stones and tyll for building(2) 1507 Rentale Dunkeld. (SHS) 204.
[52] tild [for the top of the said lodging at 2 d. each] 1515 Treas. Acc. V 18.
For vj^m tyld 1535–6 M. Works Acc. (ed.) I 184.
To the slederis for v dowble drauchtis in v kistis with tyld … Item to the saidis sledderis for viii^m plane tyld cariage fra Leith … Item for pynouris feis for bering of the foresaid plane tyld and kistis 1558 Treas. Acc. X 440.
Expensis … in the gunhous … to ane compt of making of iiij^m tyld to be ane pend and ane sole to ane furnes, viij li. 1582 Treas. Acc. MS 110b.
To the said chalmer chymnay thre hundreth … chalmer tyild and to the fluir … four hundreth … tyild price of the hundreth liij s. iiij d. 1629 M. Works Acc. (ed.) II 255.
For half ane hundreth tyld to the over oven soill

c. pl. Tiles or bricks. 1499 Halyb. 251.
A M tyls for his chamer flowr 1533 Boece 223b.
To mak materialis for sa mony tyildis as was commandit 1592 Edinb. B. Rec. V 75.
Ane iron schimnay of 15 stane wecht with tyls 1656 Cramond Kirk S. I 14 Sept.
That the kirk be thackit with tylles 1662 Reg. Privy C. 3 Ser. I 239.
[They] … flang … tyles and slaitts thereof upon the said compleanar

2. A type of clay soil. (Cf. SND, s.v. Till n. 1.) 1696 Donaldson Husbandry 129-30.
When the roots of trees are fixed in cold tile or clay … so that it [sc. the root] cannot thrive

3. attrib. a. With burn. b. With chalmer, hous, oven.a. 1538 Rec. Univ. Aberd. 111.
Mercheand to … the tyild burn at the eist part 1591–2 Cart. S. Nich. Aberd. II 392.
For sax leid clay fra the tyld burneb. 1595–6 Sc. Hist. Rev. X 303.
In the inner heiche tyll chalmer … ane standand bed. Item in the inner tyll chalmer ane standand bed … Item tua glas in the windoks. … The utter heiche yllit chalmer … Item the utter laiche tyll chalmer … the inner layche tyll chalmer 1601 Reg. Privy C. VI 281.
A tyld oven 1699 Edinb. Gazette 19-23 Oct.
The red-tyle-house and yeard

4. Applied to copper. Also attrib. 1597 Bk. Rates 3b.
Inuarde Custumes … Copper callit tyld the stane … xxx s.attrib. 1599 Exch. R. XXIII 320.
[£12, of 140 stones] tyll coppir

5. Shale. Also attrib. (Cf. SND, s.v. Till n. 2.) 1672 Sinclair Hydrostaticks 260.
We find in sinking that, after the clay is past, which keeps no course, all metals, as stone, and tilles which are seems of black stone, and participat much of the nature of coal [etc.] 1672 Sinclair Hydrostaticks 295.
When the metal under the coal is a black till 1701 Aberd. Journal N. & Q. VI 184.
For a boll of colls to him quhich I quarted wt. about 100 tylesattrib. 1684 Fawside Coal Compt 135.
For reding the till stair 13 s. 4 d.