A Dictionary of the Older Scottish Tongue (up to 1700)
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First published 1986 (DOST Vol. VI).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
Quotation dates: 1583-1661
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Portag(e daill, n. Also: -aig(e; and deall, dell, dill. Also later variants: portith deil, porteous deall, portisch daill, porteas deal, porteis dail. [Dale n.3 a deal or plank. The first element is appar. orig. Portag(e n. 3 c: cf. also Portage burde and Portagy stalff.] A (large or strong) deal or plank.(a) 1583 Edinb. D. Guild Acc. 183.
[12] braid lang portaige daillis … iiij li. 1589 Dundee Shipping L. 228.
Four dussone of portag dellis 1595 Edinb. D. Guild Acc. 583.
xij portage daillis to be the heidis of the bonkaris 1607–8 Misc. Spald. C. V 137.
To the milleris of the justice mylnes, for tuelff great portage deallis, at ten s. the peice 1617 Master of Works Accounts (ed.) II 29.
For four hundrith portage dailles at lxx lib. 1624 Brechin Testaments IV 163. 1628 Ib. 309 b.
Fyue portage daillis pryce iij lib. 1646 Aberd. Council Lett. III 41. 1652–3 Aberd. Shore Wk. Acc. 359.
Portaig dills(b) 1645 Tulliallan Coal Wks. 146 b.
The nea mill … For 9 portith dells to be shrouding 1646 Ib. 13*.
Of porteous deallis … 17 1653 Scottish Notes and Queries I 174.
Ane portisch daill for ane dor heid 1661 Stirling Common Good 5 b.
For ij broad porteas dealis to the trowes at 12 s. the peice 1661 Ib. 8.
8 porteis dailis at 20 s. peice & 23 waild dailis at 24 s. the peice
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"Portag Dell n.". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 10 Jul 2025 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/dost/portage_daill>
