A Dictionary of the Older Scottish Tongue (up to 1700)
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First published 2000 (DOST Vol. VIII).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
Quotation dates: 1475-1623
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S(c)hil(l, adj.2 and adv. Also: schyll, chill, shyle, scill. [ME and e.m.E. sille adj. (c1220), schille (a1250), appar. repr. OE *scielle, scyl (once, late WSaxon). Cf. MHG schel, schelle sonorous, quick in movement, luminous, e.m.Du. schelle shrill, ON skjallr sonorous, resounding.]
1. adj. a. High-pitched; penetrating; shrill. b. Resounding; sonorous. Also transf.(1) 1501 Doug. Pal. Hon. 24.
The birdis … Quhais schill noitis fordinned all the skyis c1500-c1512 Dunb. Tua Mar. W. 516.
And berdis schoutit in schaw with ther schill [Ch. & M. still, Ch. & M. (STS) scill] notis(2) 1513 Doug. v iii 90.
Quhill the mekyll hyllys Bemys agane, hyt with the brute so schil is 1513 Ib. xii Prol. 194.
Sum sang … With vocis schill 1531 Bell. Boece I 152.
Galdus … exhortit thaim with schill voce 1531 Ib. 153.
Galdus … commandit all his army to schout with schil nois and sang 1531 Ib. II 86.
Ane of the Pichtis … cryit with schill voce, ‘Fle, fle!’ 1533 Id. Livy I 64/28.
Syne with schil voce (that his inemyis mycht here) he commandit his pepill to [etc.] c1475 Acts of Schir William Wallace (1570) iv 604.
Sad men of armis that egir war of will About the Scottis with mony schout full schill a1585 Maitland Quarto MS 275/2.
Than they began with schiller toons of joy A uterpe sang a1605 Montg. Ch. & Slae 46 (W).
So schill in sorrowe was hir sang, That … the roches rang c1590 J. Stewart 223 §93.
Vith schillest voce, loud clinkand as ane bell 1587-99 Hume 54/55.
Persing phiphers shill 1581-1623 James VI Poems I 251/455.
Praise him … Uith uioles guthornes cistres & shillest uoyces syne 1590 Burel Pilgr. i 443.
And Evrvs with loud schouts and schill, His braith begud to fynd(3) 1535 Stewart 5726.
The schalmis schill gart all the schawis s[ch]aik 1535 Ib. 12398. 15.. Clariodus ii 880.
He had with him baith trumpit and clarioun chill 1599 Burnett of Leys 331.
Ane trumpet shyle throuch all the warlde wide 1581-1623 James VI Poems II 50/9.
Praise Him … Uith uatry quhissiles schill(4) 1566-70 Buch. Comm. on Virgil Æn. i 53.
[Tempestatesque] sonoras, schill(5) transf. 1533 Boece Proh. 29.
Schyll Triton with his windy horne Ovir whelmit all the flowand oceane 1606 Craig ii 152.
I shall sing in sonets shill
2. adv. Shrilly, resonantly, sonorously.The Henr. Fab. quot. may properly belong to 1 above. a1500 Henr. Fab. 847.
He … Schot out his voce full schyll, and gaif ane schout a1500 Id. Test. Cress. 20.
The blastis … come quhisling loud and schill 1513 Doug. vii Prol. 85.
Wyde quhar with fors so Eolus schowtis schill [Sm. schyll] 1513 Ib. viii 88.
In a bowand horn … A feyndlich hellis voce scho liltis schill 1535 Stewart 10349.
The buglis blew, the schalmes schoutit schill a1550 Tayis Bank 32.
The … maveis … Schill schowttit throw the schawis 15.. Christis Kirk 39 (B).
Thome Lular … playit so schill and sang so sweit 1570 Satirical Poems xiv 2.
Ane ȝoung king I hard schoutand schill c1590 J. Stewart 154/1.
O elresche Echo, that dois schout so schill 1581-1623 James VI Poems II 34/9.
Lett us of thy health sing loude & schill
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"Shil adj.2". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 17 Dec 2025 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/dost/schill_adj_2>
