Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)
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First published 1934 (SND Vol. I). Includes material from the 2005 supplement.
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
Quotation dates: 1715, 1894-1901, 1999
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BEFYLE, v. To soil, to defile. [bɪ′fəil]Sc. c.1715 Huntly's Raide in Jacobite Minstrelsy (1829) 85:
For the marquis he befyl'd himsel, The Enzie was na clean, man.em.Sc. 1999 James Robertson The Day O Judgement 21:
"An ye tail-toddlers and dyke-lowpers,
Aw that befylt the mairrage vow,
An turnt yer nebs frae ma haliness
Tae fornicate an mow; ... " Fif. 1894 W. D. Latto Tammas Bodkin, Swatches o' Hodden-Grey xii.:
Though sair befyled he was naething hurt.Rnf. 1901 The Brisk Young Lad in R. Ford Vagabond Songs and Ballads of Scotland vii.:
Ye've fa'en i' the dirt and ye're a' befyled.
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"Befyle v.". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 20 Dec 2025 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/snd/befyle>
