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Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)

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First published 1971 (SND Vol. VIII).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

SPELD, n. A measure of land; a small piece of land, originally one of a series into which a field was divided by ploughing in a special manner. Deriv. spieldo, an angular piece of land, a triangular corner of a field, any odd strip of land (Ork. 1929 Marw.)Ork. 1707 Marw. (1929):
3 rigs laboured by Newark and a little speld by Rob. Sinclair.
Sh. 1758 Session Papers, Graham v. Tyrie (18 Jan.) 10:
Two Spelds or little Rigs, which he delves with a spade.

[O.Sc. speld, id., 1643 (Ork.), appar. ad. Norw. dial. spjell, a strip of ground, poss. from spjeld, a flat piece of wood or the like to cover up an opening, O.N. spjald, speld, a tablet, spilda, a flake, slice (see Speld, v.). But cf. also Norw. dial. spol, pl. spelir, a strip of cloth, of land, narrow ridge of a field.]

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"Speld n.". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 29 Mar 2024 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/snd/speld_n>

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