Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)
Hide Quotations Hide Etymology
About this entry:
First published 1960 (SND Vol. V).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
Quotation dates: 1808
[0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,1,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0]
KNEWEL, n. Also knool, knule, knull, kneel, kniel (Rnf. 1902 E.D.D.). A cross-bar or peg of wood or metal; specif. the notched wooden pin on the end of a halter for holding by (Per. 1902 E.D.D.); the “button” or tag which is put through the ring on the rope or chain for tethering cattle in a stall (Abd., Fif. 1825 Jam., knull, knule; ‡Abd.27 1938, kneel); the cross-bar of a watch-chain (Ags. 1902 E.D.D.). Also fig. [knu(ə)l, knøl, knil]Mearns, Ags. 1808 Jam.:
To hadd the knewel [Mearns. kniel], to hold the reins, to keep the grip.
You may wish to vary the format shown below depending on the citation style used.
"Knewel n.". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 5 Dec 2025 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/snd/knewel>
