▪ I. leal, a. and adv.
(liːl)
Forms: 3–5 lel, 3–6 lele, 4 liale, 4–5 lell(e, Sc. leile, leyll, 4–5 (7–8 Sc.) leel, 4–6 leale, 4–7 Sc. leill, 4–8 Sc. leil, 5 leell, 6 Sc. laill, 8– leal.
[a. OF. leel, usually in semi-learned form leial, leal (= Pr. leyal, lial, Cat. lleal, Sp. leal, It. leale), mod.F. loyal (see loyal) :—L. lēgāl-is legal.]
A. adj. Now Sc. (and north. dial.) and in literary use derived from Scottish.
1. Loyal, faithful, honest, true. a. Of persons, etc. land of the leal: see land n.1 3 c.
| a 1300 Cursor M. 4891 Yon er theues we lelmen wend. Ibid. 27847 Lele of hert and fre of gyft. c 1350 Will. Palerne 4809 Þe grettest lordes of þat land þat lellest were hold. 1375 Barbour Bruce iv. 576 He that worthy wes and leill. a 1400–50 Alexander 2877 Lede lelist to his lord leuand of lyue. c 1460 Launfal 326, I yeve the Blaunchard my stede lel. 1513 Douglas æneis i. Prol. 482 Thocht I be lawit, my leil hart can nocht fenȝe. c 1560 A. Scott Poems (S.T.S.) x. 28 Scho wat w{supt}outtin faill I am hir luvar laill. 1609 Skene Reg. Maj. 82 The eath of ellevin leill and vnsuspected men. 1721 Ramsay Prospect of Plenty vi, Friendship makes us leal To truth and right. a 1776 Cruel Mother iii. in Child Ballads (1882) I. 220/2 She's counted the leelest maid o them a'. 1826 Scott Jrnl. 14 Nov., Honest Allan Cunningham..a leal and true Scotsman. a 1839 Praed Poems (1864) I. 391 Leal subject, honest patriot, cordial friend. 1876 Blackie Songs Relig. & Life 119 Thou, Scotland's son, that wouldst be leal and true. |
b. Of things, qualities, etc.
(In ME. poetry sometimes a more or less conventional laudatory epithet = ‘noble’, ‘fair’.)
| a 1300 Cursor M. 8294 For wit þat flur sa fress and neu, þair stode a selcut lele [Fairf. etc. lou(e)ly] heu. 13.. Minor Poems fr. Vernon MS. (E.E.T.S.) 498/204 Þen maiȝt þou synge of loue lele. c 1350 Parlt. thre Ages (text A) 115 Longe legges and large and lele for to schewe. c 1375 Sc. Leg. Saints xxx. (Theodera) 154 Consele kane I kene þe gad & leile. 1393 Langl. P. Pl. C. i. 146 With leel labour to lyue whyl lif and londe lasteth. c 1400 Destr. Troy 8800 [It] sanke..to the leell theghes, Passond by poris into þe pure legges. c 1475 Rauf Coilȝear 604 To se gif the Coilȝearis lawtie was leill. 1500–20 Dunbar Poems lxvi. 13 The leill laubour lost, and leill seruice. a 1605 Montgomerie Sonn. lxx. 2 Blind brutal Boy, that with thy bou abuses Leill leisome love by lechery and lust. 1721 Ramsay Katy's Answer iv, There's my leal hand Win them, I'll be at your devotion. 1884 Pall Mall G. 25 Apr. 5/1 No man ever did more leal service than did Mackenzie during the bad days of the miserable Cabul business. |
2. True, genuine; real, actual; exact, accurate; very (truth). Of a blow or shot: Well-aimed, hitting the mark. ? Obs.
| a 1300 Cursor M. 6478 Ne ber þou witnes nan bot lele. Ibid. 7798, I come to tell þe tiþand lel. 13.. Gaw. & Gr. Knt. 35 Þis laye..is stad and stoken, In stori stif & stronge With lel letteres loken. 13.. E.E. Allit. P. B. 425 Of þe lenþe of Noe lyf to lay a lel date, Þe sex hundreth of his age & none odde ȝerez. c 1330 R. Brunne Chron. (1810) 69 Þerof he mad me skrite, his hote to mak leale. 1393 Langl. P. Pl. C. xi. 210 Men that buth bygetyn Out of matrimonie mowe nat haue the grace That leelle legitime by lawe may cleyme. c 1400 Melayne 8 The ryghte lele trouthe. 1560 Rolland Crt. Venus Prol. 35 The Planeitis..The quhilks are in leill number thir seuin. 1597 Skene De Verb. Sign. s.v. Bona patria, We sall leill suith say, and na suith conceale. 1752 J. Louthian Form of Process (ed. 2) 83 The said Witnesses to bear leal and soothfast Witnessing. 1789 D. Davidson Seasons 167 With that stepp'd forward Tullochfern, An'..A leal shot ettled at the cock. |
† 3. Lawful; also, just, fair. Obs.
| c 1350 Will. Palerne 1312 Whanne..alle lele lawes [were] in þat lond sette. 1352 Minot Poems iii. 9 His mone that was gude and lele, Left in Braband full mekill dele. c 1375 Sc. Leg. Saints xl. (Ninian) 1050 Condemnyt be leile syse. c 1400 Mandeville (Roxb.) viii. 28 Wheder þai be geten in leel spousage or noght. c 1425 Wyntoun Cron. vii. x. 3186 Oure Kyng Alysawndyr tuk Margret, The dowchtyr of this Kyng Henry, Into lele matrimony. c 1460 Towneley Myst. xxiv. 296 To draw cutt is the lelyst, and long cut, lo, this wede shall wyn. 1513 Douglas æneis iii. viii. 81 Obseruyng weill..the seremonyis lele. 1727 Walker Life Peden 134 (Jam.), I have had my leal share of wrongs this way. |
4. Comb., as leal-hearted adj.
| 1721 Ramsay Prospect of Plenty xi, The North Sea skippers are leal-hearted men. 1859 Masson Brit. Novelists 107 The leal-hearted Scot's last visit to his native land. |
B. adv. Now only Sc.
1. Loyally, faithfully.
| a 1300 Cursor M. 6857, I..sal hald yow lel mi hight. a 1450 Le Morte Arth. 1066, I trewly many a day Haue lovid lelyest in londe. c 1450 Holland Howlat 750 Luke to the leid that the so leile lufis. a 1605 Montgomerie Sonn. xlv. 3 Look ony one before me loved so leill. 17.. in Herd Sc. Songs (1776) I. 160 Had me fast, let me not gang, If you do love me leel. |
2. Honestly, lawfully. Comb. leal-come adj., honestly come by.
| a 1300 Cursor M. 4913 Of our lele bi-geten thing. 1500–20 Dunbar Poems lxvi. 46 Bot beneficis ar nocht leill devydit. 1637 Rutherford Lett. (1862) I. 443 Let us claim our leel⁓come and lawfully conquessed joy. 1693 Sc. Presbyt. Eloquence (1738) 98 Every Man hath Conversion and the New Birth, but it's not leel come by. |
3. Truly, exactly, accurately; perfectly, thoroughly.
| c 1400 Destr. Troy 3029 Nouþer lynes ne lerkes but full lell streght. a 1400–50 Alexander 5020 Sire, þou ert lele of ilk lede þe lorde and þe fadire. c 1460 Towneley Myst. iii. 446 This forty dayes has rayn beyn, It will therfor abate Fulle lele. 1513 Douglas æneis (ad fin.), Redis leill, and tak gud tent in tyme. 1637–50 Row Hist. Kirk (Wodrow Soc.) 285 Therby giving Mr. Andro Melvill a faire opportunitie to light leill upon Bishop Bancroft. 1720 Ramsay Wealth 51 The dawted petts of fate..By pure instinct sae leal the mark have hit. 1790 D. Morison Poems 15 [She] swore she'd be..Kiss'd leal frae lug to lug Fu' sweet that day. |
▪ II. † leal, v. Obs. rare—1.
In 4 lelen.
[f. leal a.]
trans. To legalize, authorize.
| c 1350 Will. Palerne 5284 Whan..þe menskfull messangeres here message wisten & hade letteres of here lord to lelen here sawes. |
▪ III. leal
dial. form of little.