▪ I. sile, n.1 north. and Sc.
(saɪl)
Also 4–5, 9 syle, 6 syelle, 8–9 dial. soil.
[Of doubtful origin; perh. repr. OE. s{yacu}l pillar, column.]
A large roofing-timber or rafter, usually one of a pair. Also sile-tree.
| 1338–40 Durham Acc. Rolls (Surtees) 377, vij copule de syles longitudinis xvj pedum, et iiijor copule de syles longitudinis xxviijto pedum. 1371 Durham Halm. Rolls (Surtees) 111 Reparabit unam grangiam de uno pare de siles et duobus gauil forks. 1582 Wills & Inv. N.C. (Surtees, 1860) 46 In the hay barne. Certaine sawen baulkes, viz., ix dormonds, and j sile. 1762 Phil. Trans. LII. 513 A round hole..was pierced through the carved oak,..and a piece of the main soil..struck off. 1770 Ibid. LXI. 75 Upon this pillar rested a large oak soil. 1811 Aiton Agric. Surv. Ayrsh. 114 The roof was formed of strong cupples termed Syles, set up 8 or 10 feet distant from each other. 1825 Brockett N.C. Gloss., Syles, the principal rafters of a house. 1842 Gwilt Archit. Gloss. 1033 Soils, a provincial term, chiefly..used in the north, signifying the principal rafters of a roof. 1878 Dickinson Gloss. Cumbld., Sile trees, the timber roof⁓blades of a thatched clay house. |
▪ II. sile, n.2 north. (and Sc.).
(saɪl)
Also 5–7, 9 syle, 6 syell.
[a. ON. *s{iacu}l (Norw. and Sw. sil): cf. sile v.2]
A strainer or sieve, esp. one for milk.
| 1459–60 Durham Acc. Rolls (Surtees) 89, j pelvis cum foraminibus vocata j Syle. 1483 Cath. Angl. 339/2 A mylke Syle, colatorium. 1563 Wills & Inv. N.C. (Surtees, 1835) 207, ij great bowells, iij wodd skailles, one syle. Ibid. 208 One syell, j vergeus barrell, vj mylk bowlls. 1570 Levins Manip. 130 A Sile, colum. 1615 Markham Eng. Housew. ii. vi. (1668) 144 The bottom of this Syle through which the milk must pass, must be covered with a very clean-washt fine linnen-cloth. 1684 Yorkshire Dial. 35 Now let us hame and late for Bowls and Sile. 1788 W. H. Marshall Yorksh. II. 352 Sile, a milk-strainer. 1825– in dial. gloss. (Yks., Northumbld., Lancs., Nott., Linc., etc.). |
▪ III. sile, n.3 north. and Sc.
(saɪl)
Also 9 syle (dial. soil); sill.
[Of Scand. origin: cf. ON. and Icel. s{iacu}ld, MSw. sildh, silþ (Sw. sill), Norw. and Da. sild herring; also Icel. s{iacu}li (older s{iacu}l) a herring.]
Young herring.
| α 1769 Pennant Brit. Zool. III. 288 The young herrings..are then from half an inch to two inches long: those in Yorkshire are called Herring Sile. 1847 Halliw., Soil, the fry of the coal-fish. Cumb. 1863 J. Ingelow Poems 186 Our folk call them syle and nought but syle, And when they're grown, why then we call them herring. 1881 Day Fishes Gt. Brit. I. 295 The fry are called..soil, poodler, billets or billiards up to one year of age. 1883 Day Fishes Gt. Brit. & Irel. II. 210 Small ones [herring] not larger than a sprat are termed sills, or sile. |
| β 1847 Halliw., Sill, the young of a herring. North. 1863 Rep. Commiss. Herring-trawling Scotl. §51. 26 The herring is found under four different conditions: 1st, Fry or Sill. 1883 [see α]. |
▪ IV. sile
dial. variant of soil n.
▪ V. sile, v.1 Obs. exc. north. dial.
Also 4–5, 9 syle.
[Prob. of Scand. origin: cf. Norw. and Sw. dial. sila to flow gently, to pour with rain; but these senses have something in common with sile v.2, and are usually associated with that word.]
1. intr. To go, pass, move; to glide. Usu. with preps. or advs.
| 13.. E.E. Allit. P. B. 131 He..Solased hem with semblaunt & syled fyrre; Tron fro table to table & talkede ay myrþe. c 1400 Rowland & O. 401 Til a chambire gan þay syle, And gayly gan hym dighte. c 1400 Destr. Troy 1973 Sile furth of my sight in a sad haste. c 1420 Lydg. Lyfe Our Ladye (Caxton) d ij, And fysshe eke with fynnes silid fayre. |
| 1821 Clare Vill. Minstr. I. 14 As sober evening sweetly siles along. 1876 F. K. Robinson Whitby Gloss., Sile past, to glide by. |
2. To fall or sink (down). Also dial., to subside.
| a 1400–50 Alexander 3043 (Ashm.), Siles doun on aithire side selcuth kniȝtis, Sum darid, sum dede, sum depe wondid. c 1420 Avow. Arth. xvi, With sit siles he a-downe, To brittun him the king was bowne. c 1470 Gol. & Gaw. 524 He hard ane bugill blast..As the seymly sone silit to the rest. |
| 1674 Ray N.C. Words 41 To Sile down: Lincoln, to fall to the bottom, or subside. 1827 Clare Sheph. Cal. 180 The white sand..Now swimming up in silver threads, and then Slow siling down to bubble up again. |
b. dial. To fall down in a swoon; to faint away.
| 1790 Grose Prov. Gloss., To sile away, to faint away. 1820 Clare Rural Life (ed. 3) 152 ‘Your Nelly's beguiled!’ She said, and she siled on the floor. 1854 A. E. Baker Northampt. Gloss., Sile, to faint, to sink, or subside gradually. |
3. † a. Of tears, etc.: To flow. Obs.
| c 1400 Destr. Troy 9210 Terys on his chekes Ronen full rifely..Þen he driet vp the dropes, & [? read þat] dreghly can syle. 1790 Grose Prov. Gloss., To sile o'er, to boil over. a 1800 Lord Derwentwater iii. in Bell Rhymes N. Bards (1812) 225 When he read the three next lines The tears began to sile. 1807 [see siling ppl. a. below]. 1829 Brockett N.C. Gloss. (ed. 2), Sile, to percolate, to flow. 1878 Dickinson Cumbld. Gloss. s.v. Syle, ‘It syl't and bled,’ after the manner of a syle. |
b. dial. Of rain: To pour (down).
| 1703 Thoresby Let. Ray (E.D.S.), It Siles, i.e. rains fast. 1828 Carr Craven Gloss., Sile,..to pour down with rain. 1865 Cornh. Mag. July 33 Rain in the Northern counties, when it falls perpendicularly, is said to ‘sile down’, as if in allusion to its passing through a sieve. 1870 E. Peacock Ralf Skirl. III. 171 ‘It'll sile down till night,’..replied the groom. |
Hence † ˈsiling vbl. n. and ppl. a. Obs.
| c 1400 Destr. Troy 1307 Þe kyng..siket full sore with sylyng of teris. ? a 1400 Morte Arth. 3794 Thane syghande he saide, with sylande terys. 1807 Stagg Poems 65 Rashly they scale the scattran swathe,..An' seylin sweats their haffets bathe. |
▪ VI. sile, v.2 Now dial.
Also 5–7, 9 syle, 8–9 Sc. seil, 8 soil.
[Of Scand. origin: cf MSw. siila, sila, Sw. and Norw. sila in the same sense, perh. related to Fris. silje to sift.]
1. trans. To strain; esp. to pass (milk) through a sieve or strainer.
| 14.. MS. Lincoln A. i. 17 fol. 281 in Halliw. s.v., Temper it with hate ale, and sythene syle it thorowe a hate clathe. c 1450 Bk. Curtasye in Babees Bk. 322 Þo euwere thurgh towelle syles clene His water into þo bassynges shene. 1570 Levins Manip. 131 To syle milke, colare lac. 1615 Markham Eng. Housew. (1660) 150 You shall take your milk..as it comes from the Cow, and syle it into a clean Tub. 1674 Ray N.C. Words 44 To Soil milk, to cleanse it. 1721 Kelly Sc. Prov. 274 Our Sowins are ill sowr'd, ill seil'd, ill-salted,..and few o' them. 1788 W. H. Marshall Yorksh. II. 352 To Sile, to strain, as fresh milk from the cow. 1818 Scott Hrt. Midl. xiv, The brown four-year-auld's milk is not seiled yet. 1825– in dial. glossaries (E. Anglia, Northamp., Linc., etc.). 1892 J. Lucas Kalm's Eng. 173 That which was over was siled in the above-named manner and made into butter. |
| transf. 1820 Blackw. Mag. May 159 The..gentle Nith canna call a single fin its ain,—they syle its current through the herling nets 'tween yule and yule. 1847 J. Halliday Rustic Bard 264 The purest o' water is siel'd through the rock. |
† 2. dial. To pour. Obs.
| 1787 Grose Prov. Gloss. s.v. Syle, He siled a gallon of ale down his throat. |
Hence siled ppl. a.; ˈsiling vbl. n. Also ˈsiler, a milk-strainer (cf. siling-dish).
| 1615 Markham Eng. Housew. ii. iv. 109 marg., Silling of milke. a 1800 Pegge Suppl. Grose, Sil'd Milk, skimmed milk. 1856 Henderson Pop. Rhymes 82 He handed her the milk-strainer, the milsey, or seiler. |
▪ VII. † sile, v.3 Obs. Chiefly Sc.
Also 6–7 syle.
[ad. OF. ciller (siller), f. cil eyelash, or med.L. ciliare (Du Cange). The usual English form is seel.]
1. trans. To sew up (the eyes of a hawk). rare—1.
| 1398 Trevisa Barth. De P.R. xii. ii. (Tollemache MS.), Ofte þe yȝen of suche briddes [hawks] beþ þere siled, closid oþer hid. |
2. To cover (the eyes or sight). Also with up.
| c 1500 Kennedie Passion of Christ 448 Sum..filit his cristall eyne, And silit his sicht, as he a fule had bene. 1575 Reg. Privy Counc. Scotl. II. 479 Tuke thame nakit furth of thair beddis, and sylit thair eyis unto the tyme thay had distroyit the saidis houssis. 1629 Sir W. Mure True Crucifix 649 Now, siling vp his eyes, Hee streight must show Who him did most with causelesse strips infest. |
b. fig. To deceive (the sight).
| 1584 Hudson Du Bartas' Judith ii. 155 Thus siling humain sight, it changed form: One while a Rod, one while a creeping worm. c 1614 Sir W. Mure Dido & æneas iii. 422 Wast for this thow sought by slight To syle my sight, thy curst designes to cloake? |
c. To deceive, beguile, or mislead (a person).
A common Scottish use in the 16th century.
| 1508 Dunbar Gold. Targe 217 Dissymulance was besy me to sile. c 1550 Lyndesay Trag. Abp. St. Andrews 205 With sweit and subtell wordis I did hym syle. 1585 Jas. I Ess. Poesie (Arb.) 33 With doubtsum talk she craftely begylde, Not only Grece, but Spaine and Indes she sylde. |
3. To cover, hide, conceal.
| c 1480 Henryson Test. of Cresseid 10 Quhen Titan had his bemis bricht Withdrawin doun, and sylit vnder cure. c 1500 Kennedie Passion of Christ 92 Silit he wes vnder schaddew of syn. 1513 Douglas æneid xiii. Prol. 42 Baith man and beste..Involuit in tha schaddois warrin sild. 1551 Abp. Hamilton Catech. 70 Thai offend the Juge, fra quhom thai syle and hyde the veritie. |
Hence † siled ppl. a. Obs.
| 1567 Satir. Poems Reform. iv. 129 Quhair Venus anis gettis in hir gouernance Sic sylit subiectis felterit in hir snair. 1612 J. Davies (Heref.) Muse's Sacr. Wks. (Grosart) II. 48/2 While like a siled Doue, we (Lord) aspire. |
▪ VIII. † sile, v.4 Obs.
Also 5–6 syle.
[Sc. and northern var. of ceil v.]
= ceil v. 2.
| c 1450 Holland Howlat 671 [A palace] Pantit and apparalit proudly in pane, Sylit semely with silk. c 1532 G. Du Wes Introd. Fr. in Palsgr. 949 To sile a wale, lambroisser. 1535 Coverdale 1 Kings vi. 20 He syled the altare with Ceder. |
Hence † siled ppl. a., ceiled.
| 1535 Coverdale Judges iii. 20 He sat in a syled Sommer perler. ― Haggai i. 4 Ye youre selues can fynde tyme to dwell in syled houses. |