▪ I. treddle Now dial.
(ˈtrɛd(ə)l)
Forms: α. 1 tyrdel, 5 -dyl, 6 -dell, -dle, tirdil, turdyll, 6–7 terdle, 7 tir-, turdle; β. 5 tredel(e, triddil, tridel, trydelle, 7–9 truddle, 6– treddle; γ. 6 treatle. See also trattle n.2
[ME. tyrdyl, etc. (whence by metathesis tridil, treddle), = OE. tyrdel, dim. of tord, turd: see -el suffix1.]
A pellet of sheep's or goat's dung: usually in pl.
| α c 1000 Sax. Leechd. II. 72 ᵹenim gate tyrdlu. Ibid. 214 Haran tyrdlu. c 1440 Promp. Parv. 494/2 Tyrdyl, schepys donge. 1530 Palsgr. 281/2 Tyrdell. Ibid. 284/1 Turdyll shepes donge, fient de brebis. 1552 Huloet, Tyrdles of gootes or shepe, rudus, eris. 1563 T. Hill Art Garden. (1593) 107 If you take the seeds of euery colour of Gilliflours and put them altogither into a thin small reed, or terdle of a sheep or goat. 1647 Hexham 1, Sheeps dung or tirdles. 1671 Skinner Etymol. Ling. Angl., The Treddles vel Truddles, q.d. Turdles. |
| β c 1410 Master of Game xi. (1904) 40 Men clepen þe steppes or þe marckes of þe Otere..and his fumes tredeles or spraintes. 14.. MS. Lincoln Med. lf. 291 (Halliw.) The triddils of an hare. 1483 Cath. Angl. 393/2 A Trydelle, ruder. 1577 B. Googe Heresbach's Husb. ii. (1586) 55 b, Taking a Treddle of Sheepe, or Goates doung. 1601 Holland Pliny xix. xii. II. 33 The round treddles of a Goat. 1736 W. Ellis New Exper. Husb. 25 Price for the neat Treddle, clear of all Hay, Straw, Flaff, or other Mixture. 1905 in Eng. Dial. Dict. from Lincoln, Herts, Kent, Surrey. |
▪ II. treddle
variant of treadle.