merel
(ˈmɛrəl)
Forms: sing. 4 merel, 9 marl; pl. 5 mereles, merellis, -ys, 5–7 merelles, 7 merills, 7–8 merils, 9 merrels, merril(l)s, merls, 5– merels. Also corruptly 7 miracle, moral; and see morris.
[a. OF. merel, marel (mod.F. méreau) masc., merelle, marelle (mod.F. mérelle, marelle) fem.; the word in OF. meant a token coin, metal ticket, or counter.
Cf. Sicilian marrella, in 1617 used for the game of draughts (Carrera Il Giuoco degli Scacchi).]
1. One of the counters or pieces used in the game of ‘merels’ (see 2). Also fig.
| 1390 Gower Conf. I. 18 So that under the clerkes lawe Men sen the Merel al mysdrawe. Ibid. III. 201 Wherof ensamples ben ynowhe Of hem that thilke merel drowhe. 1611 [see 2]. |
2. Chiefly pl. a. A game played on a board between two players, each with an equal number of pebbles, disks of wood or metal, pegs, or ‘pins’. Called also fivepenny morris, and ninepenny or nine men's morris, according to the number of pins or men used. Also attrib. † b. The game of fox and geese. Obs.
On the continent the name was applied also to a game nearly identical with draughts, and to ‘hop-scotch’.
| a. c 1400 Beryn 1250 Leve now al thy foly, and thy rebawdy As Tablis, & merellis & þe hazardry. c 1449 Pecock Repr. i. xx. 120 Where is it also grondid in Holi Scripture that men..schulden pleie..bi sitting at the merels? 1611 Cotgr., Merelles. Le Ieu des merelles. The boyish game called Merills, or fiue-pennie Morris; played here most commonly with stones, but in France with pawnes, or men made of purpose, and tearmed Merelles. 1688 R. Holme Armoury (1905) II. 68/1 A 9 Hole Board..some terme this a miracle board and the game Miracles. 1694 Hyde Hist. Nerdiludii Wks. (1767) 359 Alia habet nomina secundum numerum frustulorum quibus luditur..: sicut est marlin: alias three men's Morals, & nine men's Morals, & nine penny miracle,..alias three penny moris, aut five penny moris, aut nine penny moris [etc.]... Pro his autem omnibus verius & rectius dicendum est three pin merells aut nine pin merells. 1706 Phillips (ed. Kersey), Merils,..otherwise call'd Fivepenny Morris. 1826 in Hone's Every-day Bk. II. 983 There is an ancient game, played by the ‘shepherds of Salisbury Plain’, and ‘village rustics’ in that part of the country, called ‘Ninepenny Marl’. 1867 B. Brierley Marlocks 95 One [chair] in particular had supplied the material for a ‘merril’ board. 1877 Holderness Gloss., Merrils, a game played on a square board with 18 pegs, nine on each side. Called in many parts nine men's morris. 1889 Folk-Lore Jrnl. VII. 233 The boys of a cottage near Dorchester had..carved a ‘marrel’ pound on a block of stone by the house. |
| b. 1902 Redstone in Trans. R. Hist. Soc. XVI. 195 The Royal household [under Edw. IV] found delight in games of chess and ‘merelles’. For the latter game ‘2 foxis and 46 hounds of silver overgilt’ were purchased to form 2 sets. |