† ˈeasle dial.
Also 1 ysle, 4 his-, huysseles, 5 iselle, isyl, ysyle, 6 Sc. isill, 8–9 Sc. aizle.
[OE. ysle (app. wk. fem.), cogn. w. ON. usli wk. masc., embers, perh. f. Aryan root *eus to burn, whence L. ūr-ĕre. The mod. forms easle (17th c. eːz(ə)l), aizle, are phonetically anomalous.]
Hot ashes or cinders; see quot.
a 1000 Cædmon's Gen. 2553 (Gr.) Bearwas wurdon to ascan and to yslan. a 1000 ælfric Voc. in Wr.-Wülcker 146 Fauilla, ysle. c 1325 Gloss. W. de Biblesw. in Wright Voc. 171 De falemetches, from hiseles [v.r. huysseles]. c 1440 Promp. Parv. 266 Isyl of fyre, fauilla. c 1483 Cath. Angl., Aiselle, favilla, or a sperke. 1513 Douglas æneis x. i. 125 Had sytten still, amang the assys cauld And lattyr isillys of thar kynd cuntre. 1691 Ray N.C. Wds. Pref. 4 (E.D.S.) We in Essex use Easles for the hot embers (or as it were burning coals) of straw only. 1785 Burns Halloween xiii, She fuff't her pipe wi' sic a lunt..An aizle brunt Her braw new worset apron. 1874 N. & Q. 10 Oct. 290 So as to receive and enclose the falling aizle, as well as the wax or tallow of the candle. |
Hence † easle-cake, a cake baked in the ashes.
c 1440 Promp. Parv. 261 Isylkake, or chesekake, or eykake bakyne vndyr askys. |