ˈkeelivine, keelie vine Sc. and north. dial.
Also (8 kilie vine), 9 kyle-, keela-, keely-, guilli-, cala-, -vine.
[Of uncertain origin.
In South of Scotl. and Northumberland pronounced as two (or three) words keelie vine (or keel i' vine), (contracted in Scotl. keelie, in Northumb. vine), and commonly explained as from keel n. + vine (referring to the pencil ‘vine’ or cedar), the name being only applied to a pencil enclosed in wood. But in other districts the name is pronounced as one word, and applied to the substance black-lead itself: cf. killow, another name of this. See other suggestions in Jamieson. If quot. 1720 belongs here, the correct etymology ought also to explain kilie vert there mentioned.]
A black-lead pencil, or more generally, any coloured pencil enclosed in wood (as a red keelie-vine); also, in some places, black-lead, plumbago.
| [1720 Dr. Mitchell Let. (Jam.), If Gods Providence were not wonderful, I would long since been crying Kilie vine, and Kilie vert, considering I began upon a crown, and a poor trade.] 1808–18 Jamieson, Keelivine, a black-lead pencil. 1826 J. Wilson Noct. Ambr. Wks. 1855 I. 146 With the verra mere, naked unassisted keelivine (that day fortunately it was a red ane) I caught the character o' the apparition. 1884 Scot. Ch. Rev. I. 5 His appliances as yet are a keelyvine and a Balaam-box. 1893 Northumbld. Gloss., Keely-vine, a pencil, originally a pencil made from keel, but applied generally to ‘vines’ or pencils. 1899 Cumbld. Gloss., Calavine, a black-lead pencil. |
b. attrib., as keelivine pen, a pencil.
| 1782 Sir J. Sinclair Obs. Sc. Dial. 120 Black-lead is called killow, or collow, in Cumberland; and a guillivine⁓pen, is probably a corruption of a fine killow pencil. 1816 Scott Antiq. xxxviii, Put up your pocket-book and your keelyvine pen. 1833 Fraser's Mag. Oct. 398 In a hole he had..jock-to-legs, keelavine pens. |
Hence ˈkeelivined a., marked with pencil.
| c 1818 Scott in Lockhart xlii, I thought it had been well known that the keelavined egg must be a soft one for the Sherra. |