▪ I. thole, n.1
(θəʊl)
Forms: 1 thol, ðoll, þol; 5–6 tholle, 6–8 thoule, 7–8 thowle, 8 thoul, 9 thowel(l, thowl, (thauel), 7– thole.
[OE. þol(l, corresp. to ON. þollr, Norw. toll, tulle, Sw. (år) tull, Da. (aar) tol; MLG. dolle, dulle, dole, doule, LG. (Brem. Wbch.) dolle, dulle, EFris. dolle, dol, MDu. dolle, Du. dol(l. Ulterior etymology uncertain. In ON. þollr was also ‘fir-tree’, poet. ‘tree’ generally: the connexion of sense is not clear. The history of the Eng. word also shows a hiatus during nearly the whole ME. period.
The late altered forms thoule, thowle, and 19th c. thowel, may be influenced by doule, dowle, dowel.]
1. A vertical pin or peg in the side of a boat against which in rowing the oar presses as the fulcrum of its action; esp. one of a pair between which the oar works; hence, a rowlock.
| c 725 Corpus Gloss. (O.E.T.) 1820 Scalmus, thol. c 1000 Voc. in Wr.-Wülcker 289/9 Scalmus, ðoll. 1611 Cotgr., Scalme, a Thowle; the little peg whereby the oare of a Skiffe is staied. 1624 Capt. Smith Virginia 62 In stead of thoules wee made stickes like Bedstaues. 1697 W. Dampier Voy. round World (1699) 35 Straps..through which they put their Oars in rowing, instead of tholes or pegs. 1769 Falconer Dict. Marine (1789), Autarelles, the thoules or rowlock-pins of a galley. 1827 Roberts Voy. Centr. Amer. 178 These oars are secured to the thowel by straps of raw hide. 1847 Longfellow Evang. ii. ii. 102 The sound of their oars on the tholes had died in the distance. 1857 P. Colquhoun Comp. Oarsman's Guide 29 The row⁓lock is composed of 3 parts; the thauel, against which you row [etc.]. 1862 Whittier Cry Lost Soul iv, The guide..drops his oar against the gunwale's thole. |
2. A pin or peg in general: spec. a. A pin by means of which the shafts are fastened to the carriage or axle of a cart, etc. b. The handle or ‘nib’ of a scythe-snathe.
| c 1440 Promp. Parv. 492/1 Tholle, carte pynne (or tolpyn, infra), cavilla. 1530 Palsgr. 280/2 Tholle a cartpynne, cheuille de charette. 1707 Sloane Jamaica I. p. lii, The use of..drums made of a piece of a hollow tree, covered on one end with any green skin, and stretch'd with Thouls or Pins. 1828 Webster, Thole, 2. the pin or handle of a sythe-snath. 1880 R. S. Charnock Essex Gloss., Thole, the two pieces or handles of a scythe. 1910 H. Belloc Mr. Clutterbuck's Election iv, The woodwork..was designed in the Cheshire fashion, with drawpins, tholes, and spring⁓heads tinctured to a sober brown. |
▪ II. † thole, n.2 Obs. rare—1.
[f. thole v.]
Patience, forbearance, endurance.
| c 1250 Gen. & Ex. 3496 Ic am god, gelus and strong, Min wreche is hard, min ðole is long. |
▪ III. † thole, n.3 Obs. rare.
[Anglicized f. L. thol-us: see tholos.]
See quot. 1656, and cf. tholos.
| 1633 [J. Fisher] True Trojans iii. ii. E ij, Let Altars smoake, and Tholes expect our spoiles. 1656 Blount Glossogr., Thole (tholus),..that place in Temples, where donaries and such gifts as were presented there, are hung up. |
▪ IV. thole, v. Now north. dial. or arch.
(θəʊl)
Forms: 1 þolian, 2–3 -ien, (2 þale(n), 2–4 þolye, -ie, -en, 3 (Orm.) þolenn, 3–4 -yen, 4 þoole, tholen, -y, 4–5 þole, tholie, 4– thole. (Also 4, 6 Sc. thol, 4 (5–6 Sc.) thoile, 4–6 Sc. thoill, 5 þoliȝe, þol(l, thoole, thowle, tholl, 6 (7–8 Sc.) thoell, 8 n. dial. thoyl, 6– Sc. and n. dial. thoil.)
[OE. þolian = OS. tholôn, tholian, OHG. dolôn, dolên (MHG. dolen, doln; cf. Ger. gedul-d), ON. þola (Da. taale, Sw. tåla), Goth. þulan, f. OTeut. stem *þul-:—weak grade of root *tel: *tol: *tl to bear, suffer: cf. L. tuli, tol-erare, toll-ere, Gr. τλῆναι.]
1. trans. To be subjected or exposed to (something evil); to be afflicted with; to have to bear, suffer, undure, undergo.
| Beowulf 832 Hie..for þreanydum þolian scoldon torn un-lytel. c 897 K. ælfred Gregory's Past. C. xxviii. 197 Dauid..lange ær his [Saul's] ehtnesse earfoðlice ðolode. a 1000 Cædmon's Gen. 2240 (Gr.) Þeowdom þolian. 1154 O.E. Chron. (Laud MS.) an. 1137, Suilc & mare þanne we cunnen sæin we þoleden xix wintre for ure sinnes. c 1175 Lamb. Hom. 75 His halie fif wunden þa he þolede for us ine þe halie rode. c 1200 Ormin Ded. 201 He ȝaff hiss aȝhenn lif..To þolenn dæþþ o rodetre. c 1290 Beket 2316 in S. Eng. Leg. I. 173 Þis holi man..þolede martyrdom. c 1320 Cast. Love 410 He scal euere þolyen deþ. 13.. Cursor M. 9636 (Cott.) Ded he aght to thole. 1375 Barbour Bruce iv. 659 Feill anoyis thoill ȝhe sall. c 1386 Chaucer Friar's T. 248 So muche wo as I haue with yow tholed. c 1450 Mirour Saluacioun 212 All y{supt} oure lord Ihū soeffred in his passionne Oure ladie tholed in sawle. 1530 Lyndesay Test. Papyngo 175 Off bitter deth now mon I thole the schouris. 1599 Porter Angry Wom. Abingd. in Hazl. Dodsley VII. 370 What a winter of cold fear I thole. 1717 Ramsay Elegy on Lucky Wood i, What loss, what crosses dost thou thole! 1884 Freeman in Stephens Life (1895) II. x. 321 They that believed nothing were to thole all revealed punishments. [Affected archaism.] |
| absol. 1357 Lay Folks Catech. 132 [Christ] tholed [v.r. suffryd] bodily for synful man kynd. c 1394 P. Pl. Crede 90 Þe cros þat crist opon þolede. c 1430 Lydg. Min. Poems (Percy Soc.) 227 How ever thou thole ore thryfe, Alwey thonk God of alle. 1718 Ramsay Christ's Kirk Gr. iii. xvi, Ye's thole for this, ye scaul. 1880 A. Forbes in 19th Cent. Jan. 190 To be told how our countrymen..toil and thole. |
b. to thole an assize, judgement, the laws, etc., to undergo trial. Sc.
| 1425 Sc. Acts Jas. I (1814) II. 9/2 Þe king..forbiddis þat ony man..be aponne his assise þat sall thole þe law. 1508 Dunbar Flyting 78 For quhilk, brybour, ȝit sall thow thoill a breif. a 1578 Lindesay (Pitscottie) Chron. Scot. iii. iv. (S.T.S.) I. 223 The lordis..quhilk was..thair to thoill ane syse conforme to thair ditta. 1609 Skene Reg. Maj. i. 93 b, It is statute, that na man sould thoill judgement, or be judged, be ane man of inferiour estate then his awin peir. 1678 Sir G. Mackenzie Crim. Laws Scot. i. xx. §4 (1699) 108 The Receptor with us cannot be punished, or thole an Assize, till the principal Thief be first convict. 1886 St. James' Gaz. 16 Dec. 3 Mr...would probably by this time have tholed an assize before the High Court of Justiciary. |
2. To endure without resistance or complaint; to submit with patience to; to bear with, ‘abide’; to put up with, tolerate. Also with inf. or subord. clause
| c 950 Lindisf. Gosp. Mark ix. 19 Ða huile mið iuh ic beom, ða huile iuih ic ðola. a 1000 Cædmon's Gen. 597 (Gr.) Þæt is micel wundor þæt hit ece god æfre wolde, þeoden, þolian. 1297 R. Glouc. (Rolls) 9479 So luþer & prout heo was, þat me ne miȝte it þolie noȝt. c 1330 R. Brunne Chron. Wace (Rolls) 15976 Al þer trauaille & al þer ylle Þat þey had þoled wiþ gode wille. 1393 Rec. Elgin (New Spald. Cl) I. 7 Þis as before wyt al men we wil nocht thole. c 1430 Syr Gener. (Roxb.) 8490 He might the betre thoole Thurgh gile to les a little ring, Whan [etc.]. 1552 Abp. Hamilton Catech. (1884) 81 Thai that tholis nocht thair father and mother, suppose thai do thame iniuris and be cummersum. 1584 Hudson tr. Du Bartas' Judith iii. 179 For thee, we frankly shall pursue and thole Th'eternall heat and colde of either Pole. 1786 Burns Twa Dogs 96 Poor tenant bodies, scant o' cash, How they maun thole a factor's snash. c 1800 Newcastle Prov. in Brockett N.C. Gloss. (1846) II. 178 He that has a good crop may thole some thistles. 184. in Contemp. Rev. (1905) July 64 ‘I com' away,’ said he, ‘for I couldn't thoil to see good food wasted.’ 1889 Barrie Window in Thrums 38, I canna thole 'im. |
| absol. 1154 O.E. Chron. an. 1140 §6 (Laud MS.) Þa hi ne leng ne muhten þolen, þa stali hi ut & fluᵹen. c 1200 Trin. Coll. Hom. 79 Þe man..þe þoleð and forbereð and ne wile seche after wreche. a 1340 Hampole Psalter ix. 41 Þaire hert redy to serue þe and to thole. c 1470 Henry Wallace viii. 663 Ȝeit Wallace tholyt, and leit thaim say thar will. 1560 Rolland Seven Sages 77 Better it is to thoill heir patientlie, Nor euer mair in hell condampnit be. 1880 A. Forbes in 19th Cent. Feb. 234 The British soldier can thole as well as can the Russian soldier. |
† b. To endure or bear without giving way; to withstand; to stand. Obs.
| c 1200 Ormin 9399 Þa maȝȝ itt [the eye] siþþenn þolenn wel Þe sunness brihhte leome. 13.. Cursor M. 7312 (Gött.) It es wel worthi þat qua May thole na wele, to thole þe wa. c 1400 Destr. Troy 9674 No buerne vpon bent his buffettes might thowle. 14.. Songs Costume (Percy Soc.) 60 Her mantill of humilitie, To tholl bayth wind and weit. |
c. To bear, stand, admit of, be capable of; to have room for; esp. in phrase to thole amends, to admit of improvement. dial.
| 1770 Jas. Watt Let. to Small 3 Jan., Health and spirits beyond what I commonly enjoy..; though they would still thole amends. a 1774 Fergusson Cauler Oysters Poems (1845) 7 Fling owre your craig sufficient doses; You'll thole a hunder. 1808 Scott Let. to G. Ellis 23 Feb., in Lockhart, The style would..thole amends, i.e. admit of improvement. 1871 in N. & Q. 4th Ser. VIII. 156/2 It'll thole a drap mair watter. |
† 3. To allow, suffer, permit. (With obj. clause, obj. and inf., or equivalent pron.) Obs.
| c 1070 Charter of Leofgifu in Kemble Cod. Dipl. IV. 269 Ic bidde mine leuedien for Godes louen ðat ðu [ne] þolie ðat ani man mine quide awende. c 1175 Lamb. Hom. 71 Þole us to bi-wepen ure sunne. c 1200 Ormin 12089 Ȝiff Crist itt nollde þolenn himm Naffde he þærto nan mahhte. 1297 R. Glouc. (Rolls) 1583 Þe toun folc..nolde namore þolie þan ssrewe among hom a wede. 13.. Gaw. & Gr. Knt. 1859 Þenne he þulged with hir þrepe, & þoled hir to speke. c 1400 Apol. Loll. 59 Þei be þolid to minister prestly oþer sacraments. 1466 Dunfermline Regr. (Bann. Cl.) 356, I sall nocht thole, graunt nore gyff leiffe..to na man.. to draw na drauchtis of wateris throu my landis. 1513 Douglas æneis ix. vii. 89 Thoil me to trubble this gret rout of men. 1552 Abp. Hamilton Catech. (1884) 35 God will nocht thoile you want your dailie sustentatioun. 1575 Churchyard Chippes (1817) 193 God would not thoell, for one mans sake alone: That broyles should cause a million make their mone. 1721 Ramsay Prospect of Plenty 83 They'll never thole this great design to tak. |
4. intr. To be patient, have patience, wait patiently. dial.
| 1674 Ray N.C. Words 48 Thole a while, i.e. stay a while. 1766 A. Nicol Poems 58 (E.D.D.), I do bid them thole a while Till ance the spring come in again. 1896 [J. Lumsden] Poems 7 (ibid.) Great is our drouth—but thole a wee. |
5. trans. To bear to give; to afford or grant willingly. dial.
| 1703 Thoresby Let. to Ray Gloss. (E.D.S.), Thoyl, to afford. 1828 Craven Gloss. s.v., I could thole him t' meat out o' my mouth. 1863 Mrs. Toogood Yorksh. Dial. (MS.), He is so covetous he cannot thoil his servants enough food. |
▪ V. thole
obs. erron. f. toll, in thole and theam, ‘toll and team’.