oul

English

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /əʉl/

Adjective

oul (comparative more oul, superlative most oul)

1. (Ireland, Mid-Ulster) Alternative form of ould
   • 1983, William Forbes Marshall, John the Liar:

     Throth they wor tarra; jist the five months oul".

Anagrams

• Lou, Luo, UOL

Middle English

Noun

oul

1. Alternative form of oule
   • late 14th century, Geoffrey Chaucer, The Squire's Tale, The Canterbury Tales, line 646-648:

     And al with-oute, the mewe is peynted grene,
     In which were peynted alle thise false foules,
     As beth thise tidifs, tercelets, and oules, [...]

     And on all the outside, the pen is painted green,
     In which were painted all these false fowls,
     Such as are these small birds, falcons, and owls, [...]

References

• “oul”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.

Scots

Alternative forms

• ool

Etymology 1

Noun

oul (plural ouls)

1. owl

   Synonyms: yuggle, hoolet

Etymology 2

Verb

oul (third-person singular simple present ouls, present participle oulin, simple past oult, past participle oult)

1. To treat harshly, ill-use, bully