speel
English edit
Alternative forms edit
Pronunciation edit
Audio (AU) (file)
Etymology 1 edit
From Early Scots speill (“to climb”), of obscure origin. From or akin to Early Scots spelare (“acrobat, tumbler”). Probably from Middle Dutch spelen (“to play, walk a tight rope, do gymnastic tricks, juggle, perform as an actor or clown”), see spiel. Alternately, representing a continuation of Middle English spilen, from Old English spilian (“to play”).
Verb edit
speel (third-person singular simple present speels, present participle speeling, simple past and past participle speeled)
- (dialect, Scottish and Northern English) To climb.
- 1832 March 5, Memoirs of a Paisley Baillie, The Day: A Journal of Literature, Fine Arts, Fashions, &c., Glasgow, page 218,
- This I thocht at the time when he was speeling up the ladder before me in the Hie Kirk steeple ; but good breeding, at that particular time, keeped me from taking ony correck view of how things stood in that quarter.
- 1841, “Humorous Traits of an Old Highland Gentleman”, in Chambers′ Edinburgh Journal, Volume 9, Numbers 317-318, page 94:
- They were catched speeling up the lamp-posts and taking oot the cruizes and drinking the ulye, wick and a′.
- 1860, Hugh MacDonald, Days at the Coast: A Series of Sketches Descriptive of the Firth of Clyde, Glasgow, page 255,
- There is a comfortable inn at this picturesque spot, where those who purpose speeling the lofty Ben generally prepare for their arduous undertaking.
- 1832 March 5, Memoirs of a Paisley Baillie, The Day: A Journal of Literature, Fine Arts, Fashions, &c., Glasgow, page 218,
Etymology 2 edit
From English dialectal speel (“talk; lingo; patter”), short for bonspiel. Related to spiel.
Verb edit
speel (third-person singular simple present speels, present participle speeling, simple past and past participle speeled)
- To talk at length, to spiel.
- 1972, Sven Berlin, Pride of the Peacock: The Evolution of an Artist, page 91:
- Old Saxon, who was so sweet and gentle despite his long years on the halls, smiled at me and suggested I should do some speeling. Yedo gave me a megaphone. I held it to my mouth but there was silence.
- 1973, Irene Baird, Waste Heritage, Macmillan of Canada, page 262,
- “I must close now or I shall go on speeling all night. […] ”
Etymology 3 edit
Verb edit
speel (third-person singular simple present speels, present participle speeling, simple past and past participle speeled)
Etymology 4 edit
Probably from Afrikaans speel. Compare Middle English spel (“a story; tale; narrative”). Doublet of spell and shpiel.
Noun edit
speel (plural speels)
- (chiefly South Africa) A story; a spiel.
Etymology 5 edit
Possibly related to spile.
Alternative forms edit
- spool (dialectal, obsolete)
Noun edit
speel (plural speels)
Etymology 6 edit
Perhaps continuing Middle English spilen (“to revel, play”), from Old English spilian (“to revel, play”), from Proto-West Germanic *spilōn. Cognate with Dutch spelen (“to play”), German spielen (“to play”), Luxembourgish spillen (“to play”), Icelandic spila (“to play”), Faroese spæla (“to play”), Swedish spela (“to play”), Danish spille (“to play”), Norwegian spille (“to play”).
Noun edit
speel (plural speels)
- (dialectal, rustic, Northern England, Scotland) A game.
- To play a good speel.
Verb edit
speel (third-person singular simple present speels, present participle speeling, simple past and past participle speeled)
Derived terms edit
References edit
Anagrams edit
Afrikaans edit
Alternative forms edit
- speul (archaic)
Etymology edit
From Dutch spelen, from Middle Dutch spēlen, from Old Dutch *spilon, from Proto-West Germanic *spilōn.
Pronunciation edit
Verb edit
speel (present speel, present participle spelende, past participle gespeel)
- (transitive, intransitive) to play
Derived terms edit
Dutch edit
Pronunciation edit
Verb edit
speel
- inflection of spelen: