Definitions
Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- n. A hole; an opening; a place of entrance, as a door or a window.
- n. In coal-mining, a short passage cut for ventilation between two headings; a cross-hole. Also thirling.
- To pierce; bore; perforate; drill.
- To produce, as a hole, by piercing, boring, or drilling.
- Figuratively, to penetrate; pierce, as with some keen emotion; especially, to wound.
- To cause to vibrate, quiver, or tingle; thrill.
- To make a hole, as by piercing or boring.
- To vibrate; quiver; tingle; thrill.
- In coal-mining, to cut away the last web of coal separating two headings or other workings.
- To thrall, bind, or subject; especially, to bind or astrict by the terms of a lease or otherwise: as, lands thirled to a particular mill. See thirlage.
- n. In Scots law, a tract of land the tenants of which were bound to bring all their grain to a certain mill: same as sucken.
Wiktionary
- n. archaic or dialectal A hole, aperture, especially a nostril.
- v. To pierce, perforate, penetrate.
- v. obsolete To drill or bore.
- v. obsolete To throw (a projectile).
GNU Webster's 1913
- v. Obs. or Prov. To bore; to drill or thrill. See thrill.
Etymologies
- Origin uncertain. Perhaps a blend of throw and hurl. (Wiktionary)
Examples
“Nice to see you both together, as far as the thirl, looks good and happy to see more features added.”
“The Old English word for "hole" was thirl and a nostril is a "nose hole" or a "nose thirl.”
podictionary - for word lovers - dictionary etymology, trivia & history
“In Old English we don't see evidence of people extending the metaphor of something going through you-like a hole or a thirl-to emotions going through you.”
podictionary - for word lovers - dictionary etymology, trivia & history
“Third, James Stuart, major-general, and colonel of the thirl j-- first regiment of foot, married Lady Margaret Hume, daughter of Hugh,.”
Internet Archive: Collins's peerage of England; genealogical, biographical, and historical
“Tb alio. paffed fome huts, the owners of which n them with roaited potatoes and fugar-canes; b at the very time fome were relieving the thirl and hungry, there were others who endeavour to fleal from them the very things which h been given them.”
“35 Dry multures were a fine, or compensation in money, for not grinding at the mill of the thirl.”
“Thrull, drill, thrill, thirl, and thurl, are all current elsewhere -- all from Saxon [Greek text].) {82} Of course there should be forty-eight signatures, as appended, doubtless, to the original document.”
“[Footnote: Dry multures were a fine, or compensation in money, for not grinding at the mill of the thirl.”
“Hold you on your talk in Gods name. '"tfr cndlf'tt la [i ihapter of CHAPT.vr. ificfriibiiGk The thirl argttment for Cenfiaftcy, takefifrof?”
Lists
These user-created lists contain the word ‘thirl’.
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Interesting words
A list of words that are odd or words that I have looked up.
concupiscence, brize, scree, scoria, forestaff, spanaemia, valetudinarianism, distasture, pyrethrum, laudanum, gentian, bicameral and 11184 more...
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AbraxasZugzwang's Words
atavism, abraxas, sisyphean, frust, fetus-in-fetu, arhythmically, queef, epidemiology, abecedarian, troglodyte, chiaroscuro, philology and 631 more...
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Favorite Five-Letter Words
Just what it sounds like. My favorites. Five letters.
ennui, barfy, samba, schwa, beefy, chunk, queef, spasm, skulk, bowel, elbow, fruit and 235 more...
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Only on Wordie/Wordnik
Okay, mostly on Wordie. But it's more fun here anyway.
brannock device, polari, stupidhead, in toto, nounal, flustrated, stuffocate, firkin, full-assed, placeholder name, pro-text, cheesequake and 408 more...
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Wordie/Wordnik Curio Cabinet
Oddments culled from my "main" lists that belong in a display cabinet of their own, plus sundry other curiosities. :-)
zeugma, ziggurat, xiphoid, xeric, whizgigging, whangdoodle, viviparous, vivific, vinolent, verjuice, vellicate, velleity and 1193 more...
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A Peckerwick of Fiffoldry
fogray, whalesong, solregn, shoecabbage, thorn-bush, thistledown, pomander, thornbush, dreamy duskywing, sedge, unbunting-like, quilp and 119 more...
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.pages
tamerlane, rickett, bastan, barnum, byssus, carys, lyris, vidler, morphos, leafwing, phaon, scudder and 238 more...
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Geology Words
The descriptive science described.
earth, lithosphere, mineral, convection, heat flow, ore, deep time, fossil, formation, rock, tectonics, extinction and 281 more...
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Mill
The milling of grain: tools, people, processes, laws.
mill, grain, flour, miller, water-wheel, meal, thirl, thirlage, sucken, suckener, astricted, outsucken and 33 more...
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fun ones
fun to say or fun in meaning
sizzard, clou, matutolagnia, grok, xiphoid, cwm, cattywampus, scroop, loblolly, katzenjammer, sphygmus, forfex and 68 more...
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words to revive
thropple, sparve, sweven, dwine, slade, thirl, dindle, swipple, scattergood
Tweets
Looking for tweets for thirl.
sionnach When beaten to the doughnuts by an early thirl, I adopt all the characteristics of a surly churl. Dec 19, 2007
skipvia I'm completely serious, and don't call me Shirley. Dec 19, 2007
bilby !!!!
Dr Seuss, be very afraid. We're comin' for ya. Dec 19, 2007
reesetee So, let me see whether I have this right:
The peasants who preposterously peppered the history of Milling were willing thirls who were burly, pearly, girly, surly, whirly, and curly. They were all enthralled, big and small, and crawled before their masters in the manor hall, sometimes stalling to dodge cannon balls. Above all, they refused to forestall breakfast in the dining hall and appeared there early to snaffle the doughnuts.
They were milling's willingly enthralled burly, pearly, girly, surly, whirly, curly, early, big and small manor-hall crawling, sometimes stalling, cannon-ball dodging, dining-hall doughnut eaters.
Some may have been called Shirley. Dec 19, 2007
bilby *deep breath*
Right. The fascinating history of Milling is preposterously peppered with peasants who were strong, had marvellous teeth, wore dresses, didn't smile, indulged in Morris dancing, had hair not straight and got to the office before reesetee in order to snaffle the doughnuts.
They were burly, pearly, girly, surly, whirly, curly, early thirls.
Such thrilling thirls were thoroughly enthralling. Tho thayeth rolig. Dec 19, 2007
reesetee Oh, nothing. I just thought maybe some of the more conscientious ones were early thirls. Dec 19, 2007
bilby Go on reesetee, I know something's coming :-7 Dec 19, 2007
rolig So thirls were held in thrall? Dec 19, 2007
reesetee Were they always on time? Dec 19, 2007
bilby Indeed, the pages of feudal history are littered with peasants who were strong, had marvellous teeth, wore dresses, didn't smile, indulged in Morris dancing and had hair not straight.
They were burly, pearly, girly, surly, whirly, curly thirls.
And stop calling me _____. Dec 19, 2007
reesetee I wonder if they were surly thirls. Dec 19, 2007
bilby "The term Thirl originated from the feudal past when a thirl was a body servant, retainer or vassal to a noble or chief." - Wikipedia. Dec 18, 2007
reesetee True, Abraxas. It is rather unassuming. Feb 16, 2007
abraxaszugzwang Man, what great double meaning! I only wish the word were more impressive, Feb 16, 2007
reesetee 1. to pierce or 2. to thrill. Feb 16, 2007