Middle English Dictionary Entry
pīles n.(2) plural
Entry Info
| Forms | pīles n.(2) plural |
| Etymology | MDu. pijl from L pilus; also cp. W Flem. |
Definitions (Senses and Subsenses)
1.
(a) Hair; (b) feathers, plumage.
Associated quotations
a
- 1486 ?Berners Bk.St.Albans (Blades 1881)leaf e iij/b : And all that berith greece and piles ther vppon Euer shall be strypte when thay be vndoon.
b
- c1600(c1350) Alex.Maced.(Grv 60)814 : Þan fetches hee a sea-foule, faire of his wynges..Of his grounden gras þe wus can hee take; Þeron hee brynges þe brid & bathes his pilus.
Supplemental Materials (draft)
Note: Med., etc., see further J.Norri, Dictionary of Medical Vocabulary, s.v. pile.