speel
Word Rarity
Very rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 1.36 in modern English
7
Scrabble Score
5
Letters
1
Syllables
4
Unique Chars
Meaning
verb
To climb.
noun
Example Sentences
- "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."
- "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."
- "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. […] ”"
- "To play a good speel."
Etymology
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”).
Origin
Word Breakdown
- Root: speill, spelare, spelen, spilen, spilian, speel
Usage
Inflected Forms
speels (present, singular)
speeling (participle, present)
speeled (participle, past)
speeled (past)
speil (alternative)
spele (alternative)
speal (alternative)
spiel (alternative)
spael (alternative)
speels (plural)
spool (alternative, dialectal)
Derived Forms
Phrases
ba-spiel