sowl

Definition of sowl

4 senses · 2 parts of speech · etymology included

noun

(British, dialectal)A dainty; a relish; a sauce; anything eaten with bread.

“Good lorjus days, whot whofo times ar' theese! / Pot-baws ar scant, an dear is seawl an cheese!”
“It [the word pittance] does not signify the whole share of each individual in a conventual meal, but merely that smaller portion of more tasty viands which in frugal housekeeping is used to give relish to the bread or pottage constituting the substance of the meal; what is still called sowl or sowling in some parts of England. The Pembrokeshire peasant says, "I have not had a bit of sowl to my bread for these six months".”
“What was called "souling," or "sowling," was practised by the female portion of the poor, who visited their more wealthy neighbours, demanding "sowl," which signified, in its provincial acceptation, any condiment eaten with bread, such as meat, fish, &c., but especially cheese.”
“All Souls' Day was celebrated by souling, a custom going back to pre-Reformation days: soul cakers and mummers toured the village begging for a soul cake – a plain, round, flat cake seasoned with spices.”

See all 4 definitions

noun

(British, dialectal)A dainty; a relish; a sauce; anything eaten with bread.

“Good lorjus days, whot whofo times ar' theese! / Pot-baws ar scant, an dear is seawl an cheese!”
“It [the word pittance] does not signify the whole share of each individual in a conventual meal, but merely that smaller portion of more tasty viands which in frugal housekeeping is used to give relish to the bread or pottage constituting the substance of the meal; what is still called sowl or sowling in some parts of England. The Pembrokeshire peasant says, "I have not had a bit of sowl to my bread for these six months".”
“What was called "souling," or "sowling," was practised by the female portion of the poor, who visited their more wealthy neighbours, demanding "sowl," which signified, in its provincial acceptation, any condiment eaten with bread, such as meat, fish, &c., but especially cheese.”
“All Souls' Day was celebrated by souling, a custom going back to pre-Reformation days: soul cakers and mummers toured the village begging for a soul cake – a plain, round, flat cake seasoned with spices.”
(alt-of, archaic)Archaic spelling of soul.

“Of yowr cherity pray for the ſowls of Reynald Peckham the elder, Squire for the body of the moſt excellent Prince king Henry the eight, who deceſed 27 Feb. 1525. and for the ſowl of Ioice Colepeper his wife which deceſed 20. March, 1523.”
“[T]he guide who accompanied me […] told me, with a most serious face, that there were three different fires in purgatory, through which all the faithful passed. […] "And what is the third fire to do?" "Oh, that is to purify them entirely, and fit their sowls for the presence of the grate God!"”
“For in all the long coorse av a twinty year's spell, / Dael an' Irishman's sowl cud he get into hell— […]”

verb

(transitive)To pull (especially an animal) by the ears; to drag about.

“Hee'l go he ſayes, and ſole the Porter of Rome Gates by th'ears. He will mowe all downe before him, and leaue his paſſage poul'd.”
“Like draws to like, ilk sma'-sowled cub, / To gnaw its Bane.”
(obsolete)To soil or stain; to dirty.

Definitions from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA.

Etymology

From Middle English sowel, souel, suvel (“food eaten with bread; food in general”), from Old English sufel, sufol (“anything (especially relish) eaten with bread; sowl”), from Proto-West Germanic *sufl, from…

See full etymology

From Middle English sowel, souel, suvel (“food eaten with bread; food in general”), from Old English sufel, sufol (“anything (especially relish) eaten with bread; sowl”), from Proto-West Germanic *sufl, from Proto-Germanic *suflą (“entremets, viands”), from Proto-Indo-European *seu-, *sew- (“juice; moisture; rain”). The word is cognate with Danish sul (“sowl”), Middle Dutch suvel, zuvel (Dutch zuivel (“dairy products”)), Middle Low German suvel, süvel, suffel (“sowl”), Old High German sufil, sufili, Old Norse sufl, Norwegian suvl, sovl, sul (“milk porridge; food eaten with bread, porridge or soup”), Saterland Frisian süfel (“dairy products”), Swedish sovel (“sowl”), West Frisian suvel (“dairy products”).

Anagrams of sowl

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Words you can make from sowl

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4-letter words

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3-letter words

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2-letter words