speel

English

Alternative forms

speil, spele, speal, spiel, spael

Pronunciation

Audio (AU) (file)

Etymology 1

From Old Scots speill (“to climb”), of obscure origin. From or akin to Old 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 Old English spilian (“to play”).

Verb

speel (third-person singular simple present speels, present participle speeling, simple past and past participle speeled)

(dialectal, 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, 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.

Etymology 2

From English dialectal speel (“talk; lingo; patter”), short for bonspiel. Related to spiel.

Verb

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. […] ”

Verb

speel (third-person singular simple present speels, present participle speeling, simple past and past participle speeled)

(dialectal, Australia) To run.

Etymology 4

Probably from Afrikaans speel. Compare Middle English spel (“a story; tale; narrative”). More at spell.

Noun

speel (plural speels)

(chiefly South Africa) A story; a spiel.

Etymology 5

Possibly related to spile.

Alternative forms

spool (dialectal, obsolete)

Noun

speel (plural speels)

(dialectal) A splinter; a strip of wood or metal.

Etymology 6

Perhaps continuing Middle English spilen (“to revel, play”), from Old English spilian (“to revel, play”), from Proto-Germanic *spilōną. 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”).

Verb

speel (third-person singular simple present speels, present participle speeling, simple past and past participle speeled)

(dialectal, rural, Northern England, Scotland) To lake, play, sport, take amusement.
To speel ba'.

Derived terms

spieler
ba-spiel

References

The Dictionary of the Scots Language
The English dialect dictionary

Etymology 7

From Proto-Germanic *spilą (“dance, game”).

Noun

speel (plural speels)

(dialectal, rural, Northern England, Scotland) A game.
To play a good speel.

References

The Dictionary of the Scots Language

Anagrams

LEEPs, Leeps, Lepes, peels, sleep

Afrikaans

Etymology

From Dutch spelen, from Middle Dutch spēlen, from Old Dutch *spilon, from Proto-Germanic *spilōną.

Verb

speel (present speel, present participle spelende, past participle gespeel)

to play

Dutch

Pronunciation

Audio (file)
Rhymes: -eːl

Verb

speel

first-person singular present indicative of spelen
imperative of spelen

Anagrams

sleep, slepe, spele