Forms: 3–5 lel, 3–6 lele, 4 liale, 4–5 lell(e, Sc. leile, leyll, 4–5 (7–8 Sc.) leel, 4–6 leale, 4–7 Sc. leill, 4–8 Sc. leil, 5 leell, 6 Sc. laill, 8– leal. [a. OF. leel, usually in semi-learned form leial, leal (= Pr. leyal, lial, Cat. lleal, Sp. leal, It. leale), mod.F. loyal (see LOYAL):—L. lēgāl-is LEGAL.]
A. adj. Now Sc. (and north. dial.) and in literary use derived from Scottish.
1. Loyal, faithful, honest, true. a. Of persons, etc. Land of the leal: see LAND sb. 3 c.
a. 1300. Cursor M., 4891. Yon er theues we lelmen wend. Ibid., 27847. Lele of hert and fre of gyft.
c. 1350. Will. Palerne, 4809. Þe grettest lordes of þat land þat lellest were hold.
1375. Barbour, Bruce, IV. 576. He that worthy wes and leill.
a. 1400–50. Alexander, 2877. Lede lelist to his lord leuand of lyue.
c. 1460. Launfal, 326. I yeve the Blaunchard my stede lel.
1513. Douglas, Æneis, I. Prol. 482. Thocht I be lawit, my leil hart can nocht fenȝe.
c. 1560. A. Scott, Poems (S.T.S.), x. 28. Scho wat wtouttin faill I am hir luvar laill.
1609. Skene, Reg. Maj., 82. The eath of ellevin leill and vnsuspected men.
1721. Ramsay, Prospect of Plenty, vi. Friendship makes us leal To truth and right.
a. 1776. Cruel Mother, iii. in Child, Ballads (1882), I. 220/2. She’s counted the leelest maid o them a’.
1826. Scott, Jrnl., 14 Nov. Honest Allan Cunningham … a leal and true Scotsman.
a. 1839. Praed, Poems (1864), I. 391. Leal subject, honest patriot, cordial friend.
1876. Blackie, Songs Relig. & Life, 119. Thou, Scotland’s son, that wouldst be leal and true.
b. Of things, qualities, etc.
(In ME. poetry sometimes a more or less conventional laudatory epithet = ‘noble,’ ‘fair.’)
a. 1300. Cursor M., 8294. For wit þat flur sa fress and neu, þair stode a selcut lele [Fairf. etc. lou(e)ly] heu.
13[?]. Minor Poems fr. Vernon MS. (E.E.T.S.), 498/204. Þen maiȝt þou synge of loue lele.
c. 1350. Parlt. thre Ages (text A), 115. Longe legges and large and lele for to schewe.
c. 1375. Sc. Leg. Saints, xxx. (Theodera), 154. Consele kane I kene þe gad & leile.
1393. Langl., P. Pl., C. I. 146. With leel labour to lyue whyl lif and londe lasteth.
c. 1400. Destr. Troy, 8800. [It] sanke … to the leell theghes, Passond by poris into þe pure legges.
c. 1475. Rauf Coilȝear, 604. To se gif the Coilȝearis lawtie was leill.
1500–20. Dunbar, Poems, lxvi. 13. The leill laubour lost, and leill seruice.
a. 1605. Montgomerie, Sonn., lxx. 2. Blind brutal Boy, that with thy bou abuses Leill leisome love by lechery and lust.
1721. Ramsay, Katy’s Answer, iv. There’s my leal hand Win them, I’ll be at your devotion.
1884. Pall Mall Gaz., 25 April, 5/1. No man ever did more leal service than did Mackenzie during the bad days of the miserable Cabul business.
2. True, genuine; real, actual; exact, accurate; very (truth). Of a blow or shot: Well-aimed, hitting the mark. ? Obs.
a. 1300. Cursor M., 6478. Ne ber þou witnes nan bot lele. Ibid., 7798. I come to tell þe tiþand lel.
13[?]. Gaw. & Gr. Knt., 35. Þis laye … is stad and stoken, In stori stif & stronge With lel letteres loken.
13[?]. E. E. Allit. P., B. 425. Of þe lenþe of Noe lyf to lay a lel date, Þe sex hundreth of his age & none odde ȝerez.
c. 1330. R. Brunne, Chron. (1810), 69. Þerof he mad me skrite, his hote to mak leale.
1393. Langl., P. Pl., C. XI. 210. Men that buth bygetyn Out of matrimonie mowe nat haue the grace That leelle legitime by lawe may cleyme.
c. 1400. Melayne, 8. The ryghte lele trouthe.
1560. Rolland, Crt. Venus, Prol. 35. The Planeitis … The quhilks are in leill number thir seuin.
1597. Skene, De Verb. Sign., s.v. Bona patria, We sall leill suith say, and na suith conceale.
1752. J. Louthian, Form of Process (ed. 2), 83. The said Witnesses to bear leal and soothfast Witnessing.
1789. D. Davidson, Seasons, 167. With that stepp’d forward Tullochfern, An’ … A leal shot ettled at the cock.
† 3. Lawful; also, just, fair. Obs.
c. 1350. Will. Palerne, 1312. Whanne … alle lele lawes [were] in þat lond sette.
1352. Minot, Poems, iii. 9. His mone that was gude and lele, Left in Braband full mekill dele.
c. 1375. Sc. Leg. Saints, xl. (Ninian), 1050. Condemnyt be leile syse.
c. 1400. Maundev. (Roxb.), viii. 28. Wheder þai be geten in leel spousage or noght.
c. 1425. Wyntoun, Cron., VII. x. 3186. Oure Kyng Alysawndyr tuk Margret, The dowchtyr of this Kyng Henry, Into lele matrimony.
c. 1460. Towneley Myst., xxiv. 296. To draw cutt is the lelyst, and long cut, lo, this wede shall wyn.
1513. Douglas, Æneis, III. viii. 81. Obseruyng weill … the seremonyis lele.
1727. Walker, Life Peden, 134 (Jam.). I have had my leal share of wrongs this way.
4. Comb., as leal-hearted adj.
1721. Ramsay, Prospect of Plenty, xi. The North Sea skippers are leal-hearted men.
1859. Masson, Brit. Novelists, 107. The leal-hearted Scot’s last visit to his native land.
B. adv. Now only Sc.
1. Loyally, faithfully.
a. 1300. Cursor M., 6857. I … sal hald yow lel mi hight.
a. 1450. Le Morte Arth., 1066. I trewly many a day Haue lovid lelyest in londe.
c. 1450. Holland, Howlat, 750. Luke to the leid that the so leile lufis.
a. 1605. Montgomerie, Sonn., xlv. 3. Look ony one before me loved so leill.
17[?]. in Herd, Sc. Songs (1776), I. 160. Had me fast, let me not gang, If you do love me leel.
2. Honestly, lawfully. Comb. leal-come adj., honestly come by.
a. 1300. Cursor M., 4913. Of our lele bi-geten thing.
1500–20. Dunbar, Poems, lxvi. 46. Bot beneficis ar nocht leill devydit.
1637. Rutherford, Lett. (1862), I. 443. Let us claim our leelcome and lawfully conquessed joy.
1693. Sc. Presbyt. Eloquence (1738), 98. Every Man hath Conversion and the New Birth, but it’s not leel come by.
3. Truly, exactly, accurately; perfectly, thoroughly.
c. 1400. Destr. Troy, 3029. Nouþer lynes ne lerkes but full lell streght.
a. 1400–50. Alexander, 5020. Sire, þou ert lele of ilk lede þe lorde and þe fadire.
c. 1460. Towneley Myst., iii. 446. This forty dayes has rayn beyn, It will therfor abate Fulle lele.
1513. Douglas, Æneis (ad fin.). Redis leill, and tak gud tent in tyme.
1637–50. Row, Hist. Kirk (Wodrow Soc.), 285. Therby giving Mr. Andro Melvill a faire opportunitie to light leill upon Bishop Bancroft.
1720. Ramsay, Wealth, 51. The dawted petts of fate … By pure instinct sae leal the mark have hit.
1790. D. Morison, Poems, 15. [She] swore she’d be … Kiss’d leal frae lug to lug Fu’ sweet that day.
