Also 5 swepelles, swepyl, swipylle, 7 sweaple, 7–9 swiple, 9 Sc. swoople, swupple. See also SUPPLE sb.1 [prob. orig. f. swēp-, SWEEP v. or swip-, SWIP v. + instrumental suffix -ELS. Cf. LG. swepelbessen broom with which chaff is swept up.]
† 1. A besom, mop. Obs.
14[?]. Voc., in Wr.-Wülcker, 616/12. Tersorium, a swepelles (a malkyn).
2. The part of a flail that strikes the grain in thrashing.
a. 1450. Tourn. Tottenham, 167. Of sum were the hedys brokyn … Wyth swyppyng of swepyls [v.r. swipylles].
1609. Shuttleworths’ Acc. (Chetham Soc.), 184. For hollyn swipples, vijd. Ibid. (1619), 239. Twelve swipples.
1688. R. Holme, Armoury, III. 333/1. The Swiple [of a Flail or Threshal is] that part is striketh out the Corn.
1824. Mactaggart, Gallovid. Encycl., s.v. Barnman’s-jig, The swoople on the end of the hand-staff.
1902. A. Thomson, Lauder & Lauderdale, xxiii. 261. An early working model of the threshing mill consisted of a series of flails or swiples … dangerous to approach.
1907. M. C. F. Morris, Nunburnholme, 249. The sound of the swipple on the barn floor was heard every working day all through the winter.
† 3. app. A swivel. Obs.
1691. Lond. Gaz., No. 2632/4. A Gold Japanned Watch, with a Gold Chain, and 3 Sweaples.
