sb. pl. Obs. Also 6 bilis, bylis. [Prob. (although the phonetic correspondence is not quite clear) a. F. bille ‘ball,’ also ‘a piece of wood.’ In French jeu de billes has been the name of three distinct games: (1) a game with balls, identified by some with billiards, (2) a game like ‘knur and spell’ or ‘tipcat,’ (3) skittles: see Littré s.v. bille, and Charpentier s.v. billa.]
An obsolete game with bowls, mentioned chiefly as Scotch.
1530. Palsgr., 200/2. Bowle to playe at the byles, bille.
c. 1565. in Chalmers, Life Mary (1818), I. 133 (Jam.). I had the honour … to play a party at a game called the Bilis.
1565. Aberdeen Reg., V. 26 (Jam.). Cartis, dyiss, tabillis, goif, kylis, bylis, & sic wther playis.
