Forms: 4 coillon, coylon, culyon, 4–5 colyoun, -on, coyllon, 6 colion, collion, -an, coulion, coillen, 7 cullian, culion, cullyen, cullen, 6–9 cullion. [a. F. couillon = Pr. colho, Sp. cojon, It. coglione, Romanic deriv. of L. cōleus, culleus bag, testicle, a. Gr. κόλεος sheath.]
† 1. A testicle. Obs.
c. 1386. Chaucer, Pard. T., 624. I wolde I hadde thy coillons [v.r. coylons, colyounnys, coyllons, culyons] in myn hond.
1481. Caxton, Reynard (Arb.), 22. His ryght colyon or balock stone.
1578. Lyte, Dodoens, II. lvi. 218. His rootes … are like to a payre of stones or Cullions.
1611. Cotgr., Animelles, the stones, cods, or cullions of Lambes, &c.
1737. Ozell, Rabelais, II. xiv. 110.
† 2. As a term of contempt: A base, despicable or vile fellow; a rascal. Obs. Cf. F. coïon, coyon (Cotgr.).
15[?]. Peebles to Play. Where is yon cullion knave?
1575. J. Still, Gammer Gurton, V. ii. It was that crafty cullion Hodge.
1593. Shaks., 2 Hen. VI., I. iii. 43. Away, base Cullions.
1617. Collins, Def. Bp. Ely, 553. Thou shalt be censured for a cullian and a wretch.
a. 1652. Brome, City Wit, IV. ii. Thou Cullion, could not thine own cellar serve thee, but thou must be sneaking into Court butteries?
1843. Lytton, Last Bar., I. xi. Out on ye, cullions and bezonians!
† 3. Fortif. ‘That part of a bulwarke which enginers call the pome, the gard, the shoulder or eares to couer the casamats’ (Florio 1611, s.v. Orecchione).
1589. Ive, Fortif., 12. Which cullion or orechion may be made longer and shorter according to the will of the workman.
4. pl. A popular name of plants of the genus Orchis (or allied genera), from the form of the tubers or ‘roots.’
1611. Cotgr., Couillon de chien, Dogs-stones, Dogs cullions.
1640. Parkinson, Theat. Bot., ix. 1341. Satyrion & Orchis. Cullions or stones. Ibid., xiii. 1354. Sweete Cullions.
1776. J. Lee, Introd. Bot. (ed. 3), 330. Soldier’s Cullions, Orchis.
1879. Prior, Plant-n. (ed. 3), 60.
b. The paired tubers of Orchis.
1688. R. Holme, Armoury, II. 115/1. Cullions, or Stone-roots [are] round roots, whether single, double, or trebble.
1721. in Bailey; and in later Dicts.
5. Comb., as cullion-like adj. (sense 2); † cullion-head (Fortif.).
1591. Harington, Orl. Fur., XXV. xxv. For what could be more cullenlike or base?
1601. Deacon & Walker, Spirits & Divels, To Rdr. 10. To desist from those cullion-like courses in time.
1656. Blount, Glossogr., Cullion-head, see Bastian.
¶ Used by confusion for cullin = CULLING.
c. 1640. J. Smyth, Lives Berkeleys (1883), I. 156. The eldest of the sheep were drawne out as Cullions. [Cf. quot. 1652 s.v. CULLING1 3, and 1887 S. Cheshire Gloss., Cullins, the worst sheep of a flock.]
