Obs. In 1 spilian, 3 spilien, spelien, spilen, 4 spyle-. [OE. spilian, = OFris. spilia (WFris. spylje), OS. spilôn (MLG. and MDu., LG. and Du. spelen), OHG. spilôn, spilên (MHG. spilen, spiln, G. spielen); Icel. spila, Norw. and Sw. spela, Da. spille, are from LG.]
1. intr. To sport or play; to rejoice.
c. 1000. Institutes of Polity, in Thorpe, Laws (1840), II. 322. [Hi] lufiað … idele blisse … & ealne dæʓ fleardiað, spelliað & spiliað, & næniʓe note dreoʓað.
a. 1023. Wulfstan, Hom. (1883), 45. Eowra leoda, þe spiliað and pleʓað and rædes ne hedað.
c. 1205. Lay., 13816. Þer he mid his hirede hæhliche spilede.
c. 1250. Gen. & Ex., 2532. God leue hem in his blisse spilen Among engeles & seli men.
c. 1315. Shoreham, V. 89. Elizbeth wel þat aspyde, Hou a spylede onder hyre syde, And made hys reioyynge.
b. To play havoc, do damage. (Cf. SPILE sb.1)
c. 1250. Gen. & Ex., 3183. Oc ðe [h]ail haueð so wide spiled, ðat his graue is ðor-vnder hiled.
¶ 2. trans. and intr. To say; to speak.
Freq. in Layamon, through confusion with spellien SPELL v.1 (cf. the first quot. in sense 1 above).
c. 1205. Lay., 14102. Ofte heo stilledliche spæckeð, & spilieð mid runen, of twam ȝunge monnen. Ibid., 14316. What weoren þat speche þe þat maide spilede.
