Sullow

Chiefly w. and s.w. dial. Forms: 1 sulh, 1, 3 suluh, 3 solh, (sul(o)h-, sulȝ-, solȝ-, solw-), 4 soluȝ, -ou, Kent. zuolȝ, 4–5 solouȝ, -ow, 5 -ouh, -owe, -oȝ, 6 zolow, 7– sullow (9 zullow, sillow, silla, zilla). [OE. sulh str. fem., for *swulh, the w being preserved in Kentish ME. zuolȝ and OE. swulung, ME. swoling, etc. (see SULING); ultimately cogn. with L. sulcus furrow.

  The local variant sillow represents OE. dat. sing. or nom. pl. sylh, sylʓ. The oblique forms without umlaut (sule, etc.) are represented by forms s.v. SULL.]

  1.  A plough. (Also in fig. context.)

c. 897.  K. Ælfred, Gregory’s Past C., li. 403. Ðæt nan mon ne scyle don his hond to ðære sylʓ, & hawian underbæc.

c. 900.  trans. Bæda’s Hist., V. ix. (1899), 594. Forþon þe heora sylh unrihte gangað.

c. 950.  Lindisf. Gosp., Luke ix. 62. Ne æniʓ sende hond his on sulh [Rushw. suluh] & behaldas on bæcg.

c. 1000.  Sax. Leechd., I. 404. Þonne man þa sulh forð drife.

c. 1205.  Lay., 4260. Þe[t] ælc cheorl eæt his sulche hæfde grið al swa þe king sulf. Ibid., 31811. Þer cheorl draf his sulȝe i-oxned swiðe fæire.

a. 1225.  Ancr. R., 384. Ȝif eax ne kurue, ne þe spade ne dulue, ne þe suluh [MS. T. ploh] ne erede.

1340.  Ayenb., 242. Þe ilke þet zet þe hand aþe zuolȝ and lokeþ behinde him.

1340–70.  Alex. & Dind., 295. Hit is no leue in oure lawe þat we … sette solow on þe feld ne sowe none erþe.

1387.  Trevisa, Higden (Rolls), VII. 445. Þe solouȝ of holy cherche schal nouȝt goo aryȝt. Ibid. (14[?]), App. 535 (Harl. MS. 1900). This day is my solowe y-come to the laste forowe.

1535.  in F. W. Weaver, Wells Wills (1890), 178. A zolow with all other apparell for vj oxen.

1636.  H. Sydenham, Serm. Sol. Occ. (1637), 265. The spirituall Plough is not halfe so well manag’d by any, as one that was yesterday conversant with the Goade and the Sullow.

c. 1640.  J. Smyth, Lives Berkeleys (1883), I. 303. What waynes, carts, sullows, harrows … remained.

1893.  Wilts. Gloss., Sillow, Sullow,… Sylla, a plough, was used at Bratton within the memory of persons still living.

  † b.  A plot of land is described as being ‘of so many sullows’; hence sullow = PLOUGH sb.¹ 3 a, PLOUGH-LAND 1. Obs.

c. 1205.  Lay., 13176. Twenti sulhene [c. 1275 solȝene] lond. Ibid., 18779. Þritti solh of londe. Ibid., 18789.

  2.  attrib. and Comb., as sullow-beam, -board, -handle, -share (all Obs.).

a. 1000.  in Wr.-Wülcker, 196/1. Burris, curuamentum aratri, *sulhbeam.

14[?].  Metr. Voc., Ibid., 628/5. Buris, solowbeme. Ibid., 628/7. Barcha, *solowborde.

c. 1000.  Ælfric, Gloss., Ibid., 104/11. Stiba, *sulhhandla.

14[?].  Metr. Voc., Ibid., 628/5. Stiua, solowhanddul.

14[?].  Trevisa’s Higden (Rolls), VII. App. 527 (Harl. MS. 1900). Heo wole go barfot … uppon nyne *solow schares brennyng and fuyre hote.