α. pre-1700 row-bile, pre-1700 row-bowl, pre-1700 row-bowle, pre-1700 row-bowll.
β. pre-1700 roll-boull, pre-1700 roll-bowl.
† row-bowln.
Scottish. Obsolete.
In plural: the game of bowls (bowl n.2 3). Also: a ball for playing this game.
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > ball game > bowls or bowling > [noun]
bowls1495
row-bowls1501
bowling1535
rolling1583
1501 in J. B. Paul Accts. Treasurer Scotl. (1900) II. 112 Giffin to the king himself that he playit at the row bowlis..lvj s.
1507 in J. B. Paul Accts. Treasurer Scotl. (1901) III. 392 Item, in Linlithqw, to the King quhilk he tynt at the rowbiles with Johne Dunlop and Alexander Makcullo, xxviij s.
1563 in Bk. Old Edinb. Club XXIII. 105 The deponar usit..to play at the rowbowlis thairupoun.
a1586 R. Maitland Geneal. House & Surname Setoun (1830) 30 Hauand..tua knoppis on the heid..als grit..as ane roll boull.
1616 in H. Paton Suppl. Rep. MSS Earl of Mar & Kellie (1930) 72 Soe as the football and the rowbowles and sutche manly exerceisses maye be practysed..befor his majesties cumming to Scotland.
1620 in A. I. Ritchie Churches St. Baldred (1880) 188 George Foster..accusit for..hurting Robert Grant..with ane row-bowle on the face.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, March 2011; most recently modified version published online December 2020).
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