Chiels

/tʃiːlz/ noun

Definition

Plural form of 'chiel'; multiple children, young people, or fellows in Scottish English.

Etymology

The standard plural of 'chiel' formed by adding '-s', following regular English pluralization. Descended from Old English 'cild' through Scots development.

Kelly Says

Both 'chiels' and 'chields' are valid plurals showing that Scottish dialect had flexible spelling conventions—different writers would pluralize the same word different ways, which is why historical Scottish texts look so varied to modern readers.

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