English word origin

Etymology of hile

Probably a collateral form of ail (“awn of barley”).

1 source sectionBrief source recordWiktionary original ↗

In this entry · 1 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗

verb

To form sheaves into a hile.

noun

A bundle of sheaves of wheat (or similar crop) stacked vertically to dry; a stook.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Probably a collateral form of ail (“awn of barley”).

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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  "links": [
    [
      "ail",
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    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "verb",
      "glosses": [
        "To form sheaves into a hile."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "West-Country",
        "obsolete"
      ],
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      "rawRecordSha256": "5c22d840ca3eb16d5f40a9e79b8c7f7e0f00b3f0a73f8cbb12725f42af15fccc",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 686139
    },
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A bundle of sheaves of wheat (or similar crop) stacked vertically to dry; a stook."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "West-Country",
        "obsolete"
      ],
      "recordId": "d3b697617127a254d0b8c467455d689e09e2a1d19c96405b69bc4139ac578290",
      "rawRecordSha256": "581f6978530837b538be2c6f38b407a325bdfd3fa4d5ed8b0ec37c12239f15bb",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 686138
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
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    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
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  }
}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for hile →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger

Machine-source provenance

Source SHA-256: 5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run: 73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID: w-aGlsZQ