Definition of "thole"

Seventy beds keeps he there teeming mothers are wont that they lie for to thole and bring forth bairns hale so God’s angel to Mary quoth.

1922 February, James Joyce, “[Episode 14: Oxen of the Sun]”, in Ulysses, Paris: Shakespeare and Company, […], part II [Odyssey], page 368

That remark of Edith Van Tromp's, to the effect that the illusions would all be swept away, had its confirmation before we had tholed through the first week of our island captivity.

1922, Francis Lynde, Pirates' Hope, New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, page 115

Nor was long Poſſeſſion in molendino regio, of receiving Multures for all Corns of a Barony promiſcuouſly without exception of Teind, found to bring the Teind under a Thirlage, Except ſuch as tholed Fire and Water there.

1705, William Forbes, “Concerning the Burdens that Tiends are Liable to”, in A Treatise of Church-lands & Tithes, Edinburgh: Printed by the heirs and successors of Andrew Anderson [i.e., James Anderson], printer to the Queens Most Excellent Majesty; and to be sold at John Vallange's shop, on the north-side of the street, a little above the cross, page 345

Before long Ailie was silent and white, while her mother rimed on about men and their ways. And then she could thole it no longer, but must go out and walk by the burn to cool her hot brow and calm her thoughts, while the witch indoors laughed to herself at her devices.

1902, John Buchan, The Outgoing of the Tide

But then they heard an awful scream that made them leap to their feet, it was as though mother were being torn and torn in the teeth of beasts and couldn't thole it longer; […]

1932, Lewis Grassic Gibbon [pseudonym; James Leslie Mitchell], “Ploughing”, in Sunset Song: A Novel (A Scots Quair; 1), London: Jarrolds; republished as Tom Crawford, editor, Sunset Song (Canongate Classics; 12), Edinburgh, New York, N.Y.: Canongate Books, 2008, page 34

While they were enjoying their meal and placidly tholing the cacophony from the wireless set, they saw the first of the Ardmore workers arrive in the café.

1955, Robin Jenkins, The Cone-gatherers, London: Macdonald; republished as The Cone-gatherers: A Haunting Story of Violence and Love, Edinburgh: Canongate Books, 2007, pages 86–87

Swiftly they glided away, like the shade of a cloud on the prairie. / After the sound of their oars on the tholes had died in the distance, / As from a magic trance the sleepers awoke, [...]

1847 November 1, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, chapter II, in Evangeline, a Tale of Acadie, Boston, Mass.: William D. Ticknor & Company, part II, page 101, lines 841–842

The oars squeaked against the tholes, the blades dipped with a steady beat, and the sun beat down: the boat crept across the sea.

1973, Patrick O'Brian, HMS Surprise (Aubrey–Maturin series; 3), London: Collins

The nature of my invention consists in curving forward that portion of the scythe snath below the right nib or thole, to such an extent as to form an obtuse angle between the scythe and snath at the point where they are joined, and also in such a manner as to equalize the labor between the right and left hands; whereas, in snaths now in use, the greatest amount of labor falls upon the right arm.

1850 May, “ 38. For an Improvement in Scythe Snaths; Luther Cole, Lafayette, Onondaga county, New York, November 20.”, in John F[ries] Frazer, editor, Journal of the Franklin Institute of the State of Pennsylvania for the Promotion of the Mechanic Arts, volume XIX (Third Series; volume XLIX overall), number 5, Philadelphia, Pa.: Published by the Franklin Institute, at their hall, page 313

For my own stature, which is five feet eight inches, I find that two feet six inches from the heel to the lower thole, just right, and the tholes should be eighteen inches apart. For smooth land, the scythe should be three feet nine inches' shorter for lodged clover and rough ground. The point should be set three feet five inches from the upper thole.

1870 July 9, Phinehas Field, “Mowing, and Things”, in Simon Brown, Stilman Fletcher, editors, The New England Farmer: Devoted to Agriculture, Horticulture, and Kindred Arts, volume IV (New Series), number 9, Boston, Mass.: R. P. Eaton & Co., publishers, office, 24 Merchants' Row, published September 1870, page 424, column 2

Philostratus relates that the king's house in Babylon had a roof of brass, which shone like lightning, and that in that house there was a chamber, whose ceiling was a thole (that is, a concave hemisphere) made in imitation of some system of the heaven, and with sapphire-coloured stones, […] and from the thole were suspended four golden doves, or iynges, who were called the Tongues of the Gods.

1828, [Algernon Herbert], “Ba-bel”, in Nimrod: A Discourse on Certain Passages of History and Fable, volume I, London: Printed [by Thomas Davison] for Richard Priestley, page 206