Streel

Part of speech: verb, noun

Definitions

1. An old Scots term for a untidy, careless woman ; to move along slowly and carelessly, letting one's clothes or body trail behind
2. A dated word for a sloppy, disreputable woman ; to drag oneself along in an untidy, slovenly way
3. A slattern, especially a dirty or immoral woman in older Scottish usage ; to saunter or trail along in a disorderly, unkempt fashion

Etymology: "Streel" is a Scottish and northern English word that, as a verb and noun, has to do with trailing about in an untidy, bedraggled fashion, and it is traced to Irish "straoill", meaning an untidy person. The Irish origin is a useful reminder that Scots and northern English have long drawn on Gaelic vocabulary, and that the sense of a slovenly, straggling figure is built into the word from the start. The word sits in a small family of related forms. Its relatives "stroll" and "streal" appear alongside it, suggesting a shared sense of wandering or dragging along without purpose. Because these forms overlap so closely in sound and meaning, the link between "streel" and "stroll" is worth noticing, even though the source leaves the precise path between them unresolved.