Dole
Dole (dōl) , noun
[Old English deol, doel, dol, Old French doel, from doloir to suffer, from Latin dolere; perh. akin to dolare to hew.]
grief; sorrow; lamentation. [Archaic]
And she died.
So that day there was dole in Astolat.
Dole , noun
[Latin dolus: compare French dol.]
(Scots Law) See Dolus.
Dole , noun
[Anglo-Saxon dāl portion; same word as dal. See Deal.]
1.
Distribution; dealing; apportionment.
At her general dole,
Each receives his ancient soul.
2.
That which is dealt out; a part, share, or portion also, a scanty share or allowance.
3.
Alms; charitable gratuity or portion.
So sure the dole, so ready at their call,
They stood prepared to see the manna fall.
Heaven has in store a precious dole.
4.
A boundary; a landmark. — Halliwell
5.
A void space left in tillage. — [Prov. Eng.]
Collocations (4)
Dole beer , beer bestowed as alms. [Obsolete]
Dole bread , bread bestowed as alms. [Obsolete]
Dole meadow , a meadow in which several persons have a common right or share.
on the dole , receiving financial assistance from a governmental agency, such as a welfare agency; as, after his unemployment benefits ran out, his family was on the dole for a year.
Dole (dōl) , transitive verb
To deal out in small portions; to distribute, as a dole; to deal out scantily or grudgingly.
The supercilious condescension with which even his reputed friends doled out their praises to him.