thirl

noun

1. A hole, an aperture, especially a nostril.
2. (dialectal)A low door in a dry-stone wall to allow sheep to pass through; a smoot.
3. (obsolete)A short communication between adits in a mine.
4. (obsolete)A long adit in a coalpit.
5. (historical)A thrall.

verb

1. (transitive)To pierce; to perforate, penetrate, cut through.

   “But yet his hardnesse savde him not against the piercing dart. For hitting right betweene the scales that yeelded in that part Whereas the joynts doe knit the backe, it thirled through the skin, And pierced to his filthy mawe and greedy guts within.”

2. (obsolete, transitive)To drill or bore; to cut through, as a partition between one working and another.
3. (obsolete)To throw (a projectile).

   “And many Authours doe in this manner wound the protection of their cause, by over-rashly running against that which they take hold-of, thirling [translating lanceant] such darts at their enemies, that might with much more advantage be cast at them.”

4. (historical, transitive)To legally bind (a tenant) to the use of one's own property as an owner.
5. (broadly)To bind; to obligate to use or be associated with.

   “Was everyone nowadays thirled to a formula?”

   “And there are plenty of people — Labour politicians, for example — who want people to remain thirled to poverty, who do not want them to have any spirit or independence.”