I'm reading Don Quixote, the Oxford edition, and ran into the word "omecils" (probably plural)- to which there is no explanation in the book itself, nor have I been able to find its definition online. The Google results only show me the exact passage I read on the book. Here is the segment:

"Peace," said Don Quixote; "where hast thou ever seen or heard that a knight-errant has been arraigned before a court of justice, however many homicides he may have committed?"

"I know nothing about your omecils," answered Sancho, "nor in my life have had anything to do with one; I only know that the Holy Brotherhood looks after those who fight in the fields, and in that other matter I do not meddle."

I can assume the word means "vocation" (or vocations in this case?), but I wouldn't know. Perhaps it's a mispronunciation of something? perhaps it's a word Cervantes coined and the translation left it as it is?

Well, this forum never disappoints me, so I'm turning my question to you... is "omecils" a word? what does it mean?

Last edited by Logwood; 10/31/2005 11:12 PM.