dight
English
Etymology
From Middle English dighten, dihten, (also dyten, from whence dite), from Old English dihtan, dihtian (“to set in order; dispose; arrange; appoint; direct; compose”), from Proto-Germanic *dihtōną (“to compose; invent”), of disputed origin. Possibly from a derivative of Proto-Germanic *dīkaną (“to arrange; create; perform”), from Proto-Indo-European *dʰeyǵ-, *dʰeyǵʰ- (“to knead; shape; mold; build”), influenced by Latin dictāre; or perhaps from (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Latin dictāre (“to dictate”) itself. See dictate; and also parallel formations in German dichten, Dutch dichten, Swedish dikta.
Pronunciation
- Lua error in Module:parameters at line 290: Parameter 1 should be a valid language or etymology language code; the value "US" is not valid. See WT:LOL and WT:LOL/E. IPA(key): /daɪt/
- Lua error in Module:parameters at line 290: Parameter 1 should be a valid language or etymology language code; the value "Canada" is not valid. See WT:LOL and WT:LOL/E. IPA(key): [dʌɪt]
- Rhymes: -aɪt
Verb
dight (third-person singular simple present dights, present participle dighting, simple past and past participle dight or dighted)
- (obsolete, transitive) To deal with, handle.
- (obsolete, transitive) To have sexual intercourse with.
- 1387-1400, Geoffrey Chaucer, The Manciple's Prologue:
- Ne telleth nevere no man in youre lyf
- How that another man hath dight his wyf;
- 1387-1400, Geoffrey Chaucer, The Manciple's Prologue:
- (obsolete, transitive) To dispose, put (in a given state or condition).
- (obsolete, transitive) To compose, make.
- 14thc., Anonymous, The Chester Mystery Plays, Noah's Flood:
- Japhet's Wife: And I will gather chippes here / To make a fyer for you in feare, / And for to dighte your dinnere / Agayne you come in.
- 14thc., Anonymous, The Chester Mystery Plays, Noah's Flood:
- (archaic, transitive, of facial features) To be formed or composed (of).
- 1885, Richard F. Burton, The Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night:
- […] nor is there found, in sea or on land, a sweeter or pleasanter of gifts than she; for she is prime in comeliness and seemlihead of face and symmetrical shape of perfect grace; her check is ruddy dight, her brow flower white, her teeth gem-bright, her eyes blackest black and whitest white, her hips of heavy weight, her waist slight and her favour exquisite.
- 1885, Richard F. Burton, The Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night:
- (archaic, transitive) To furnish, equip.
- 1485, Sir Thomas Malory, chapter XV, in Le Morte Darthur, book II::
- And whan balyn was wepenles he ranne in to a chamber for to seke somme wepen / and soo fro chamber to chamber / and no wepen he coude fynde / and alweyes kynge Pellam after hym / And at the last he entryd in to a chambyr that was merueillously wel dyȝte and rychely
- (archaic, transitive) To dress, array; to adorn.
- 1645, John Milton, L'Allegro:
- Right against the eastern gate, / Where the great sun begins his state, / Robed in flames, and amber light, / The clouds in thousand liveries dight […].
- (archaic, transitive) To make ready, prepare.
Derived terms
Adjective
dight
Adverb
dight
- English terms inherited from Middle English
- English terms derived from Middle English
- English terms inherited from Old English
- English terms derived from Old English
- English terms inherited from Proto-Germanic
- English terms derived from Proto-Germanic
- English terms inherited from Proto-Indo-European
- English terms derived from Proto-Indo-European
- English terms derived from Latin
- English 1-syllable words
- English terms with IPA pronunciation
- Rhymes:English/aɪt
- English lemmas
- English verbs
- English terms with obsolete senses
- English transitive verbs
- English terms with archaic senses
- English terms with quotations
- English adjectives
- English adverbs
- en:Sex