Obs. exc. Hist. and dial. Forms: 1– wite; also 3, 5 wijt, 4–6 witte, 4, 6–7 wyt, 3–4, 6, 8 wit (4 wyȝte, witt, wijtte, 5 wijte, wytte, 5–6 wyght, 6 wyit, wycht, wight, quhyt, 7 weit, wayt, waite, 7–8 white), 4– wyte. [OE. wíte = OFris. wîte, OS. wîti (MLG. wîte, Du. wijte), OHG. wïȥi (MHG. wîȥe), ON. víti: see WITE v.1]
† 1. a. Punishment; penalty; pain inflicted in punishment or torture, esp. the torments of hell. (Cf. OE. helle-wíte, etc.) Obs.
c. 825. Vesp. Psalter, xxxviii. 11. Awend from me witu ðin.
c. 888. K. Ælfred, Boeth., xxxvii. § 3. Ne þearf nænne wisne mon tweoʓan þat ða yflan næbben eac ecu edlean hiora yfles; þæt bið ece wite.
a. 1000. Cædmon’s Gen., 2542. Þa ic sendan ʓefræʓn … sweartne liʓ werum to wite, weallende fyr.
a. 1175. Cott. Hom., 219. Þa wile ȝearcode se almihti sceappende him and his iferen helle wite.
c. 1200. Ormin, 3295. Swa þatt he ȝæn þe Kaserrking ne felle nohht i wite.
a. 1225. Ancr. R., 202. Þe Vox of ȝiscunge haueð þeos hweolpes: Tricherie & Gile, þeofðe, Reflac, Wite, & Herrure strencðe.
a. 1300. Cursor M., 6714. Þis beists lauerd þan sal bi quit Of alkin oncall, and oþer wijt. Ibid., 15802. He þat smitand es wit suerd, O suerd sal ha þe wite.
b. In Anglo-Saxon law, a fine imposed for certain offences or privileges; often as second element in compounds, as BLOODWITE, ferdwite (see FERD sb.1 4), fyhtwite (see FIGHT sb. 7), LAIRWITE. Now Hist.
c. 890. Laws Ælfred, ix. Sie þæt wite LX scill.
c. 1205. Lay., 5118. Þat al comen to Lundene uppe wite of feowerti punden.
1387. Trevisa, Higden (Rolls), II. 95. Fightynge wyte, amersement for fightynge.
1473[?]. Stonor Papers (Camden), I. 130. That they schol noȝt pay no ale wytys to me.
1614. Selden, Titles Hon., 262.
1628. Coke, On Litt., 127.
1872. E. W. Robertson, Hist. Ess., II. vi. 64. The lesser wite or ordinary fine of the Hundred-Court.
1897. Maitland, Domesday Bk. & Beyond, 102. In any case their lord is to have their wites.
2. Blame, reproach; blameworthiness, fault. Now Sc. and north. dial.
Phr. to have the wite, to put the wite in, to put (a person) in wite, to give (one) the wite (of), to lay the wite on.
a. 1225. Ancr. R., 4. Cleane schir in wit, wiðute wite of sunne.
c. 1250. Gen. & Ex., 2035. Ðe wite is hise, ðe right is hire.
a. 1300. Cursor M., 5667. He said til him þat bare þe wite, ‘How dare þou sua þi broþer smite!’
c. 1386. Chaucer, Can. Yeom. Prol. & T., 400. And but I do, lat me han the wite. Ibid., Wife’s Prol., 806. That I haue doon it is thy self to wyte.
c. 1400. Melayne, 555. Þe wyte is all in the.
c. 1403. Lydg., Temple of Glas, 166. Some also þat putten ful grete wite On double louers.
c. 1440. Generydes, 869. What cause haue ye to putte me in this witte?
c. 1449. Pecock, Repr., III. xvi. 386. Sithen hise successouris ben not ȝit founde in wijte or defaute. Ibid., 515. This gouernaunce deserueth not bi hir wijt to be kut away.
c. 1450. Holland, Howlat, 68. I se be my schadowe my schape has the wyte.
1470–85. Malory, Arthur, II. x. 88. Kynge Pellinore bare the wytte of the deth of kynge Lott.
1528. More, Dyaloge Heresyes, IV. xii. (1529), 116 b. Our mother Eue layd the wyght of her synne to the serpent.
1550. Reg. Privy Council Scot., I. 104. The witte salbe imputt to him as accordis.
a. 1578. Lindesay (Pitscottie), Chron. Scot. (S.T.S.), II. 157. They gif ȝow the haill quhyt … that they ar persewit be the quene.
1583. Leg. Bp. St. Androis, 1063. George Gipsones Iskie bae Had all the wyte he womit sae.
1596. Spenser, F. Q., VI. iii. 16. Sith his own thought he knew most cleare from wite.
1600. Holland, Livy, VIII. xxxiv. 306. The posteritie hereafter should lay the waite and blame … in the Tribunes.
1637–50. Row, Hist. Kirk (Wodrow Soc.), 409. The Bishop,… crying to the people, That he had no wyt of the matter.
1674. Ray, N. C. Words, 53. You lean all the white off your sell.
1722. Ramsay, Twa Cut-purses, 34. Ye canna lay the Wyte on me.
1787. Grose, Prov. Gloss., s.v. White, You lean all the white off yourself.
1818. Scott, Hrt. Midl., xxxii. This is a’ your wyte, Miss Jeanie Deans.
1823. Galt, R. Gilhaize, II. xiii. 130–1. About seven months after he left the town twa misfortunate creatures gave him the wyte of their bairns.
1886. Stevenson, Kidnapped, xix. But now it’s done, Alan; and who’s to bear the wyte of it?
† b. The source or origin of blame; the person or thing that is to blame. Sc. Obs.
1513. Douglas, Æneid, I. Prol. 366. Quhilk in sum part is the caus and the wite, Quhy that of Virgillis vers the ornate bewtie Intill our toung may nocht obseruit be.
1560. Rolland, Seven Sages (Bann. Club), 75. I am the wite now of hir deid doutles.
c. 1560. A. Scott, Poems (1902), 94. Ȝour twa fair ene is wycht of all my wo.
1725. Ramsay, Gentle Sheph., IV. i. She abusing first, was a’ the wyte Of what has happen’d.
† 3. transf. Offence, trespass; wrong. Obs.
c. 1175. Lamb. Hom., 15. Ne do he þe neure swa muchelne teone ne wite on þisse liue ne beo þu nefre ene wrað þer fore.
a. 1300. Cursor M., 4586. Þou sal god office haue ful tite, And all forgiuen þe þi wijtte. Ibid., 10393. Iesu crist was tan, And don on rode for our wite.
13[?]. Guy Warw. (A.), 304. He wald anon mine heued of smite,… for that wite.
1390. Gower, Conf., II. 89. Of tomoche or of tolyte Ther is algate founde a wyte.
c. 1412. Hoccleve, De Reg. Princ., 2720. Þat haþ I-do þe tres-pase, or the wyte.
4. attrib. and Comb., as (sense 1 b) wite-exacting, -free adjs.
1897. Maitland, Domesday Bk. & Beyond, 87. A tract over which a lord has … a *wite-exacting power.
1205. Rot. Chart. (1837), 153/2. Wrecfri et *witefri et lestagefri.
1278. [see LOVECOP.].
1395. [see LASTAGE sb. 7].
1672. Cowel’s Interpr., Wite.… Hence Wite or Witfree, one of the terms of Priviledge granted to our Portsmen.
