Obs. Forms: 3–5 cherte, 4–5 cheerte, chierte, -tee, 5 cheertee, chierete, chyerete, cheretie, -te, charte, 6 cheritie, (7 arch. chiertee). [a. OF. chierte, later and AF. cherté dearness (in ONF. kerté, querté, Pr. cartat):—L. cāritāt-em dearness, f. cār-us dear. The OF. inherited form of the word which was subsequently taken anew into popular use in the form charité CHARITY. In Eng. the two were not always kept distinct; hence the forms cherete, cheritie.]
1. Dearness, tenderness, fondness, affection; esp. in phr. to have (or hold) in chertee.
a. 1225. Ancr. R., 408. Cherite, þet is cherte of leoue þinge.
c. 1386. Chaucer, Wife’s Prol., 396. He Wende þat I hadde of hym so greet chiertee [v.r. chierte, cherte].
c. 1430. Pilgr. Lyf Manhode (1869), 37. Charitee holt in cheertee that that oothere holden in vilitee.
1483. Caxton, Gold. Leg., 141/2. He was grete with hym and had in grete chyerete.
1613. W. Browne, Sheph. Pipe, Wks. (1772), 11. Sonnes three, Which he had in great chiertee and great prise.
2. Dearness in price; dearth.
a. 1420. Occleve, Poems, Au Roy, iv. 7. Gold hath us in swich hate, That of his love and cheertee the scantnesse Wole arte us three to trotte un to Newgate.
1481. Caxton, Myrr., III. viii. 147. Ther is plente and good chepe in one yere, In another yere it is had in grete chierte.
3. [Connected with CHEER.] Cheerfulness.
c. 1449. Pecock, Repr., I. xx. 121. Men and wommen myȝte lyue … in lasse iolite and cherte of herte. Ibid., II. xx. 274. The sunne passith in cleernes, cheerte, and coumfort the moone.
c. 1505. Dunbar, Sanct Saluator, i. It grevis me both evin and morrow, Chasing fra me all cheritie.
