Forms: 4–7 fait(e, -yt(e, 4–6 fete, (4 fet), 5 faytte, 5–6 faicte, feacte, fett(e, feet(e, feit, (6 faytht), 5–7 feate, 6, 9 Sc. fate, 6– feat. [a. OFr. fait, fet (later faict):—L. factum: see FACT.]
† 1. In neutral sense: An action, deed, course of conduct; = FACT 1 a. Also Feats and deeds. To do, perform or work the feat: to ‘do the deed.’ To work one’s (full) feat: to effect one’s full purpose.
c. 1420. Chron. Vilod., 2464.
| To Wylton he bytte ȝow gon | |
| To parforme þe fette. |
1491. Caxton, Vitas Patr. (W. de W., 1495), I. ix. 13 b/2. Saynt Iherom … prayed that he wold recounte to hem of his faytes & his dedes.
1503–4. Act 19 Hen. VII., c. 34, Preamb. Dyvers feetis betwen theym conseyved and conspired.
1538. Leland, Itin., IV. 6. Of the which [Treasoure] apon a Tyme he tooke a certein part withowt Licens to a Feete at his own Pleasure.
a. 1555. Ridley, Wks. (1843), 65. Thou … shalt be lawfully called to do thy feat and to play thy part.
1576. Tyde Tarryeth no Man. Thy money is English, which must worke the feate.
1577–87. Holinshed, Chron., II. 310. To come to their succours in time, and yer the Englishmen had wrote their full feat.
1587. Turberv., Trag. T. (1837), 101.
| So he that had resolude | |
| no longer there to staye, | |
| But doe his feate, and home agayne. |
1630. R. Johnson, Relations of the Most Famous Kingdoms, etc., 34. Where numbers … and weapons have not … prevailed, there hath money alone done the feat.
1656. B. Harris, trans. Parival’s The History of This Iron Age, 7. The Tartars … as soon as they have done their feat … betake themselves to their heels.
1678. Butler, Hud., III. i. 511.
| For if you have perform’d the Feat, | |
| The Blows are visible as yet. |
1732. Pope, Hor. Sat., II. ii. 15.
| If then plain Bread and milk will do the feat, | |
| The pleasure lies in you, not in the meat. |
† b. Action in general; overt action; deeds, as opposed to words. By way of feat (Law; = Fr. par voie de fait): by violence. Obs.
1362. Langl., P. Pl., A. I. 159.
| For Iames þe gentel · bond hit in his Book, | |
| Þat [Fey] withouten [fait] · Is febelore þen nouȝt. |
a. 1400–50. Alexander, 4366. And all þare fete & þar fare · in falshede it endis.
1426. Oath of Lords, in Hall, Chron. (1809), 135. Not suffer that any of the saied parties … procede or attempte by waye of feit against the kynges peace. Ibid. Redressyng all such maner of procedyng by waie of feit or force.
1560. Proude Wyves Pater Noster, 35, in Hazl., E. P. P., IV. 152. I can nought gete of him by fete nor wyle.
† c. A business transaction. Obs.
1588. J. Mellis, Briefe Instr., F iv b. Put your feates downe … aparte in a leafe … after your doing.
d. By feat of: by the agency of, by dint of. Obs. exc. arch.
1489. Caxton, Faytes of A., I. i. 1. More executed by fayt of dyligence & witte than by subtyltees of wordes polisshed.
1805. Scott, Last Minstr., I. xi.
| Men said, he changed his mortal frame | |
| By feat of magic mystery. |
2. An exceptional or noteworthy act or achievement; esp. a deed of valour; a noble exploit. Often in feat of arms. Now somewhat arch., and with some mixture of 3.
a. 1400–50. Alexander, 3105. For all þe feete at oure fadirs · in þe fold hade.
1485. Caxton, Paris & Vienna (1868), 9. Thenne were the knyghtes redy to do fayte of armes.
c. 1507. Justes Moneths May & June, 182, Hazl., in E. P. P., II. 127.
| That is our souerayne and prynce naturall | |
| Whose noble actes and faytes mercyall | |
| Shall be had in remembraunce immortall | |
| The worlde through out. |
1555. Abp. Parker, Ps. cvi. 7.
| Thy (noble) faytes in Egipt done: our fathers noted seald: | |
| Of thy great loues no mynd they had: at red sea they rebeld. |
1585. Jas. I., Ess. Poesie (Arb.), 67. Martiall and knichtly faittis of armes.
1611. Bible, Judith xi. 8. Thou onely art excellent in all the kingdome, and mightie in knowledge, and wonderfull in feates of warre.
1642. R. Carpenter, Experience. A peece of sanctified and blessed waxe, which shall … make the Devill runne, and doe many such feates.
1667. Milton, P. L., II. 537.
| With feats of Arms | |
| From either end of Heav’n the welkin burns. |
1813. Scott, Trierm., II. xxvi.
| For feats of arms as far renown’d | |
| As warrior of the Table Round. |
1843. Lytton, Last Bar., I. i. Those personal feats … dazzled the populace.
1856. Stanley, Sinai & Pal., iii. (1858), 161. Othniel performed the feat of arms that won him the daughter of Caleb.
† b. Man or folk of feat: man or folk of deeds or might. Cf. Fr. gens de fait.
c. 1500. Melusine, 119. They were folke of faytte and of grete enterpryse. Ibid., 211. Prysouners … al men of estate & faytte.
3. An action displaying dexterity or strength; a surprising trick, a ‘tour de force.’
1564. Brief Exam. Among the Painims and Turkes men are able to worke theyr feates.
1614. Bp. Hall, A Recollection of such Treatises, 989. Hee had rather send for his magicians to worke feates, then to humble himselfe vnder God for the remooueall of this plague.
1682. S. Pordage, Medal Rev., 281.
| What e’er these Men pretend, the jugling Feat | |
| Is plainly seen; ’tis to grow Rich, and Great. |
1770. Goldsm., Des. Vill., 22. Sleights of art and feats of strength went round.
1822. Imison, Elements of Science and Art, I. 22. Many of the feats of balancing depend soley upon this principle.
1826. J. Wilson, Noct. Ambr., Wks. 1855, I. 242. Tickler. What tricks did the imps perform? Shepherd. They werena tricks—they were fates.
1867. Lady Herbert, Cradle Lands, vi. 155. it is a wonderful feat of architectural skill to have piled up such hugh masses of masonry, which seem rather to cleave to the bare rock than to be supported from below.
† 4. An evil deed; a crime. Obs. = FACT 1 c.
1481. Caxton, Godfrey, 224. He was sory and thought how he myght helpe them ayenst this fals turk that had don this feet. Ibid. (1490), Eneydos, iv. 20. The blody faytte vppon me doon by the false and cruel Plasmator.
1559. Mirr. Mag., Dk. Clarence, xii.
| Yet towarde his feat to set me more on fire, | |
| He kindeled vp one firebrand with another. |
† 5. A kind of action; one of the operations practised in any art or profession; also, in more comprehensive sense, a department of action, a pursuit, employment, art or profession. The feat of merchandise: mercantile business. (The) feat of war: warfare. Feats of war: military duties or exercises. Obs.
c. 1400. Destr. Troy, 10030.
| Wise men in werr … | |
| Of all fetis enfourmyt, þat to fight longit. |
c. 1500. Arnolde, Chron. (1811), 80. Freemen ocupied a bowte the faite of marchandise in ferre contreis.
1511–2. Act 3 Hen. VIII., c. 5 § 1. To serve the Kyng … in feit of Warre.
1531. Elyot, The Boke Named the Gouernour, I. viii. (1537), 24. By the feate of portraiture or paintynge, a capitayne maye dyscriue the countrey of his aduersary, wherby he shall eschewe the daungerous passages with his hoste or nauie.
1539. Cranmer, in Strype, Life, II. (1694), 243. The smith, mason or carpenter … will not sell nor lay to pledg the tools of his occupation; for then how should hee work his feat, or get his living thereby?
1540. Act 32 Hen. VIII., c. 42 § 3. Suche persones … exercise barbari, as washynge, or shauyng, and other feates thervnto belongyng.
1555. Act 2–3 Ph. & M., c. 11 § 4. No … Weaver … shall … exercise the Feat or Mystery of a Tucker.
1574. J. Dee, in Lett. Lit. Men (Camden), 38. A good boke or Instrument for Perspective, Astronomy, or som feat of importance.
1577. trans. Bullinger’s Decades (1587), III. i. 268/1. The feat of merchandizing, is no where condemned throughout the holy Scriptures: but those Merchauntes are condemned which neither feare nor seek after God, but vse odde shifts and subtile sleights to deceiue and cosen their brethren and neighbours.
1600. Holland, Livy, XXI. xxv. (1609), 407. A nation unskilfull altogether in the feat of assaulting townes, and likewise of all other most cowardly, to attempt any martial exploits.
1648. Milton, Tenure Kings (1650), 57. Divines, if ye observe them, have thir postures, and thir motions no less expertly, and with no less variety then they that practise feats in the Artillery-ground.
1652. Needham, trans. Selden’s Mare Cl., 498. Great multitudes of people by reason of using and exercising the craft and feat of Fishing.
† 6. The art, knack, or trick of doing anything.
c. 1386. Chaucer, Clerk’s T., 373.
| Not only this Grisildis thurgh hire wit | |
| Coude all the fete of wifly homlinesse. |
c. 1400. Destr. Troy, 1529. Gate masons full mony, þat mykull fete couthe.
1548. Udall, etc., Erasm. Par. Mark iii. 27. None knewe better the feate howe to worke mischiefe.
1553. Short Catech., in Liturgies, etc. (1844), 496. More … than that I, by any feat of utterance, may easily express it.
1599. Nashe, Lenten Stuffe (1871), 107. They want the right feat, how to salt and season them.
1633. Ford, Love’s Sacr., I. ii. I have got the feat on’t.
1681. Glanvill, Sadducismus, II. 39. These Men having the Art or Knack of Making, Graving, or Carving the Pictures of Men, Beasts, Serpents, Reptiles, &c. had the the Feat also of Colouring, Painting, Fucussing of them also.
† 7. Fact, actuality. In phrases: The feat of: the facts that relate to. In, of feat: in fact. Obs.
13[?]. E. E. Allit. P., B. 1106. Hit ferde freloker in fete in his fayre honde.
a. 1400–50. Alexander, 30. Þai … Of þe fold & of þe firmament wele þe fete cuthe.
1436. Political Poems (Rolls), II. 182.
| Than shulde worshyp unto oure noble be, | |
| In feet and forme to lorde and magesté. |
c. 1477. Caxton, Jason, 13. Alway in feet ye haue refused him. Ibid. (1481), Myrr., III. iv. I vij b. Will ye thenne after see the fait of the mone. Ibid. (1490), Eneydos, iv. 18. To haue knowleche of this myracle and of alle the faytte therof.
c. 1500. Melusine, 184. Of faytte theire was grete scarmysshing and grete losse.
† b. Upon the feat of (Fr. sur le fait de): on the subject of, concerning. Obs.
1483. Caxton, Gold. Leg., 427/1. Gyuyng counceyll to the sowles vpon the fayte of theyr conscyence. Ibid. (1483), G. de la Tour (1868), 167. Ones it befell to Syre Foucques delaual, as he told me vpon the fayt of this Ensample. Ibid. (c. 1489), Blanchardyn and Eglantine, xxiii. 76. The proude pucelle in amours, was wyth many of her ladyes, and other her gentyll women and spake at that same owre wyth certayne of her counseyll vpon the faytte of her werre.
8. Comb. objective, as feat-worker.
1617. Purchas, Pilgrimage, IV. xviii. § 5 (ed. 3), 504. Tumblers, and other feat-workers.
