v. Obs. 4–7; also 5–7 arret(te, 5 arect, 5–6 arrect. [a. OF. arete-r, aretter, f. à to + reter (Pr. and OSp. reptar):—L. reputā-re to count, reckon: see REPUTE. After 1400 erroneously latinized (in England) as arrectāre, as if connected with rectum, whence the common 15–16th-c. spelling arect, arrect.]
1. trans. To reckon, count; also with compl.
c. 1386. Chaucer, Prol., 726. I praie you … That ye ne arette [v.r. ret(te] it not my vilanie.
1388. Wyclif, Luke xxii. 37. He is arettid [1382 demyd] with wickid men.
c. 1400. Apol. Loll., 26. We arettid Him as smitun of God & lafte.
c. 1430. Lydg., Bochas, II. Prol. They arect it fortunes variaunce.
1470–85. Malory, Arthur (1634), Prol. In hym … myght wel be aretted grete folye.
2. trans. To reckon to the credit or debit of a person; a. in a good or neutral sense: To impute, ascribe, attribute to.
c. 1340. Hampole, Prose Tr., 31. Arett all thi gude dedis sothefastely to Hyme.
c. 1380. Wyclif, Pater Noster, Sel. Wks. III. 107. It was aretted to him into riȝtwysnesse.
c. 1430. Life St. Kath. (1884), 47. Godhed ys not to be aretted to suche thynges þat are sette vnder þe disposicion of God.
1496. Dives & Paup. (W. de W.), I. xxi. 57/1. All the goodnesse sholde be arected to the fader & to the moder, & not to god.
1549. Chaloner, Erasm. Moriæ Enc., F ij b. It is arrected for a great praise and charitable kyndnesse unto theim.
b. chiefly, in a bad sense: To lay to the charge of, impute as a fault to, charge upon.
1388. Wyclif, 1 Chron. xxi. 3. This thing, that schal be arettid in to synne to Israel.
c. 1386. Chaucer, Pars. T., ¶ 506. He that aretteth vpon god, or blameth god, of thyng of which he is hym self gilty.
1430. Lydg., Chron. Troy, I. vi. Lest men thy death arected unto me.
1477. Caxton, Dictes, 147. Yf they fynde ony faulte tarette it to Socrates and not to me.
1574. trans. Littleton’s Tenures, 122 b. No follye maye bee areted to him beeynge within age.
1602. Specht, Chaucer’s Wks., 3. I rather aret it to the negligence and rape of Adam Scriuener, that I may speake as Chaucer doth.
3. To charge, accuse or indict a person (of). [So commonly in OF.]
1375. Barbour, Bruce, XIX. 20. Schir dauid the brechyne Wes of this deid arettit syne.
1641. Termes de la Ley, 27. Arretted is hee that is convented before any Judge, and charged with a Crime. [So in Blount, Law Dict., 1691.]
b. intr. To allege. (pseudo-archaic.)
a. 1643. W. Cartwright, Ordinary, in Dodsl., O. P. (1780), X. 236. I do arret thou shalt acquainted bin With nymphs and fauns and hamadryades.
¶ To commit a charge to, entrust, deliver. (A false use of Spenser’s, due to misunderstanding the obs. arrett to the charge of in 2 b; imitated by others.)
1596. Spenser, F. Q., II. viii. 8. The charge, which God doth unto me arrett, Of his deare safety I to thee commend.
1625. Gil, Sacr. Philos., ii. 133. When God had created man, and arretted the charge of him and his posteritie to the Angels.
