Lippen

Chiefly Sc. Forms: 2 lipnen, -ien, 4, 6 lip-, lypnin, (4 lepnyn, 6 lippne), 5–6 lip-, lyppin, -yn, (7 lipen, 9 lippin), 6– lippen. [Of obscure origin; cf. the synonymous LICKEN v. and LITTEN v.¹]

  1.  intr. To confide, rely, trust. Const. to, till; occas. in, into, of, on, unto. Also in indirect pass. To lippen for: To look confidently for.

c. 1175.  Lamb. Hom., 37. Ne lipnie ȝe no al to eower festene.

a. 1200.  Moral Ode, 22. Ne lipnie na mon to muchel to childe ne to wiue.

c. 1470.  Golagros & Gaw., 832. Thus may ye lippin on the lake, throu lair that I leir.

1500–20.  Dunbar, Poems, lx. 70. To thy auld schervandis have an E, That lang hes lippinit into the.

1563.  Davidson, Confut. Kennedy, in Wodrow Soc. Misc. (1844), 208. Thay disseave baith thaim selves and all uthers quha lippinnis in thaim.

1577.  Buchanan, Lett. to Randolph, Wks. (1892), 58. Yf ye gett it not or thys winter be passit, lippin not for it.

1637–50.  Row, Hist. Kirk (Wodrow Soc.), 456. We must lippen much to the old charter, Providebit Dominus.

1685.  T. Sharp, Lett., 5 March, in Thoresby’s Corr. (ed. Hunter), I. 68. I lippened, as we say, of you, else [etc.].

1789.  Burns, To Dr. Blacklock (21 Oct.), ii. I lippen’d to the chield in trouth.

1816.  Scott, Old Mort., ix. I jaloused him … no to be the friend to the government he pretends: the family are not to lippen to.

1868.  G. Macdonald, R. Falconer, I. 49. A gude-hertit crater, but ye cudna lippen till him.

1893.  Stevenson, Catriona, I. ii. 23. I would lippen to Eli’s word—ay, if it was the Chevalier, or Appin himsel’.

  2.  trans. To entrust. Const. dative or to, (till), occas. in. Also, to trust (a person) with (a thing).

c. 1375.  Sc. Leg. Saints, xxii. (Laurentius), 128. Þat þu before lepnyt to me, of godis burd þe priwete.

c. 1450.  Holland, Howlat, 456. I loue ȝou mair for that loiss ȝe lippyn me till.

1513.  Douglas, Æneis, V. xiv. 46. Or quhat in windis sa dissaitfull to ws,… Wald thow I lipnit the maist noble Enee?

1636.  Rutherford, Lett. (1862), I. 179. Christ will lippen the taking you to heaven, neither to yourself, nor any deputy, but only to Himself.

1883.  Black, Four Macnicols, v. The people would say I had done wrong in lippening a boat to such a young crew.

1887.  Suppl. to Jamieson, Addenda s.v., I’ll lippen ye wi’ my siller.

  3.  To expect with confidence. Also with sentence as obj. † To lippen (a thing) in, upon (a person): To expect from.

c. 1425.  Wyntoun, Cron., VII. iv. 554. Than is to lyppyn sum remede.

1535.  Stewart, Cron. Scot. (1858), II. 150. Lyp[n]ing richt lang that tha suld thame reskew.

1552.  Abp. Hamilton, Catech. (1884), 59. To traist upon God, lippin all gud upon him.

1559.  Ld. Hume, in Sadler, State Papers (1809), II. 137. To sende to me zour resolut answer,… that I may perfitlie understand quhat I may lyppin.

a. 1572.  Knox, Hist. Ref., Wks. 1846, I. 74. Your cord and lousie coit and sark, Ye lippin, may bring yow to salvatioun.

1637.  Rutherford, Lett. (1862), I. 444. I can yet lippen that meikle good in Christ as to get a suspension.

c. 1746.  J. Collier (Tim Bobbin), View Lanc. Dial., Wks. (1862), 68. Hoo lippen’t her feather wur turned strackling.

1768.  Ross, Helenore (1789), 51. But some chield ay upon us keeps an ee, And sae we need na lippen to get free.

  Hence Lippening vbl. sb.

1375.  Barbour, Bruce, XII. 238. Thai ar cummyn heir, For lypnyng in thair gret power.

1535.  Stewart, Cron. Scot. (1858), III. 289. All his beleif and lipning wes in thame.

1565.  Postscr. to Q. Mary’s Let., in Keith, Hist. Ch. Scot. (1845), II. 328. This we doubt not bot ze will do according to oure lippinnins with all possible haist.