Obs. exc. arch. or dial. Forms: 1 lýt, 2–3 lutte, 3–4 lut, 3–5 lute, luyte, 3, 5–6, 8–9 lit, 4 liȝt, luite, 4–7 lite, lyte, 4, 9 lyt, 5–6 litte, 6 lyght, lytte, 8 loyt, 9 leet, light, loit. [Partly repr. OE. lýt sb., adj., adv. (= OS. lut sb.), and partly the synonymous ON. lítt adv., contraction of lítet, neut. of lítell: see LITTLE.]
A. sb.
1. Little, not much. Unto lite: very nearly.
a. 1000. Runes, 22 (Gr.). Wen ne bruceþ, ðe can weana lyt, sares and sorʓe.
12[?]. Prayer Our Lady, 24, in O. E. Misc., 193. Muchel ich habbe ispened, to lite ich habbe an horde.
c. 1290. Life of Jesus, 632. Ȝiueth us, heo seiden, of ouwer eoli…. Nai, seiden þe oþere, þere were to luyte to us alle.
13[?]. Guy Warw. (A.), 640. Of mi liif is me bot lite.
1377. Langl., P. Pl., B. XIII. 149. He that loueth the lelly lyte of thyne coueiteth.
c. 1386. Chaucer, Man of Law’s T., 11. Thy neighebore thou wytest synfully And seist thou hast to lite, and he hath al.
a. 1420. Hoccleve, De Reg. Princ., 930. Vpon þis woful thoght I … muse so, that vn-to lite I madde.
1513. Douglas, Æneis, I. Prol. 38. I knaw tharin full lyte.
a. 1575. Friar & Boy, 59, in Hazl., E. P. P., III. 63. He says he wolde ete but lyte, Tyll nyght that he home came.
1867. Rock, Jim an’ Nell, lxv. (E.D.S. No. 76). And Joe an’ will have each a-bro’t A main peart o’ the leet they ’ve got, Gosh, ’e ’ll ha quite a vortin.
b. (A, by) lite and lite: (by) little and little. Also erroneously, by lithe and lithe.
c. 1290. S. Eng. Leg., I. 313/465. So þat þe sonne bi-fore geth luyte and luyte i-wis.
c. 1325. Song of Yesterday, 44, in E. E. P. (1862), 134. Heo ne schal fade as a flour Luyte and luyte leosen hir beute.
c. 1386. Chaucer, Sompn. T., 527 (Cambr. MS.). Euere it wastith lyte & lyte awey.
1406. Hoccleve, Misrule, 92. A lyte & lyte to withdrawen it.
a. 1577. Gascoigne, Don Barth., Wks. (1587), 104. By lite and lite his fits away gan flie.
1592. Dee, Comp. Rehears. (Chetham Soc.), 23. Not long after … by lithe and lithe I became hindered.
c. A lite (in early texts often written alite): a little. Used also advb.
c. 1290. Beket, 1896, in S. Eng. Leg., I. 161. A luyte [v.r. lute] bi-fore cristemasse to þe kinge heo come.
c. 1290. St. Kenelm, 318, ibid. 354. Huy comen into one wode: a luyte bi este þe toune.
c. 1330. Arth. & Merl., 435 (Kölbing). For þe barouns were hende Bi Salesbiri biside a lite Al redi bataile to smite.
c. 1369. Chaucer, Dethe Blaunche, 249. If he wol make me slepe a lyte,… I wil yive him a fether-bed.
a. 1420. Hoccleve, De Reg. Princ., 1240. I have but a lite, And likly am herafter to have lesse.
c. 1430. Two Cookery-bks., 17. Þe ȝolke an þe whyte y-strainyd a lyte.
1513. Douglas, Æneis, VIII. Prol. 3. I slaid on a swevynnyng slummerand a lite.
1530. Lyndesay, Test. Papyngo, 766. Wyll the deith a lyte withdrawe his darte.
1584. Lodge, Alarum (1879), 73. Such stately knees as when they bend a lite, All knees doo bend.
1674. Ray, N. C. Words, 30. A Lite: a few, a little.
1746. Exmoor Courtship, 561 (E. D. S.). Es hire ya lick a lit about ma Cozen Magery.
2. (In OE. followed by genit. pl. with sing. vb.; subsequently ellipt. as subj. to plural vb.) Few.
Beowulf, 2882. Werʓendra to lyt þrong ymbe þeoden.
a. 1200. Moral Ode, 104. Hwi boð fole iclepede, and swa lut icorene.
c. 1200. Trin. Coll. Hom., 123. Lit ben þat þus understonden and bishechen god.
c. 1205. Lay., 4045. Her wes muchel mon-qualm Þat lut her quike bi-lefden.
a. 1300. K. Horn., 658 (Harl. MS.). Of þat þer were o ryue he lafte lut o lyue.
c. 1375. Cursor M., 8496 (Fairf.). Þis write wiþ many was rede and sene bot lite [Cott. fa, Gött. fone] wiste quat hit walde mene.
B. adj. (Uninflected in OE.)
1. Few. Also, a lite = a few (see FEW 2 a).
a. 1000. Be Domes Dæʓe, 61. He mid lyt wordum ac ʓeleaffullum his hæle beʓeat.
c. 1200. Trin. Coll. Hom., 105. We wilen bi godes wissinge and bi his helpe þerof cuþen ȝiu þese lit word.
c. 1230. Hali Meid., 19. Þe hehscipe of þe mede þat tis ilke lut wordes bicluppen abuten.
c. 1375. Cursor M., 27864 (Fairf.). Þer ar synnis lite [Cott. foun] … worre to amende þen is þis.
c. 1380. Wyclif, Sel. Wks., III. 211. Lite prestis or none ben clene of þis symonye.
c. 1400. Destr. Troy, 1312. Soght to þe Citie on soppes to-gedur Tho þat left were on lyue þogh þai lite were.
c. 1420. Liber Cocorum (1862), 47. With a lite grotes put hom þer in And sethe hom wele.
a. 1550[?]. Scotish ffielde, 9, in Furnivall, Percy Folio, I. 212. There were lite Lords in this land: that to that Lord longed.
1860. Waugh, Yeth-Bobs, iii. 47. ‘It’ll be within a light (few) minutes o’ noon, aw’ll be bund.’
1870. Brierley, Ab-o’-th’ Yate on Times & Things, 48. If anybody had axt me heaw mony friends I had,… I should ha’ bin bothered to ha’ said how loit (few).
2. Little in amount; not much of.
c. 1175. Lamb. Hom., 29. Iþencheð hu lutte hw(i)le ʓe beoð here.
a. 1250. Owl & Night., 763. Oft spet wel a lute lyste, Thar muche strengthe sholde miste.
c. 1290. S. Eng. Leg., I. 87/24. Deol and sor and luyte gladnesse.
1297. R. Glouc. (Rolls), 2041. Is poer lute was vor þe king was euere aboue.
a. 1300. K. Horn, 1211 (Cambr. MS.). Wyn nelle ihc, Muche ne lite, Bute of cuppe white.
c. 1300. Havelok, 276. Soþlike, in a lite þrawe Al engelond of him stod awe.
a. 1375. Joseph Arim., 554. Luyte wonder hit was so þey wrouȝt haden.
1387. Trevisa, Higden (Rolls), III. 423. Lite fortune and povert and scarste of riches makeþ me a þeef.
1423. James I., Kingis Q., xiii. I … in my tyme more Ink and paper spent To lyte effect.
1508. Dunbar, Gold. Targe, 71. Your aureate tongis both bene all to lyte, For to compile that paradise complete.
1796. [R. Walker], Plebeian Politics (1801), 31. Hoo … knokt eawt whot loyt breans he had.
1837. Mrs. Palmer, Devon. Dial. 22., The leet money I’ve a croop’d up I be a shirk’d out o’.
3. Little in magnitude; small. Often coupled with great or much.
c. 1205. Lay., 22208. Þa wes Walwain lute child.
a. 1225. Ancr. R., 280. Holie men þet holðet ham lutte & of lowe liue.
c. 1300. St. Brandan, 184. Tho fleȝ ther up a lute fowel.
a. 1366[?]. Chaucer, Rom. Rose, 532. Upon this dore I gan to smyte, That was [so] fetys and so lyte. Ibid. (c. 1384), H. Fame, III. 279. Me thougt she was so lyte That the lengthe of a cubite Was lengere than she. Ibid. (c. 1391), Astrol., Prol. Latin ne canstow yit but smal, my lyte sone.
14[?]. Lydg., Temple of Glass, 1291. For al my life it were to lit a space.
a. 1450. Myrc, 1268. Any mon myche or luyte.
a. 1575. Friar & Boy, 226, in Hazl., E. P. P., III. 71. Though I be lyte, Yonder byrde wyll I smyte.
1600. Fairfax, Tasso, IX. lxxxi. 175. Yet blossom’d out her flowres, small or lite.
1802. Wolcot (P. Pindar), Middlesex Elect., Wks. 1816, IV. 172. Vor now I’ll screw my fiddle-strings Forsooth, a leet bit higher.
1877. Tugwell, Hand-bk. N. Devon, 253. Jan, do’e zee the lit woman standing by the bed?
absol. c. 1320. Seuyn Sag. (W.), 1137. He let of-sende moche and lite, Hise neyebours him to visite.
1600. Fairfax, Tasso, XI. xxvi. From this exploit he spar’d nor great nor lite.
C. adv. Little; in a small degree, to a small extent.
a. 1000. Cædmon’s Gen., 1566 (Gr.). He lyt onʓeat, Þæt him on his inne swa earme ʓelamp.
1340. Ayenb., 31. Þe uerste [zenne] is þonneliche, huanne þe man loueþ lite and lheucliche oure lhord.
c. 1380. Sir Ferumb., 708. Charlis wiþ þe hore berde doþ þe lite Auaylle.
c. 1400. Lanfranc’s Cirurg., 86. Þanne thou nedyste a medycine þat ys lyte dryinge.
c. 1430. Lydg., Compl. Bl. Knt., 413. In straunge lande ryding, ne travayle, Ful lyte or nought in love doth avayle.
