Now dial. Forms: 1, 6– snite, 4–7 (8) snyte, 5 snyghte, snyhte, snyȝt, 6–7 snight. [OE. sníte (also in comb. wudusníte), apparently not represented in any of the cognate languages.]
1. = SNIPE sb. 1.
Some distinction between snite and snipe is implied in the following entries in MS. Cott. Nero A. vi. (early 15th cent.):—fol. 165 v, Plouer, snytys, snypys, larkys; fol. 177 r, Ploueres, snytes, quaylys, snypys.
a. 725. Corpus Gloss., A 138. Acegia, snite.
c. 1000. Ælfric, Voc., in Wr.-Wülcker, 132. Aceta, snite, uel wudecocc.
c. 1325. [see SNIPE sb. 1].
1363. in Riley, Memorials London (1868), 312. A snyte, 11/2d.
1382. Wyclif, Isaiah xxxiv. 11. The snyte [L. ibis] and the crowe dwelle shul in it.
a. 1400. Sqr. lowe Degre, 323. With deynty meates that were dere;… Both storkes and snytes ther were also.
c. 1400. Lydg., Churl & Bird, in Minor P. (Percy Soc.), 192. A downghille doke [is to thee] as deynte as a snyghte.
1515. Barclay, Egloges, iv. (1570), C v b/2. A shamfull rable … presumeth to indite, Though they have scantly the cunning of a snite.
1581. J. Bell, Haddon’s Answ. Osor., 374. Ill may the Snight the Woodcock twight for his long bill.
1604. Drayton, Owle, 947. The witlesse Wood-cocke, and his Neighbour Snite.
1688. Phil. Trans., XVII. 713. These passages are also in the Heads of Snites.
1694. Motteux, Rabelais, IV. lix. (1737), 244. Snytes…. Thistle-Finches.
1837–. in Devon and Cornwall glossaries, etc.
1893. Baring-Gould, Mrs. Curgenven, xlix. Widgeon, nor wild goose, bear, and snite.
† b. Applied to species of birds resembling the snipe. Obs.
1694. Martens’ Voy. Spitzbergen, in Acc. Sev. Late Voy., II. 72. This Snite, which is also called the Strand-runner…, is no bigger than a Lark.
† 2. As a term of abuse. Obs. Cf. SNIPE sb. 3.
1653. Urquhart, Rabelais, I. liv. Here enter not vile bigots, hypocrites, Externally devoted Apes, base snites.
3. attrib., as † snyte-knave, a jack-snipe (cf. snipe-knave s.v. SNIPE sb. 6).
1611. Cotgr., s.v. Un, Deux pour vn, the Snyte-knaue; tearmed so, because two of them are worth but one good Snyte.
