Now rare. Also 6 sopyte. [f. L. sōpīt-, ppl. stem of sōpīre to deprive of sense, render unconscious, put to sleep, etc.]
1. trans. To put or lull to sleep; to render drowsy, dull or inactive. Also transf. (with reference to the mental or moral faculties).
1542. Boorde, Dyetary, ix. (1870), 250. Dyuers tymes some be so sopytyd, that the malt worme playeth the deuyll so fast in the heade [etc.].
1656. Blount, Glossogr., Sopited, laid to sleep, being at rest.
1697. trans. Burgersdicius’ Logic, II. xxii. 105. You may demonstrate that an animal sleeps because the common sense is sopited or drown’d by vapours.
1740. Cheyne, Regimen, 11. These Natural Powers may be sopited,… as we see they are in sound Sleep.
1864. A. Leighton, Myst. Leg. Edinburgh (1886), 203. They could not be heard by reason of their having been ‘clean gane,’ or at least sopited in sweet slumber.
1871. Blackie, Four Phases Morals, i. 58. His knowing faculty was blinded and sopited, dosed and drugged by his passions.
2. To put an end to, to settle (a dispute, question, etc.) in some way. Also, to pass over or suppress (something discreditable).
1628. in Birch, Crt. & Times Chas. I. (1848), I. 451. On Friday last there was a meeting of the bishops … about sopiting, as they term it, the controversies of this present time.
1659. Fuller, Appeal Injured Innoc., I. 49. Being loath to enlarge on so odious a difference, sopited in good measure.
1722. Wodrow, Corr. (1843), II. 675. It grieves me to hear that the differences betwixt Subscribers and Non-subscribers are, after they seemed to be sopited, breaking out again.
1746. Turnbull, Justinian, XII. xiii. Certainly there was treason in the case, the infamy of which was sopited by his successors.
1818. Scott, Br. Lamm., xv. If such a union would sopite the heavier part of his unadjusted claims.
1849–50. Alison, Hist. Europe (1859), VIII. 14. If any disputes did occur they were in general sopited by a bribe to the Mandarins.
Hence Sopited ppl. a., Sopiting vbl. sb.
1646. R. Baillie, Anabaptism (1647), 139. Among many more exploded and sopited errors.
1659. H. L’Estrange, Alliance Div. Off., 23. A conference should shortly be had for the sopiting and quieting of those disputes.
1818. Scott, Br. Lamm., xviii. The sopiting of a very dangerous claim.
