Orig. north. and Sc. Also 4 spa, 6 spai, spay. [a. ON. spá (Icel. spá, Norw. spaa; MSw. spā, Sw. spå, Da. spaa, † spo; also NFris. spoai, spuai, spui from Danish), of uncertain origin.] To foretell, to prophesy. Chiefly trans. with direct object or with that.
a. 1300. Cursor M., 18988. O propheci … sal þai speke,… And o mi gast I sal a streme To suain and womman gife alsua, At cum wit propheci to spa.
1513. Douglas, Æneid, II. iv. 89. Thocht scho spayit the suitht, and maid na bourd. Ibid., III. vi. 28. The Harpy Celeno Spais onto ws a feirfull takin of wo.
1721. Ramsay, Prospect of Plenty, 76. Does Tam the Rhimer spae oughtlins of this?
a. 1774. Fergusson, Farmer’s Ingle, Poems (1845), 36. Fu’ hale and healthy wad they pass the day;… Nor doctor need their weary life to spae.
1785. Burns, Halloween, xiv. [To] seek the foul Thief onie place, For him to spae your fortune.
1815. Scott, Guy M., iii. Tell me the very minute o’ the hour the wean’s born, and I’ll spae its fortune.
1841. Borrow, Zincali, I. iv. 78. A Gypsy sibyl … spaed the good fortune to his daughters.
1863. Baring-Gould, Iceland, 136. Ingimund left Norway because some Finns had spaed that he should settle in Iceland.
1876. A. Laing, Lindores Abbey, xxvi. 382. The spaewife might now spae in vain.
Hence Spaeing vbl. sb. (also attrib.) and ppl. a.; Spaer, one who foretells.
c. 1480. Henryson, Orpheus & Eurydice, 588. Wichcraft, Spaying, and sorsery.
1513. Douglas, Æneid, I. vi. 148. Les than [= unless] my parentis taucht me spaying craft fals.
1725. Ramsay, Gentle Sheph., III. ii. May your spaeing happen soon and weel.
1790. Shirrefs, Poems, 122. And sae it is with a’ the spaeing crew. Ibid., 123. Before they enter on the spaeing part.
1820. Blackw. Mag., May, 161. A seller o’ horn spoons, and a spaer o’ poor folks’ fortunes.
