Obs. Forms: 1 uhtan, 3 uhhtenn, 4 vȝten, vghtene. See also OUGHTEN. [Common Teutonic: OE. úhtan, obl. form of *úhte wk. fem. = OS. ûhta (MLG. uchten, LG. ucht; MDu. uchten, ochten, Du. ucht-, ochtend), OHG. ûhtâ, uohtâ (MHG. uohte, uhte), Goth. ūhtwō, ON. and Icel. ótta (Norw. and Sw. otta) in the same sense: relationship to forms outside of Germanic is uncertain. In ME., as in MLG. and MDu., the oblique case in which the word commonly occurred was adopted in place of the original nominative.]
1. The part of the night immediately before daybreak; early morning.
Beowulf, 126. Ða was on uhtan mid ærdæʓe Grendles guðcræft gumum undyrne.
971. Blickling Hom., 47. Syxtan siþe on niht ær he ræste, seofoþan siþe on uhtan.
c. 1000. Saxon Leechd., III. 20. Læt standan þreo niht; syle drincan ær uhton lytelne scænc fulne.
c. 1200. Ormin, 2484. Godess enngell comm himm to Onn uhhtenn þær he sleppte.
a. 1300. K. Horn., 1474 (Camb. MS.). Hi sloȝen & fuȝten, Þe niȝt & þe vȝten.
13[?]. E. E. Allit. P., B. 893. Ruddon of þe dayrawe ros vpon vȝten, When merk of þe mydnyȝt moȝt no more last.
13[?]. St. Erkenwolde, 118, in Horstm., Altengl. Leg. (1881), 268. Ser Erkenwolde was vp in þe vghtene ere þene.
2. attrib. in ughten-tide; also ughten-song, + UHTSONG.
c. 900. trans. Bæda’s Eccl. Hist., IV. xii. 300. Neowe steorra … in uhttide [Ca. uhtantide] wæs upeornende.
c. 950. Lindisf. Gosp., Mk. xiii. 35. On uhte tid [Rushw. uhtu-tid] vel on honcroed.
c. 1200. Ormin, 5832. Hu Crist ras upp off dæþe Onn uhhtenntid te þridde daȝȝ. Ibid., 6360. Wiþþ daȝȝsang & wiþþ uhhtennsang, Wiþþ messess & wiþþ beness.
13[?]. [see next].
Hence Ughtening (also dial. oachenin), in the same sense.
a. 1300. E. E. Psalter lxxii. 14. I was swongen al þe dai, And in vghteninges [Harl. MS. uhtentide] mi þhraying ai. Ibid., c. 9. In vghteninge I slogh with hand Alle þe sinful of þe land.
c. 1900. Eng. Dial. Dict. (Caithness dial.), Oachenin, the early dawn.
