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A Dictionary of the Older Scottish Tongue (up to 1700)

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First published 1963 (DOST Vol. III).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

Habit, n. Also: habitt, habite, habyt(e, habeit, habet. [e.m.E. and ME. habyte, habite (1362), habit (Chaucer), OF. habit. Cf. Abit n.]

1. Attire, dress, of persons (also transf. of animals).(a) a1400 Leg. S. xxxv. 28.
Tharefor gert he get hyme thane The habyt of a lawit mane 1456 Hay I. 43/14.
The quhilk was first that ever maid kynglik habytis, that ar called habytis royalis, of purpur richely 1513 Doug. i. vi. 166.
Hir habyt fell doun coveryng to hir feit Ib. xiii. Prol. 85.
Syde was this habyt(b) a1400 Leg. S. vi. 453.
Thane Mygdonny … Bot bad hire habit changit hale 1455 Acta Conc. II. p. xiv.
As tuiching, the habitis of the erlis … All erlis sall use mantillis of brown [etc.] 1492 Myll Spect. 286/29.
Scho [the empress] passit to the bordall in habit dissymblit c1500 Fyve Bestes 370.
This wretchit wolf … , His habit was me thocht of cottoun gray c1500-c1512 Dunb. Tua Mar. W. 420.
I drup with a ded luke in my dule habit 1513 Doug. i. vi. h.
Ene … Met with hys modir into habit onknaw c1552 Lynd. Mon. 307.
His habitt angellyke of hew(c) c1552 Lynd. Mon. 151.
Phebus … rose in habyte gaye and glorious 1567 G. Ball. 150.
Tak gude keip To thame that cumis to thé In to the habite of ane scheip 1575 Bk. Univ. Kirk I. 335.
That thair haill habite be of grave collour 1603 Philotus lxxvi.
I man me disagyse In habite of ane man(d) 1513 Doug. i. vi. h. (Sm.).
Enee … Met with his modir into habeit wnknaw 1616 Irvine Mun. II. 49.
The habeit and heid attyre of the wemen … is no way comlie, decent, in the weiring of clokis and plaiddis Ib. 50.
The said attyres and habet of wemen

b. The distinctive dress of a religious person or order. a1400 Leg. S. xxx. 405.
With the abbot son scho met … & askit hym That scho mycht … Tak the habyt c1420 Wynt. v. 3408.
He away kest fra hym qwyte The mwnkys rewle and the habyte c1450-2 Howlat 184.
Thir pikmawis, as for priouiris, With thar party habitis 1492 Myll Spect. 293/12.
It is writyn … that the madyn Rea was enterit be hir brethir in the hous & habit of relegioun 1491 Cart. S. Nich. Aberd. 256.
The chaplannis … sal decoire the queir in ther habitis one haly dais 1535 Stewart 51630.
That tyme thair wes of blak habite ane freir 1549 Compl. 163/32.
Than maye cleitht them agane vitht there spiritual habit a1540 Freris Berw. 525 (B).
In habeit blak in liknes of a freir a1578 Pitsc. II. 282/13.
The tulchen … to weir the claithis or habeit to ane bischope or ane pryore or ane abbot

c. Attrib. with silver. 1489 Liber Aberbr. 263.
Item, in habit siluyr v li. xiii s. and iiij d. 1548 Fraser P. 223.
Ane channouns portioun … wicht [= with] fyre, chalmer, candill, habit siluer and uthir … casualiteis pertenyng thairto 1574 Hist. Kinloss. A. 95.
Thair is to be deducit … for xiiij monkis habit silver, ilk monk haiffand ls. 1577 (1580) Reg. Great S. 813/1.
Ane yeirlie portioun and pensioun … in place of his portioun, habite syluer, and utheris dewteis aucht to him out of the said abbay

2. a. Mental constitution or disposition. b. Bodily condition or appearance. 1490 Irland Mir. 69/7.
Fra the begynnyng the barne had this habit and wertu in the saule 1533 Bell. Livy I. 166/25.
The habit of his body was richt fowsum, for he was lene and nere consumyt throw hunger