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Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)

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First published 1952 (SND Vol. III). Includes material from the 2005 supplement.
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

CWITE, CWYT(E), Kwite, Kwyte, Cweet, n. ne.Sc. forms of Eng. coat. See P.L.D. § 126.3. Cf. Quite. [kwəit ne.Sc., but Mry. + kwit]

1. A coat (Mry.¹, Mry.² 1925, cweet; Bnff.², Abd.⁹ 1941, cwyte).Abd. 1879 G. Macdonald Sir Gibbie III. ix.:
As gien a poet was sic a gowk 'at naebody heedit . . . whether he gaed wi' 's cwite hin' side afore or no.Abd.(D) 1916 G. Abel Wylins 135:
Twa men cam' hame fae kirk fu' snod — Braw kwyte an' sheenin' boot.Abd. 1995 Flora Garry Collected Poems 24:
Noo, she's skycin roun the gable-eyn, her leen, i the early gloam,
Wi a muckle cwyte aboot her an a graavit ower her face.Bch. 1932 P. Giles in Abd. Univ. Review (March) 101:
Bein' in a hurry he hid nae time ta put on a cwyt or a bonnet.

2. A petticoat (Bnff.¹³ c.1927, cwite; Abd. 1929 (per Abd.⁴), kwite; Abd.² 1941; Bnff. 1992).Abd. 1868 G. Macdonald R. Falconer x.:
But I'll sweir the crater I saw was in cwytes.