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

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First published 1971 (DOST Vol. IV).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

Met, v. Also: mett(e. P.t. and p.p. mettit, -ed, mett. [Var., appar. chiefly or only Sc., of Mete v.²With short vowel ? f. met(t p.t. and p.p. of Mete v. (as appar. also in bet(t to beat and fet to fetch) or ? f. Met n.] To measure.

1. tr. To ascertain the quantity of (a commodity) by means of a measure of capacity.14.. Acts I. 30/2 (see Mesur(e n. 3 a (1)). — 1442 Ayr B. Ct. Nov.
[That] na wyf met mele bot thai that aht it —1454 Perth Guildry 14 Dec. (see Mettar(e n. a). —1520 Edinb. B. Rec. I. 201. 1534 Dunferm. Reg. Ct. MS. I. 29.
Euery main bryngand his stuf to the said myll … suld met his awin stuf … & nocht the myllar 1544 Elgin Rec. I. 80.
And siclik for the vsing of ane vthir mesour nor the comond mesour of this brucht to met the said salt 1573 Breadalbane Ct. Bk. 1 b. 1602 Inverness Rec. II. i. 1631 Linlithgow B. Rec. 14 Jan.
That he mett the bagis of quheat quhair he suspectis [etc.] 1643 Glasg. Univ. Mun. III. 537.
A wirtdish with a pitcher that metts the wirt 1669 Peebles B. Rec. II. 81.
To met or caus met or measure any vicuall in the publict mercate without [etc.] 1692 Ib. 139.

b. To deal or measure furth or out. tr. and absol. 1581 Edinb. B. Rec. IV. 216.
That na maner of persounis … sell, mett furth, resaue, or vse … ony vther mesour of pek and furlett … nor [etc.] 1670 Wemyss Sc. Diaries 129.
14 shillings starling & six pens for every way of salt he shall mette outt att Lundon

c. To verify the accuracy of (a measure of capacity) against a gauge or standard.See Jadge v. for further examples. 1528 Stirling B. Rec. I. 33.
The baillies sall caus all … pyntis, quhartis and chopynnis to cum to the tolbuith, and met and misour the samyn 1556 Carte Northberwic 73. 1597 Stirling Chart. 223.
The counsale hes ordanit Robert Alexschunder [etc.] … to mett the firlettis with the jug … and to report the sufficiency of the mesour 1663 Rec. Old Aberd. I. 104.
That all messoris vechtis mettis and vtheris necessaris be meassoret and vychit and met

2. To measure as to dimension.

a. Cloth or the like. 1576 Orkney Oppress. 18.
The lawful and just cuttell, quhilk is their mesour or elwand quhairwith thai mett thair clayth 1604 Glasgow Trades House 545. 1638 Henderson Serm. 382.
His elwand could not met it, it was so large

b. To measure (land, or parcels of land), chiefly in order to the fixing or settling of boundaries, to fix (boundaries) by measurement.(a) 1476–7 Peebles B. Rec. I. 181.
That thai suld lyn met and part thai twa forsaid landis ewynly betwex the said personis 1523 Carnwath Baron Ct. MS. ii b.
That is to say met & our lay batht corne & medo —1538 Dunferm. Reg. Ct. 152 (see Mesur(e v. 1 b). — 1571–2 E. Loth. Antiq. Soc. VII. 66.
For ane lyne to met the freris with c1575 Balfour Pract. 441. 1589 Edinb. B. Rec. V. 6.
To pas and visy the place … and to designe and mett … the bounds thairof 1597 Skene Verb. S. s.v. Particata.
There be knawin to expert mathematiciens mony and diuers wayes to mette land … bot of the vulgar people there is bot ane forme of metting vsed and vnderstand Id. Reg. Maj. i. 29. 1634 Contract, Memor. Dr. Wilson of Falkirk v. Forbes of Callendar App. 2 (Jam. (1825) s.v. Meith).
To met deuyd excamb seperat meath and mairch the foirsaid … lands 1670 Dunkeld Presb. II. 489.
A parcell of that kirkland … to cause mett and march the samen(b, c) 1573 Reg. Privy C. II. 313.
To suffer … foure akeris … to be marchit, methit and mett for manse and gleib 1650 Strathbogie Presb. 137.
The forsaid ministeris [etc.] … mett and designed a parcell therof [a piece of land] having on the east the kirkyeard dyk

c. To measure (a large stone). — 1665 Lauder Jrnl. 36.
On the top of this stone I monted and metted it thorow the diametrum, and found it 24 foot

d. To assess the extent of (a piece-worker's work) by measuring, in order to meet the due payment.See also Met p.p. 1 (6). 1639 M. Works Acc. (ed.) II. 420.
To the sclaitteris till ther work be mettit

e. transf. ? To traverse (a piece of ground). — a1649 Drummond II. 45/271.
No snake did met her meads, nor ambusht lowre … beneath the sweet-spring flowre

3. Senses 1 and 2, in a. absol. or ellipt. use, and b. fig. or in fig. contexts.a. 1527 Selkirk B. Ct. (ed.) 91.
And quhair ane vther haiff furlat can be apprehendit mettand in the merkcat 1576 Orkney Oppress. 20.
The haill commownis confessis that thai war compellit … to met sa largelie 1576 Ib. 34.
Bot the laird of Cultemalindie refusit outher to lat him met, or ȝit to lat the wadmell be mett with his cuttell 1627 Glasgow B. Rec. I.361.
The haill persounes quha mettis with ony vther measurb. (1) c1420 Ratis R. 1553.
Syk men … Sal as thai met resauf agan —c1520-c1535 Nisbet Matth. vii. 2 [see Met p.p. 1 (7)]. — 1551 Hamilton Cat. 105.
With the same mesour quhairwith ye met to uthir, it salbe mettit agane to yow 1598 James VI Basil. Doron (1603) 67/9.
The measure of that whiche they shall mette out againe to you a1605 Montg. Misc. P. v. 53. 1661–5 W. Guthrie in Sel. Biog. II. 75. 1672 Brown Suppl. Dict. Decis. II. 703.(2) a1605 Montg. Misc. P. ii. 23.
Mett thame moonshyn ay for meill Id. Devot. P. vi. 68.
Justice … mettis no inshis with the ell