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

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First published 2002 (DOST Vol. XII).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

Weit, n. Also: weitt, veit, ueit, weyt(t, wete, weat, weet, wet(t, watt, wite, uitt. [ME and e.m.E. wæte (Orm), wete (c1200), wet (a1240), wat (Cursor M.), wate (Rolle), weete (Piers Plowman), weytt (Cath. Angl.), weate (1523-4), wett (1577), OE wǽt.]

1. Wetness, damp, moisture.Applied once to the sap of a plant.There is overlap in some instances with sense 2. a1400 Leg. S. xii 52.
A cowyne Tha mad til hyme met … & pykyt withovt, That of wet it had na dowt, & closit it sa wele that he Suld nocht for vattyr peryst be a1500 Henr. Annunc. 43.
The wand of Aaron, dry but wete, To burioun nocht blynnis 1539 Selkirk B. Ct. (ed.) 213.
Robert Bulman … tuk me … and schaw how the veit come in his hous 1543–4 Treas. Acc. VIII 252.
Hydis to saif the pulder from weit 1544–5 Treas. Acc. VIII 341.
xxiiij pyonaris … quhilkis drew the cannonis and artalȝe … withtin the munitioun hous to saife the stokis thairof from weit 1563 Reg. Privy C. I 247.
Mending of the samyn and kippill werk abone the volt thairof [sc. the parish church] for saulftie of the samyn fra weit 1564 Edinb. Old Acc. II 196.
For lynning of ane almory … quhar money wreittingis wer spilt be the weit fallin doun the wall 1588 Edinb. D. Guild Acc. 331a.
xij small dalis to cower the saittis in the est kirk to keip the watt fra the mennis claythis 1595 Aberd. Pynours 68.
Salt and uther girnell guid subject to the perrell off weyt and rayn 1649 Edinb. Test. LXIV 170a.
Lint seid quhairof ane great part spoyled with weitt — 1670 Kirkintilloch B. Ct. 27.
The skayth of the raine weit in the housses

2. Wetness of weather; wet weather; rain. Also proverb.b. An instance of rain; a period or occasion of rain or wet weather. Also pl.Chiefly applied to excessive, long-lasting or violent wet weather.(a) a1500 Henr. Fab. 1584.
The rois with froist and wynter weit Faidis c1475 Wall. iv 340.
Now calde weddyr, now hett; Nowe moist, now drowth; now wauerand wynd, now weit a1497, 15.. Gray MS vi 65.
In summeris day full oft is sene Thir emotis … With litill weit thai wit away 1513 Doug. xiii viii 21.
Lyke as quhen the gret ithand weit [Ruddim. wete] or rayn, From the clowdis furth ȝet our all the playn 1554 Corr. M. Lorraine 387.
Ane wonderus ewill day of weitt 1561–2 Edinb. Old Acc. II 161.
To David Graham, masoun … for beiging up of dyvers hoillis … quhar the weit drafe in 1563–4 Inverness Rec. I 113.
Quharthrocht nychtbouris stuff suld incur no skayth nor danger of weit … gif weddyr serwis 1558-66 Knox II 417.
Thair fell weit in grit aboundance a1578 Pitsc. II 81/6.
Thair raise so great ane bobe of wind … and so great ane clude of raine … that quhene the wind and weit mett to gither [etc.] a1578 Pitsc. II 238/4.
Thair fell xx dayes togidder sic horribill tempestis of snaw rain and weitt that [etc.] 1583 M. Works Acc. (ed.) I 310.
The thak thairof resaveis weit and rane a1595 Cullen Chron. Aberd. 43 (see West northwest n.).
Weytt 1581-1623 James VI Poems I 10/5.
The earth, for lacke of weit, With withering drouth 1650 Ellon Par. 107.
No preaching by reason of ane storme of weit impeding the minister from crossing waters(b) 1533 Bell. Livy I 41/10.
Ane horribill tempest … made this nobil prince … invisibill with thik schoure of wete and myst(c) 1558-66 Knox II 269.
For besides the surfett weat … the myst was so thick [etc.](d) 1591-2 Rob Stene 9.
Watt & wind(e) 1618 Elgin Rec. II 155 n.
They fand within the said kirk … ane pairt quhair the wett haid raint that haid becum grein … and haid vaschin the lym therfra(f) 1622 Chron. Perth 88.
Weet 1638 Henderson Serm. 490.
Their days sall be such then that they sall never get a foul day nor a sour blast of wind or weet(g) 1581-1623 James VI Poems II 131/13.
Uitt & raine [v.r. wite]proverb. a1598 Ferg. Prov. MS No. 1355.
This wind wil hav weit a1628 Carmichael Prov. No. 1062.
Let the weit hald doun the wind a1628 Carmichael Prov. No. 1114.
Meikle eat wald have meikle weitb. 1513 Doug. v xii 53.
A huge weyt gan down powre and tumbill 1533 Bell. Livy I 287/30.
Derth of victalis … throw intemperate & excessive wetis 1535 Stewart 46111.
In harvest fell sic ane rane and weit [etc.] a1578 Pitsc. II 312/1.
Terribill windes with raine and weittis quhilk continewit xlviij houris togidder 1596 Dalr. I 5/20.
Continual caldes, … mony weitis, deip snawis 1611 Fife Synod 28.
Falkland … efter greit weittis in sommer, is not accessibill c1650 Spalding I 49.
The goiss symmer … in Morray, but wyndis, weitis, or ony storme c1650 Spalding I 81.
Vpone the 3rd of October, … thair fell out … ane cruell weit dynging on nicht and day, but lightnning wp whill the 13th of October c1650 Spalding I 83.
Throw gryte invndationis of weitis … ane bar … of sand … stoppit the mouth of the harberie 1655 Nicoll Diary 152.
All Februar and a great pairt of Marche wer full of havie weittis 1581-1623 James VI Poems II 91/17.
As tigris flees the uattirris & the ueitis 16… Macfarlane's Geog. Coll. III 38.
Weetproverb. a1628 Carmichael Prov. No. 108.
After a wind there commes a weit a1628 Carmichael Prov. No. 250.
A wisnand wind wald have a weit