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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.

Lit, v. Also: litt, lyt(t, lite, let. [ME. (midl. and north.) lite(n (a 1250), litt(e (14th c.), e.m.E. lytt, litt, ON. lita f. lit-r Lit n. In the mod. dial., chiefly Sc. and north. Eng.]

1. tr. To dye (yarn, cloth).Also with specification of the colour, and absol.(1) 14.. Acts I. 24/2.
Na man bot a burges sall by woll to lytt 1500 Treas. Acc. II. 97.
To ger by the pur folkis clathis … and to ger lit thaim 1531 Bell. Boece I. xl.
Thair flesche reid as it wer littit with saffron 1577 Kirkcudbr. B. Rec. I. 55.
For ilk pund blew woll litting … quhilk he littit to him 1595 Duncan App. Etym.
Inficio, to infect, to lit … ; Tingo, to dip, to lit 1676 Kirkcudbr. B. Rec. MS. 15 Nov.
Fyve ellis of stuff shoe gave him to lit(2) 1499 Dunferm. B. Rec. I. 99.
Ane wob of claytht tilbe lyttit be him blak 1500–1 Acta Conc. II. 496.
iij^c ellis of wollin claith littit in colouris of blew, blak and grene 1557–8 Inverness Rec. I. 19.
The hewis he condescen[d]it to lyt the same [yarn] of 1587 Montgomery Mem. 341.
Ane pair of blankets, lited black 1617 Wedderb. Compt Bk. .
Blew clayth to be littit of a said and grave cullour 1669 Banff Ann. I. 150.
[To] caus wack and lit the samen [plaiding] reid to be coittis to the sojoris(b) 1557–8 Inverness Rec. I. 19.
Johne … is desernit to let the yarnis conforme to his promes, that is yallow and red(3) absol. 1619 Dundee B. Laws 553.
Certane vnskilfull persones who hes littit in fals and vntrue cullouris

b. With the colour as object. 1563–4 Edinb. B. Rec. III. 177.
[That no person] vse or lyt ony kynd of fals cullour 1564 Ib. 187.
That … nane … sall lit ony maner of cullouris … with brissell or vrsell, … copprus, gallis [etc.] … bot … with mader, alme, glew, and sic trew colouris as … is vsit amangis men of honestie 1590 Dundee B. Laws 553.
That the same [prohibition] shall not be extendit to blaksteris … bot that they may haue libertie to lit blak cullour with bark as they have bene in vse to do 1609 Aberd. Eccl. Rec. 71.
The said Patrik being then littand Frensche cullouris 1662 Crim. Trials III. 605.
We … took the heall strenth of the fatt away, that it could litt nothing bot onlie blak 1670 Edinb. B. Rec. X. 89. 1684 Symson Descr. Galloway (1823) 79.
In … Monnygaffe there is ane excrescence … which the countrey people … get from the roots of trees and … this they make use of to lit or dy a kind of orange or philamort colour

2. fig. 1456 Hay I. 28/22.
The blude of the pure warld, that thai lytt thair rede cardinale hattis with a1568 Scott i. 156.
Kirkmennis cursit substance semis sweit Till laud men with that leud burd lyme ar lyttit 1596 Dalr. I. 344/18.
Thair handes with the blude of all in that toune thay littid

3. transf. To stain, colour (anything). c1460 Alex. (Taym.) 3132.
Mony ane bludie hawbrek littit was 1513 Doug. vii. ix. 35.
New sched blude littis [R. lettis] thar armour cleyr Ib. xiii. iv. 46.
Turnus … Had with hys blude littit the grond all red 1533 Boece ix. ix. 308 b.
The flude of Humbir … littit with blude 1581-1623 James VI Poems I. 245/406.
The generall … littid reade uith shame Did rather choose to loose his lyfe then tyne his spredding fame c1590 J. Stewart 216 § 66.
Thair nosis vas of color rubie fyne, Veill littit vith the strongest mychtie vyne c1590 Fowler I. 215/1.
Heues rid and paile which litts Bell[isaes face] 1607 Soc. Ant. XI. 414.
The variante hewed glass … was … litted with the stuffe which he made in that same glass