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First published 1986 (DOST Vol. VI).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

Quhet(e, Quheit(e, n. Also: qwhet(e, quheet, quehet, qwet, whet; quheyt, qwheit, qwheyt, quheitt, qweyte, wheit, vheit; quhiet, qwyet; quheat(e, quheatt, wheat(e. [Early ME, ME and e.m.E. whæte (Orm), qwet (Cursor M.), qwhete, qwheet (Mandeville), wheyte (c 1530), whiett (1543), wheate (1535), queat (1569), OE hwǽte str. masc. Cf. Quhit(e n.¹ and Quhit(t n.For the forms quhait etc., see Quhit(e.]

Wheat.

1. The grain of wheat.Breid of quhete, = Quhet(e)-Bred(e.Gray quheitt, wheat refuse: see Gray adj. 3 b.For further examples see Boll n.¹, Firlot n. 1, Grind v., Grinding vbl. n., Hude n.², Ladill n. 2, Lippie n. 1, Masloch(e n., Mele n.¹, Pek n.¹.(1) 1375 Barb. v 398 (C).
All the vittale … As quhet [E. quheyt], flour, meill, & malt a1400 Leg. S. xxvi 247.
Thai twa ȝere had of that quhet Ynuch til sed & til ete c1400 Troy-bk. ii 313 (C).
And one thousand … Of hors charged of full good quhet [: get; D. whet] c1420 Wynt. vii 3615.
Sawld wes then For sextene [pennies] a boll off qwhete [C. qwyet] 14.. Acts I 310/2.
King David ordanyt at the sterlyng suld wey xxxij cornys of gude and round quhete Ib. 312/2.
Qwhete 1426 Ib. II 13/2.
Ilk man telande with a pleuch of viij oxin sal saw at the lest ilk ȝere a firlot of quhete [etc.] 1471 Peebles B. Rec. I 166.
The sayd quest fand quhet at x s. 1473 Reg. Cupar A. I 171.
Quehet Ib. 172.
And tha sall saw al thar quhet togydder in a sched … and thar bere rycht sua kepand the seson of ilkan of tham 1491–2 Acta Conc. I 231/2.
Ane chalder of aulde quhete clene dicht and myll dry 1498 Halyb. 231.
A hoyd of quhet Ib. 189. 1513 Doug. iv vii 80.
Lyke emmotis grete Quhen thai depulȝe the mekill byng of quhete 1519–20 Selkirk B. Ct. (ed.) 55.
And … thai partit the gerst of the quhet betuix thaim 1522 Acta Conc. MS XXXIII 18b.(b) c1420 Wynt. ii 101.
Off wyne and wax, oyle and qwheyt [C. qwhet] … scho had copy greyt 1424 Acts II 4/1.
The boll of quheit is taxit to ij s. 1456 Misc. Bann. C. III 95.
Thre chaldyr of quheyt a1500 Henr. Fab. 361 (Asl.).
Of nutis pes benes ry and quheit [H. quhite] … scho had yneuch till eit 1481–2 Misc. Spald. C. II 324.
Qweyte 1490 Liber Melros 600.
Gud sufficient qwheit c1500-c1512 Dunb. Flyt. 205.
Now vpaland thow leivis on rubbit quheit 1531 (c 1580) Edinb. B. Rec. II 55.
Till cast vp his quheit and grynd his gyrst 1542 Reg. Cupar A. II 18 (see Dicht ppl. adj.). 1547 Treas. Acc. IX 133.
For casting of the quheit in the castell 1553 Ib. X 211.
Gif onye schippis war ladyn witht quheit to pas oute of the realme … to eschaet the samyn a1570-86 Maitland Maitl. F. xv 83.
God send the commounis will … To win gude quheit and beir 1572 Bk. Univ. Kirk I 259.
Wheit 1572-5 Diurn. Occurr. 147.
Quheite 1581 Edinb. Test. IX 192 (see Cast v. 14). 1584 St. A. Baxter Bks. 37, etc. 1595 Conv. Burghs I 468.
Without he convert the samyn be his … labour in ane vther forme … the beir in malt the quheit in floure 1597 Crim. Trials II 25.
Sum pickellis of quheit 1597–8 Household Bks. Jas. VI 31 Jan.
Summa of bread spendit … quhilk being reducit in quheit comptand for ilk boll vii^xx bread extendis to [etc.] 1629 Wemyss Corr. 48.
The boll of quheit to fourtene merkis 1662 Edinb. Test. LXX 274.
lx bollis … of good cleine quheitt with thrie bollis … of bleckit quheitt a1699 Skene Agric. MS (ed.) 67.
The vheit is sowne in November and December(c) 1519 Stirling B. Rec. I 1.
Quhiet was funding saild for xviij s. the boll [marg. Quhit](d) 1595 Duncan App. Etym.
Ador, far, fine wheat 1597 Skene Verb. S. s.v. Bvllion.
Wheate Ib. s.v. Regrateris.
Fore-byars of quheate 1605 Edinb. Test. XL 192.
Sawin vpoun the saidis landis fyve bollis quheatt 1624 Huntar Weights & Measures 64.
The bakers shall … keepe the poise or weight according to 13 lib. the bow of wheate 1665 Stitchill Baron Ct. 37.
Twa fulles quheat(e) 1658 Melrose Reg. Rec. I 171.
Quheet(2) 1490 Irland Mir. MS fol. 245b.
The breid of quhete sustenis the body 1507 Aberd. B. Rec. in St. A. Baxter Bks. 85.
All baxteris sall have breid of quheit, sufficient gud and clene stuff 1549–50 Treas. Acc. IX 375. 1551 Hamilton Cat. 204.
The … sensibil signe of this sacrament is breid of quheit 1563-1570 Buch. Wr. 6. 1596 Dalr. I 89/19.
Sum vset breid of ry, sum of quheit, sum of peise or beanes — 1568 Skeyne Descr. Pest 40.
Affixand ane cataplasme of floure of quheit, fresche butter & oile 1587 Carmichael Etym. 8.
Pollis, mainflowre of quhete(3) 1596 Oldcambus Acc. 2.
Dellywerit to the muckberreris of gray quheitt(4) 1582 St. A. Baxter Bks. 30.
That na brother ressaue nor by ony quheit in the mercat les nor all the quheit be in ane saik, be of ane quheit, and of lik deues

b. As the second element in certain special compounds: Wheat payable, or paid, as a due.See Cane n.¹, Multur(e n. 2, teind-, etc. Cf. also Ferme n. 3 and 5. 1554 Holyrood Chart. 294.
The radiest ferme and teynd quheit … of our landis 1561 Reg. Dunferm. 431.
The ferme quheit within the parochin of Dumfermling [etc.] 1595 Exch. R. XXIII 2, 3, etc.
With the ferm quheit of the lordschip of Strivilingschir. … Dunbar. … The ferme quheit of the landis of Reidspittell. … The ferme quheit of the half landis of Inveralloun

c. Attrib. and comb.Also Quhet(e)-bred(e, Quhete-corn, etc. 1568 Prot. Bk. J. Foulis 73.
In quheitseid tyme last was … ten bollis quheit cherateit 1575 Glasgow B. Rec. I 38.
For the defrauding of the ladle in geving of the quheit furlott to mett, the custum thairof beyng vnpayit 1636 Peebles Gleanings 167 (see Cop n. 3). 1652 Peebles B. Rec. II 4.
Quheat cop a1699 Skene Agric. MS (ed.) 67.
When they have sowne their wheit seedecomb. 1522 Dundee B. Ct. I fol. 86 (1 April).
Thom Fald amerciat for quhet bying in gret 1551 (c 1650) Dundee B. Laws 14 (see Malt n. 2 a (2)).

2. The wheat-plant. c1420 Wynt. iii 240.
Thare flattis gret, Than growand grene off wyne and quheyt [C. qwet] a1500 Henr. Fab. 2792 (Bann.).
Seis thow … ȝone ioly flat Of ryp aitis … and quheit [: greit, eit]? c1500 Rowll Cursing 23.
That … raif … vp be the rute His quheit [etc.] 1513 Doug. vii x 80.
With sythis and al hukis at scheris quhet [: gret] 1530 Selkirk B. Ct. (ed.) 108.
Twa scheiffis, ane of quheit, and uther of ber 1555 Acts II 497/2.
And that na man ryde nor gang vpone quheit na tyme of the ȝeir 1583 Digest Justiciary Proc. K. 35.
The tressonable burning of fyve stakis of beir quheit & aittis 1596 Dalr. I 6/11. 1607 Yester Wr. 284.
For teiling up of his growin corne of quheit and peis 1652 Peebles B. Rec. II 5.
The quheat … is daylie … eatten up be the nolt and sheepe going herdles 1658 Stitchill Baron Ct. 12.
That none goe to the mylle thro the mainrigg quheit a1699 Skene Agric. MS (ed.) 67.
They lyme befor the peiss but not befor the wheit

b. attrib., see Quhete-stray.

3. A variety, or crop, of wheat. b. Crops of wheat, collectively.Also, in quot. 1645, applied to ‘Indian wheat’, or maize. 1582 St. A. Baxter Bks. 30 (see 1 (4) above).
Of ane quheit 1617 Misc. Abbotsf. C. 308.
If ewer I saue feilds moir ritchlie aparrelled with wheatis and barleyis 1645 Acts VI i 373/1.
This [Indian] wheate will ȝeeld a fourfold greater increase nor our cornes — 1531 Bell. Boece I xxix.
Thir regionis … ar richt proffitable in all maner of cornis, except quhiet 1687 Sc. Ant. IV 36.
For pouder and lead to shoot away the craws from the wheat

4. In fig. and allusive use, in senses 1 and 2. 1490 Irland Mir. II 68/5.
And to wyrk thame to sovnder and powder as the mylne dois the corne and the quheit 1562-3 Winȝet I 120/15.
That in the Kirk of God ar bayth guid and euill, expressit in the Euangell be the similitude of quheit and fitcheis Ib. II 59/13.
We mot also scheir the fruit of the doctrine of quheit [marg. Be the seid of quheit is signifiit the trew doctrine] 1572 Sempill Sat. P. xxx 163.
As quheit is strukin for the stra besyde And siluer fyne mon to the furnes glyde