Middle English Dictionary Entry

dighten v.
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Entry Info

Definitions (Senses and Subsenses)

1a.
(a) To prepare (sth.), get ready for use; dig (a grave), tune (one's voice), polish (arrows, instruments), repair (equipment); (b) to ornament (sth.), adorn; dye (a cloth) [quot.St.Anne]; (c) to saddle (a horse, an ass); (d) to prepare (food, drink, a meal); (e) to dress (a carcass, part of a carcass); (f) to prepare (a corpse) for burial; (g) to cultivate (land, soil, grain, vines); (h) med. to anoint (a wound, etc.), treat (an injured member); prepare (a medicament).
1b.
(a) To make preparations, get ready; prepare (sb.), marshal (an army for oneself); refl. prepare oneself, get ready (to do sth.); ppl. dight, ready, prepared; (b) to dress or equip (sb., oneself); ~ hewe, cover (one's) face; ~ naked, strip (oneself) naked; ppl. dight, arrayed, dressed, armed; (c) to adorn (oneself) with cosmetics; (d) fig. to prepare (sb. by shrift); clothe (sb. in old age, etc.); adorn (sb. with innocence, virtue, etc.).
1c.
(a) To arrange (sth.), put in order; refl. of persons: arrange themselves; (b) to put or place (sth.); transport (sth. to a ship, over the sea); (c) fig. to place (a land under one's rule); set (a prayer before God); set (oneself above other men); remove (sth. from the heart); remove or save (sb. from death, from death to life, from the Devil's power).
2a.
(a) To rule (sth.), govern (a country), command (an army), manage (a household); rule, be a ruler; ~ and delen; (b) ppl. as noun: dightende, ruler; (c) to guide (sb.), rear (a child), teach, instruct; him was i)dight, he was taught; (d) refl. to rule oneself; ~ to, regulate the behavior of (sb., oneself) toward (another).
2b.
(a) To predetermine (an event, one's death, the day of one's death), destine; (b) to direct (one's life, an action, a course of action); ~ wei, direct (one's) journey; (c) to decide (to do sth.).
2c.
(a) To condemn (sb. to death, pain, suffering); destine (a soul to go somewhere); ~ to deth; to deth was dight, was destined to die, died; (b) ~ to deth, to put (sb.) to death, kill; (c) to appoint (sb. to do sth.).
3a.
(a) To make (sth.); build (a church, house, ship, etc.), create (the earth), form (a body), kindle (a fire); (b) to write (a letter), set (sth.) down in writing; compose (a song); (c) to make (a law, a prohibition); (d) to bring about (salvation, one's own doom); cause (charity to be in sb.); bring about (someone's death).
3b.
(a) To make (sth. into sth. else), change, turn, transform; ~ to; (b) to ordain (sb. a bishop); make (a woman the mother of Jesus); ~ capoun, to caponize (sb.); (c) ~ hol, to make (sb.) whole, heal (sb.); (d) to impel (sb. to do sth.); cause (sb. to have a vision).
4.
(a) To give (sth. to sb.), assign, award; offer (honor), render (service), dedicate (a church, ?a star), give (sb. a name), give (justice to people); ~ dom, give (sb.) the right (to do sth.); (b) ~ with (mid), to supply (sth. or sb.) with (what is needed); equip, furnish, provide; (c) to allot (a destiny, adventures, suffering, damnation, etc.); ~ to, allot (sth.) to (sb.).
5.
To go; fall (to the ground); ben dight, be gone (away, forth, to bed); refl. betake oneself, go.
6.
To do (sth.); perform (an action), administer (a sacrament), commit (treason), deliver (a blow), fight (a battle), practice (magic), sing and dance (a carol).
7.
(a) To deal with (sb.), treat (sb. in a certain way); wel (ivele) idight, well (badly) treated; ~ with, deal with (sb.); ~ with whippes, treat (sb.) with whips, whip (sb.); (b) to have sexual intercourse with (a woman).

Supplemental Materials (draft)

  • c1400(?c1380) Pearl (Nero A.10)920 : Þou tellez me of Jerusalem…Þer David dere watz dyȝt on trone.
  • Note: New gloss

Supplemental Materials (draft)

  • a1500 Adv.23.7.11 Artist.Recipes (Adv 23.7.11) 297/1 : Forto dye al maner sylke, so shull ye deten or þat ye dye any sylke: þe sylke moste fyrste be wasshe in sope.
  • a1500 Pmb-O.21 Artist.Recipes (Pmb-O 21) 271/22 : If þu wylt lerne a cloþe to steyne. Dytt þi cloþe on this maner: tak a panful of clene water, [etc.].
  • Note: Additional quots., prob. sense 1a.(a). New spellings (deten & ditt).