Middle English Dictionary Entry
shẹ̄te n.(2)
Entry Info
| Forms | shẹ̄te n.(2) Also shet(te, chet(e, chitte, shute, (NEM) sheit, (SW) ssete & shēte & (early) scet(e, sciet; pl. shetes, etc. & shetus, sheten, shites & (?error) shetees, (errors) scheþtis, yetys. |
| Etymology | OE scīte, scīete, scēte, scȳte & scēat, scēata garment, cloth, napkin. |
Definitions (Senses and Subsenses)
1.
(a) Any length of cloth, esp. linen; also, a piece of cloth used as a receptacle [quot.: ?a1300]; windwe ~, a winnow-sheet [see also windwen v.]; windwing ~ [see windwing ger.]; (b) a linen garment of some sort; also, a cloak or robe; an infant's swaddling clothes [quots.: c1390, 1st & a1425]; ?under-linen [quot.: a1450, 1st]; (c) a bed sheet; also fig.; also in proverb; ~ of raines, a sheet made from fine linen [see also raines n.]; hed ~, a pillowcase [see also hed n.(1) 1c.(c)]; nethere ~, a bottom sheet; over ~, q.v.; paillet ~; paire (of) shetes; risinge ~, ?some sort of bedsheet; (d) a winding sheet, shroud; winding ~ [see winding ger.]; (e) a towel; also, a napkin; (f) a layer of dung.
Associated quotations
a
- c1225(OE) Wor.Aelfric Gloss.(Wor F.174)547/20 : Sindo: scete.
- ?a1300(c1250) Prov.Hend.(Dgb 86)st.23 : 'Wen me bedeþ þe gris, opene þe shet!' Quad Hending.
- c1350 Cmb.Ee.4.20.Nominale (Cmb Ee.4.20)232 : Homme pur lynchel seme lynoys: M. for schete sowith lynsede..And for ropes hempe-sede.
- (c1380) Chaucer CT.SN.(Manly-Rickert)G.536 : The cristen folk whiche that aboute hire were, With shetes han the blood..yhent.
- (1381) Doc.in Morsbach Origurk.4 : Jtem, a wynneschute [?read: wynueschute] almost nywe.
- ?a1425 *Chauliac(1) (NY 12)101b/b : William..vnderputteþ hym here & þere with cloþez & stupes..Oþer as Maister Petre with 2 sustenyngez made of long palys after þe lengþ of þe foote inuolued with a shete [L linteamine] & suture.
- c1425 Bible SNT(1) (Cmb Dd.12.39)Deeds 11.5 : I sawe..a visione, a vessel comande downe, as hit hade ben a grete schete [L linteum] laten downe bi þo foure korners fro heuen.
- (1434) EEWills96/9 : Y bequethe a shete to the seyde Chirche, to be peynted at the persons coste aforeseyde, forto hange to-fore ij auteres in the seyde Churche.
- a1475(a1456) Shirley Death Jas.(Add 5467)17 : The Kyng..cryed to the wemen that they shuld cume with shettes and drawe hym up owt of that uncleyne place of the privay.
- (1466) in Cox Churches Derb.4.86 : Inprimis xj altar clothes, xj towells of twill, Item vj towells of playn, iij shets, and one cloth to the fonte.
- (1472) Acc.St.Edm.Sarum7 : Item, ij palles of cloth of goolde for the sepulcre with a shete of Raynes.
- a1500(?a1390) Mirk Fest.(GoughETop 4)219/31 : Romanus..syȝ [an] angyl wyth a whyt schete of selke wepe þe sydys of Saynt Laurens.
- a1500 Mayer Nominale (Mayer)742/19 : Linthiamen: a schett.
b
- a1225 PMor.(Eg 613(2))363 : Ne sceal ðer beo sciet [McC: schat] ne scrud ne woruld wele nane.
- (a1382) WBible(1) (Bod 959)Is.3.22 : Þe lord shal don awei..chaunging cloþis & litle pallis & sheetis [L linteamina] & pynnes.
- (c1390) Chart.Abbey HG (LdMisc 210)352 : His moder hadde noon oþere scheþtis [?read: scheytis] to wynde hym Inne, but took a keuerchef of here heued..& made þerof cloþis.
- (c1390) Chaucer CT.Pars.(Manly-Rickert)I.197 : Where ben thanne the gaye robes and the softe shetes and the smale shertes?
- a1425(?a1350) 7 Sages(2) (Glb E.9)793 : Þare war thre norices..An gaf at sowke..Þe toþer wasshes it and bathes..Þe thrid wasshes þe shetes [7S(1) vr. his clothys] oft.
- (1431-2) Will in Clinch E.Costume57 : A blew goune and a grene kyrtyll and a schete.
- a1450 Castle Persev.(Folg V.a.354)2209 : Al myn enmyte is not worth a fart; I schyte and schake al in my schete.
- a1450 Ch.Feasts (Roy 18.A.10)173 : Oure lady her hede sche schette in a schete [rime: grete, lete].
- c1450 Mandev.(4) (CovCRO Acc.325/1)2911 : Women also han brode fete And alle gone wrapped in a shete With a knotte aboue hir croun, And alle about ham hit hangeth doun.
- (c1461) Paston2.257 : With the weche money I haue bought lenen clothe for schetes, schertes, and smokkes.
- a1475 Asneth (Hnt EL 26.A.13)81 : In the secunde chamber was here atire, of ful riche assise, Goold, siluer, precious stonis, and garnementis gaye, Schetis of silk and robis fyne.
- ?c1475 *Trev.Nicod.(Sal 39)134b : Huy gurde hym [Jesus] wyt a schete and Crounede hym wyt þornes.
c
- a1250(?c1150) Prov.Alf.(Mdst A.13)109/339 : So is manni wimman in hire fader bure scene under scete & þoh hoe is scondes ful.
- (c1380) Stonor Suppl.2 : We lefte wt the scollemastyr of Ewuellme ij cheuerlettis, ij blanketts, ij yetys [?read: syetys], ij yertes.
- (1390) Will York in Sur.Soc.4130 : A fedir bedd &..ij chetes.
- (1395) EEWills4/16 : I bequethe to the same Thomas..a peyre schetes of Reynes.
- c1400(c1378) PPl.B (LdMisc 581)14.233 : He streyneth hym to streche; þe strawe is his schetes [C vrr. sshetis, schetyn].
- (1414) Will York in Sur.Soc.4377 : Lego Margaretæ..unum par linthiaminum de roynes vocatur rysyngshetes.
- (1415) Reg.Chichele in Cant.Yk.S.42 (Lamb 69)46 : j paire of longe shetis of reynes of iij leves..a paire of paillet shetes of reynes of ij levys..a paire of litel shetis of ij leves.
- a1425(c1385) Chaucer TC (Benson-Robinson)3.1570 : She gan hire face for to wrye With the shete [vr. shette], and wax for shame al reed.
- a1425 Dial.Reason & A.(Cmb Ii.6.39)29/5 : Wanne alle þese wanten nyghtis reste, þanne liggeth þe pore grom in his herden shetis & slepith ful sauerly.
- a1425 Daniel *Treat.Uroscopy (Wel 225)269/3431 : He tuk a sclepe & swet tyll he na langar myght ly in þe schetys, what for swet [&] what for stynk of þe swet.
- (1444) Will Daubeney in Som.RS 19341 : Y wol she have a wurstede hangyng and bed of blak bokeram and ffetherbed, iij martras, iij peyre of my best shites wt iiij coverlettes.
- (1450) Lin.DDoc.39/19 : Item, j payre of Shetis of Raynes with iij leues & closse seme.
- c1450 Ladd Y the daunce (Cai 383/603)p.307 : Schetus and chalonus, ic wot, a were yspredde; Forsothe tho Jak and yc wenten to bedde.
- (1455) Reg.Chanc.Oxf.in OHS 93353 : ii peyre of olde shetees.
- (1458) *Will Suf.Ipsw.PR 25 : To Willm Colyn my best bedcloth & to..John Pregyl ij chets.
- (1465) Paston (EETS)1.325 : ij payre shytes of iij webbys, ij hedshytes of ij webbys, vj payre shytes of ij webbys.
- (a1470) Malory Wks.(Win-C)394/27-8 : He toke no kepe of his greve wounde that kynge Marke had gyffyn hym, and so sir Trystrames bledde bothe the over-shete and the neyther-sheete and the pylowes and the hede-shete.
- a1500 Gracius and gay (DubNLI D.1435)13 : Sche ys swett vnder schett.
- a1500 Prov.MS.Hrl.3362 in Whiting Prov.p.639 : He that wyle further streche than hys schetyn wyl areche, in the straw he chal hys feet seche.
- a1600(1472) Rec.Bluemantle (Add 6113)279 : There was ordeined a Bedde for hym selue, of as good doune as coulde be gotten, the Shetes of Raynys, also fyne Fustyans.
d
- a1150(OE) Vsp.D.Hom.Nicod.(Vsp D.14)78/1 : Joseph..abæd æt him [Pilate] Cristes lichame, & hine of þære rode genam & on clæne scete bewand & hine on his neowe þruh aleigde.
- a1325(c1280) SLeg.Pass.(Pep 2344)1861 : Seint Ion..com..als..þe shetes he sey.
- (c1384) WBible(1) (Dc 369(2))John 20.6 : Petre..entride in to the graue, and he syȝ the scheetis putt, and the sudarie that was on his heed, not putt with the scheetis, but by it silf.
- c1390(?c1350) SVrn.Leg.(Vrn)4/15 : A schete, my bodi in to wynde.
- a1400 Pep.Gosp.(Pep 2498)102/26 : Seint John..kneled adoun & ne seiȝ nouȝth bot þe scheten þat Jesus hadde ben wounden jnne.
- a1450 Castle Persev.(Folg V.a.354)2919 : If he haue a schete, he beryth hym wele Whereinne he may be wou[nde].
- (1450-51) Lin.DDoc.45/6 : I gyff..my wrechid body to be Beryd in a chitte with-owte any kyste.
- (1450-51) Lin.DDoc.45/10 : I will my body ly still..after laid on bere with-owtyn anythyng þeropon to couer it bot a Sheit & a blak cloth with a white crose of cloth of gold.
- a1500(c1410) Dives & P.(Htrn 270)2.281 : Ȝif þu ben slayn Y schal ȝeuyn þe a schete to ben beryyd yn.
- a1500 Add.37075 Gloss (Add 37075)38/167b : Vinculum quo pedes mortuoris [?read: mortuorum] ligantur: a shete.
e
- c1225(OE) Wor.Aelfric Gloss.(Wor F.174)548/6 : Manuterium, uel mantele: scet.
- c1325(c1300) Glo.Chron.A (Clg A.11)8962 : Þo caste þis gode mold hire mantel of anon & gurde aboute hire middel a uair linne ssete.
- c1350(a1333) Shoreham Poems (Add 17376)50/1387 : Þo hym wyþ a schete ihesus After soper bygerte.
f
- (?1440) Palladius (DukeH d.2)4.222 : Sperage is sowe..In redes smale..And sprede on hit aboue of donge a shete.