Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)
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First published 1952 (SND Vol. III). Includes material from the 1976 supplement.
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
Quotation dates: 1753-1779, 1832-1840
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†DITE, v.
1. To compose, indite. Vbl.n. diting. Obs. since 16th cent. in Eng. but still found in w.Yks. dial.Per. 1753 A. Nicol Poems 53:
My muse now She has not meikle pith, To write this, nor dite this.Lnk. c.1779 D. Graham Writings (1883) II. 269:
All that I write I dite, I meditate out of my own brain.Ayr. 1832 H. Smith Poet. Misc. 44:
Time's emblem in its flight, Makes writing and diting A weary job for night.
2. To dictate (a lecture) to students. Abd. c.1840 A. Bain Autobiography (1904) 71:
The morning hours, when the assistant officiated, were devoted to dictation, called by the old Scotch phrase, "diting".
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"Dite v.". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 1 Apr 2026 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/snd/dite>
