Dictionaries of the Scots Language
Dictionars o the Scots Leid

A Dictionary of the Older Scottish Tongue (up to 1700)

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First published 1951 (DOST Vol. II).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

Desait, Desate, n. Also: desayt, -sayit, dessait; dessat; deseitt, -sceit, -ceite, -ceat. [ME. desait(e, deseyte (c 1300), OF. deceite. Cf. Dissait.] Deceit.(a) c1420 Wynt. viii. 1806.
Thai wyst noucht Off that desayt agayne thame wroucht 1427 Wemyss Chart. 53.
[To this] the partys are oblyste withoutyn fraude or gyle … or desayt c1420 Wynt. v. 4136 (C).
In that desayt [W. desait] was tynt mony 1560 Rolland Seven S. 1194.
Scho lichtlyit hir awin lord and king With greit dessait and fals talking a1570-86 Maitland Maitl. F. ci. 9.
Now warldlie wisdome is desait And falsate haldin polecey a1578 Pitsc. I. 41/15.
As hie that had na privie desait na malice 1656 Glasg. B. Rec. II. 338.
The great fraud and desait vsit … in abstracking ane great quantite of the just weight(b) 1452 Douglas Chart. 79.
All fraude, gile, and desate away put 1533 Boece 17 b.
How detesting the dessat of Pichtis he mouit contrare thame were Ib. i. v. 41 b.
It was prophesie in Britane that … be desate of Scottis thai suld euery ane be distroyit(c) 1558-66 Knox II. 72.
Baith Ingland and we feiring deceat, socht be all meanis that the contract sould be sure 1581 Hamilton Cath. Tr. 155 b.
Thair sall cum in the latter dayis begylaris in deceat 1596 Dalr. I. 296/6.
That gif he mycht perceiue … ony desceit, prudentlie he mycht … flie in tyme 16.. Hist. Kennedy 2.
Be the deseitt of the Inglishmanne 1622 Conv. Burghs III. 124.
Reforming of the deceat croppin in of late in the making … of plaiding and cairsays