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

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First published 2002 (DOST Vol. XII).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

Wechty, Weichty, Wichty, adj. Also: wecht(i)e, wechetie, weght(t)y, weghtie, vecht(t)ie, vehtie, uechtie, weichtie, weighty, -ie, weychtie, veychtie, wichti, wightie, wychty, -(i)e, vychtie, waichtie, waightie, waychtie, wayghty, -i. Compar. also weeghtier. Superl. also weightest. [e.m.E. weighty (1489), wehty (1500), weyghtye (1503-4), waightie (1548).]

I. 1. a. Of an object: Heavy, weighing a considerable amount. Also fig.The quot. J. Stewart may contain a reference to sense 5 below. 1513 Doug. i ii 19.
The hie fader … Thir wyndis hyd, … And thar abuf set weghty hillys huge 1513 Doug. i xi 66.
Of gold … Ane weghtty cowp set all with precyus stanys 1513 Doug. iii vi 210.
Weghty gyftis of massy goldyn plate 1513 Doug. v vi 116.
A … lyonys skyn … With goldyn clewys, lokkerit and weghty 1513 Doug. xi ix 69.
Sum to the ȝettis weltis weghty stonys c1590 Fowler II 105/10.
The armes and armour of any other ar ouer large, over strait, or over weghtie for thé c1590 J. Stewart 135/5.
Fair … dame … Thy proper persone dois approwe thy mycht Quhilk keips incloist in rock of christall … This lord of luif quho dantons euerie vycht: Thocht he be vechtie ȝit thow beirs him lycht 1596 Dalr. I 48/6.
A certane gret lumpe and waichtie masse of amberfig. 1640 Fugitive Poetry II xix 7/66.
Their [sc. the bishops' balefull brood] smallest finger hence will grieve us more Nor all their waightie body did before

b. Of a punch: Powerful. c1590 J. Stewart 69/143.
And thay haif no thing bot thair hardie hands … so vechtie newels threw

c. Of coin: Of the correct legal weight, not under weight. 1667 Cochran-Patrick Coinage II 156.
The high rate of base coynes doe incourage false coyners to melt doune his majesties weighty coyne to counterfitt such dollors

II. fig.2. Serious, grave, of great moment, important, solemn.(a) a1499 Contempl. Sinn. 81 (Asl.).
In wichty materis gif personale presence In smaller actionis giffand commissioun Till men of … gud fame a1499 Contempl. Sinn. 803 (Asl.).
Than Crist … sall say … Pas … wretchis … To the perpetuale fyre [etc.] … Thir wichti wordis in to ȝour hert enprent 1541 Stirlings of Keir 368.
Wychty 1542–3 Acts II 416/2.
It was nocht posseblie to thaimm to haif … informit thar procuratouris in say hie & wychtie caus a1578 Pitsc. I 17/28.
The gouernour … estemed the queine hielie that scho haid attempit so hie and wychtie ane purpois a1578 Pitsc. I 34/3.
Wightie 1580 Cath. Tr. 70/7.
Considder this mater as maist vychtie and important that can be in this wardle 1591 Irving Dumbartonsh. II 221.
Wychte(b) 1535 St. P. Henry VIII IV ii 15.
This mater quhilk suppoise it be small of importanse in theself, it is wechty towart demonstracioun of luff 1549 Lamb Resonyng 69/1.
Bot becaus this mater is greit and wechtie it mone be seriuslie provin 1551 Hamilton Cat. 94.
O Christin man lat evirmair the wechtie command of Sanct Paule sound in thi eris, quhen he sais: Fugite fornicationem 1556 Lauder Off. Kings 516.
Thynk it is ane wechtie werk To chuse thame [sc. officers of the crown] rycht 1561 Cal. Sc. P. I 464.
A certane kynd of feare I have to medle in so weghty a caus 1561 Q. Kennedy Compendious Ressonyng (ed.) 171/6.
I lyk nocht digressiouns, specialie in sa wechtie ane mater as we haif in hand 1562-3 Winȝet I 117/14.
This mater rycht wechty [sc. of baptism] 1567 Cal. Sc. P. II 335.
Wechtyer 1568 Skeyne Descr. Pest 21.
Sic vechtie diseise 1570 Leslie 244.
Wechetie 1585 James VI Ess. 35.
A lofty subiect of it selfe doeth bring Graue words and weghtie 1589 Lett. to Jas. VI xiii.
Wechtiest a1599 Rollock Wks. I 331.
Ȝit, brethren, becaus the wordis ar wechtie everie word wald be weyit 1600 Conv. Burghs II 87.
To mak sic … particular owertouris for the … fortherance of his maiesties … wechte adois 1601 Old Ross-shire I 294.
I haif appointit my freindis to be advysit you in all your wechtie perticulars as may tend maist to my weill and honor and as I would do to you 1610 Glasgow Merchants House 106.
His vehtie affairis of merchandis(c) 1549 Lamb Resonyng 13/17.
I hald this mater hear and weichtiar than may be decydit be me 1551 Hamilton Cat. 290.
Weichty 1554 Facs. Nat. MSS III xxxvi.
Weightie 1566 Anderson Collect. Mary I 53.
Weichtie 1574 Inverness Rec. I 237.
The mater is weychtie vnto me 1592 Acts III 651/1.
Veychtie a1633 Hope Major Pract. II 28.
All breviatours of minutts of weightie decreits shal be [etc.] 1638 Dumbarton B. Rec. 55.
To farder the conclusion of that weightest bisiness that evir hes beene in the churche and kingdome(d) 1563 Cal. Sc. P. II 73.
I trust my maistres will follow as moche off her frendly advys in her mariage and her other wayghty affaires 1584 Gray Lett. & P. 17.
My Lorde, for wayghtj cawsys … I muste desier you … too ryde vpp immediatly 1596 Dalr. II 149/18.
Al the nobilitie sche charges to compeir … on sik a day, to rasone sa waychtie a mater 1646 Hamilton P. (Camden) 129.
Things of waightier and more pleasing consequence(e) 1668 Misc. Hist. Soc. VI 178.
But many philosophat on weeghtier reasons

3. Onerous, burdensome. b. Costly. 1556 Lauder Off. Kings 297.
Nor for no fauour suld promoue thame To that most gret and wechty cure, Except ȝe vnderstude … Thame apt and ganand for the ȝok For to instruct the Christin flok [etc.] 1560 Rolland Seven S. 10632.
Laborius Actis and erandis wechtie [pr. welthie] and ponderus. Alwayis I will accept thame vpon me, Ȝow for to serue 1566 Anal. Scot. I 102.
Hard and uechtie troublis a1585 Maitl. Q. 246/39.
Our great & wechtie is the pairt That thou alone sould die for me 1582 Melvill 130.
Certean of our cheiff and weghtie greiffes 1593 Maxwell Mem. II 171.
Schir, vithout ȝour aid and helpe, I feir I speid nocht, the caws is swa vechttie 1644 Wemyss Corr. 93.
[The prisoners] are now als farr on as Coupar, so that … we are free of that burthen and fasherie, being the weightiest and kittelest that ever I sustaind 1648 Aberd. B. Rec. IV 92.
Finding the burding of both the saidis offices to be too weyghtie c1680 W. Row Blair 169.
Mr. Blair got himself eased … of the weighty burden of that landward parishb. 1594 Acts IV 80/2.
He can nocht defend the said actioun, being sua wechty that the same is hable to compryse ane greit pairt of his heretage

4. Effective, telling, convincing. a1605 Montg. Sonn. x 12.
Thy weghtie words maks myne appeir bot wind 1677 Dunkeld Presb. II 31.
If any brother shalbe … absent … without a very weightie excuse [etc.]

5. Of a person: Serious, responsible. 1621 Aberd. Council Lett. I 193.
Doctor Patrick Dun … so wechty and reverent a man 1640 Kirkcudbr. Min. Bk. 27.
The maist dilligent and weghtiest amangst you for that charge