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

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First published 2001 (DOST Vol. X).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

Swete, Sweit, Sweat(e, v. Also: swett, sueit, sweet, sueatt. P.t. swet(e, suet, swat(e, swatt, suat. P.p. swet, suet(t, swat. [ME and e.m.E. swete(n (Layamon), sweete(n (Chaucer), sweate (1523), sweat (1589), p.t. swet (Ancr. R.), swatte (c1290), suet (Cursor M.), swat (14th c.), swett (1535), sweat (a1536), also sweted (once, a1400), p.p. swat (Wyclif), swette (c1400), sweat (1577), OE swǽtan.]

1. intr. To sweat, perspire.pres. (1) c1420 Liber Calchou 449.
Men that wil be kepyt fra the jwytt [= evil] hym nedys … na oyse na bathys na swete nocht mykyll for al is opyn the porys of the body and makis the venomouse ayr to enter [etc.] a1500 Henr. Fab. 2916.
Thow wer better … sueitand dig and delf quhill thow may dre a1500 Peblis to Play 191.
Will Swane come sueitand out Ane meikle millar man 1535 Stewart 21808.
The buglis blastis maid sic ane busteous beir … Quhilk causit mony for to sueit and swidder c1550 Lynd. Meldrum 1021.
(Quod thay) Madame, me think ȝe sweit. (Quod scho) ȝe see I sufferit heit c1552 Lynd. Mon. 1089.
[Adam] Sore laubouryng, tyll thy browis sweit a1568 Bann. MS 141a/35.
Swett 1596 Dalr. I 287/7.
He sueitis continuallie … and weiris away, his body heirby is wasted 1612 Ritchie Ch. S. Baldred 110.
[You] has wrakit my wife, so that she sweettes continuallie 1622 Crim. Trials III 526.
He saw Cuthbert Greig, the tyme of his seiknes, sueitting and brocheing in ane vncouth seiknes 1661 Dalyell Darker Superst. 109.
His catt, … did fight and sueatt till shoe dyedproverb. a1598 Ferg. Prov. MS No. 881.
Ise' gar yow sweat at the shill of the forret 1650 Dunlop P. ii 94.
[She] threatend that schoe should garr him sweet at the schill of the forret(2) 1688 Reg. Privy C. 3 Ser. XIII 254.
John Fergusone … tooke seeknes … and … did sweet to death 16… Dalyell Darker Superst. I 51.
The man fell seik … and did sweat to deid within a day or twop.t. (1) a1400 Leg. S. xviii 702.
Sic redure & sic dowl me tuk That to-gyddir I swet and quok ?1438 Alex. ii 1194.
Amang thy fais I saw the sted, In sic ane thrang amang thame set, That all my fleshe baith quok and suet c1420 Wynt. v 1967.
Quhylle scho swonyd, and quhill scho swete(b) 15.. Wyf Awcht. 67.
To the kyrn … he did stoure And iwmlit at it quhill he swatt 1560 Rolland Seven S. 7401.
His face it swat, his feit and handis schuik 1560 Rolland Seven S. 9540.
Thair swords thai swang quhil thair steids swat 1604 Dundonald Par. Rec. 54.
John Park … bad his vyf vasch him with vinegir … vpon the place quhair he swat 1644 Justiciary Cases III 664.
Catharene Harlaw contracted ane heavie desease, and swat nyght and day thairin 1663 Lauderdale P. I 188.
He was dressing himself after having been in the bath & swatt(2) 1684 Law Memor. lvii.
It died suddenlie, and swat to deidp.p. 1456 Hay II 144/27.
It may suffice … quhill he have suett a lytill and syne weschin him

b. To sweat as a result of (for) (anger, fear, shame). ?1438 Alex. ii 4580.
He swet for ire quhill neir he brint ?1438 Alex. ii 8626.
He suat for shame 1501 Doug. Pal. Hon. 1868.
And tho for feir I swet Of hir langage a1605 Montg. Ch. & Slae 218 (L).
My agony was so exstreme I swet [W. swate, Wr. swelt] and sownit for feir a1605 Montg. Ch. & Slae 563 (W).
Gif thou were laid In graue, and … micht heir that said … Wald thou not sweat for schame?

2. tr. To exude (moisture) through the pores as or like sweat. Also, to sweate out.Chiefly, of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane, to swete blude (cf. Luke xxii 44).(1) ?a1500 Remembr. Passion 32.
Think how he, prayand in the ȝard befor his passioun, swet blude a1500 Rois Garlandis 96.
That the gret pane that Thou had quhen Thow suet watter & blude stand in steid for the panis that I suld tholl for my synnis a1508 Kennedy Pass. Christ 342.
The feir of ded him put in sic a distres, That he swet blud c1530-40 Stewart in Bann. MS 35b/19.
Remembir man … I … for thé bayth blud and wattir suet(2) 1513 Doug. ii iii 54.
Skarsly the statw was in thar tempill vpset Quhen all hir membris bittir terys swet(3) 1597 James VI Dæmonol. (STS) 32/15.
Although … that instrumente of waxe haue no vertue in that turne doing, … may hee not … so weaken … the patient, as may make him … for faintnesse to sweate out the humour of his bodie

3. To soak (a garment) through severe sweating. 1612 Ritchie Ch. S. Baldred 109.
She swatt twa serks continually everie twenty-four houris

4. intr. To exert oneself; to work hard, toil. Also const. for (something).(1) a1500 Henr. Fab. 2752.
His seruand or his self may not be spaird To swing and sweit, withoutin meit or wage a1500 Henr. Fab. 2756.
Hes thow not reuth to gar thy tennentis sweit In to thy laubour with faynt and hungrie wame a1500 Rauf C. 637.
I haue oft tymes swet in seruice full sair a1500 Prestis of Peblis 222 (Asl.).
To wyn this welth, na for it sweit na swynk a1568 Bann. MS 80a/39.
Lauboraris … Day nor nycht nor hour can be forborne Bot swynk and sueit to voyd all ydilnes 1596 Dalr. II 248/12.
Efter mony oulkes quhen mekle tha had wrocht and mekle had swat(2) c1460 Wisd. Sol. (STS) 91.
Al my warldly werkis, that my handis had wrocht, and … al my werkis that I had suet for a1538 Abell 50b.
Quhen thai haif fillit thare wame … with meit and drink at the pure lauborar swetis fulsaire fore c1530-40 Stewart in Maitl. F. 371/27.
Sum gettis giftis and gwerdoun grete That did not for gud seruice swete

5. To suffer, undergo pain. a1500 Sir Eger 1886.
With handling of the lady bright, Swat sore so then the noble knight, That [etc.]

6. Of things: To exude moisture. c1552 Lynd. Mon. 5483.
All herb and tre sall sweit lyk blude

7. Of a liquid substance: To ooze out. 1576 Digest Justiciary Proc. I 24.
Sa sone as scho rubit the saw vpoun the patient … and it drank in the child wald mend bot gif it swat out the persones wald dee

8. tr. To sweit out (a substance) from (of) (something), to extract by heating to melting-point, to obtain by smelting. 1577 Cochran-Patrick Coinage I 106.
The copper quhilk thay cause sweit out of the babeis and vther hauy money