Dictionaries of the Scots Language
Dictionars o the Scots Leid

Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)

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First published 1965 (SND Vol. VI).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

LOIT, v.¹, n., adv. Also l(a)ite, la(w)yt, lyte, leet, lliat (Cai. 1919 T.S.D.C.), lya(a)t (Sh., Cai. 1902 E.D.D.); lowt (Fif.), irreg. or erroneous loot, and intensive forms lytach, leetach, lyter (Bnff. 1866 Gregor D. Bnff. 104, 110), loiter and deriv. lytrie [loitery] (Ib.). [lɔit, ləit, †lit; Fif. lʌut]

I. v. 1. To throw something, usu. wet and soggy, in a mass on the ground (Bnff. 1866 Gregor D. Bnff. 110, lyte); specif. to discharge from the body, to evacuate the bowels, to vomit.Gall. 1824 MacTaggart Gallov. Encycl. 82:
There common sense did loit and spue.Kcb.⁴ 1900:
A drunk man aften loits up what he has drunk like a mill shillin'.Per. 1902 E.D.D.:
That lazy donkey stands up loitin' every half-hour.

2. Fig. (1) to do any kind of work clumsily and unskilfully, esp. to mess about with some wet soppy material, to puddle about (Bnff. 1866 Gregor D. Bnff. 110, lytach). Ppl.adj. lytachin, slow and awkward at work (Id.); (2) To tell a long rambling story. to repeat fluently, talk at large and usu. to little purpose, to speak in an unintelligible way or language (Bnff. 1866 Gregor D. Bnff. 103, lytach, leetach), freq. with about, aff, at.

3. To fall with a dull thud.Bnff. 1866 Gregor D. Bnff. 110:
He lytet our on's back.

II. n. 1. A spirt of water, esp. from a boiling pot (Gall. 1824 MacTaggart Gallov. Encycl. 319); a small quantity of any liquid (Sh. 1866 Edm. Gl.), in 1835 quot. of liquor.Rnf. 1835 in D. Webster Rhymes 185:
To learn why he the laird of loits Sat on a stane — While a' got butter to their bites, And he got nane.Cai. 1911 John o' Groat Jnl. (28 Feb.):
Jean asked him for a wee lawyt of the cod liver oil.Sh. 1919 T.S.D.C. 38:
Lass, what's the hurry, wait and get a layt o' tea.

‡2. An unseemly mass of any substance, liquid or semi-liquid (Bnff. 1866 Gregor D. Bnff. 110, lytach, lyte(r); Kcd. 1961); a lump of fæces (Sc. 1808 Jam.; Fif. c.1850 R. Peattie MS., lowt; Per. 1902 E.D.D., esp. of a horse or donkey); vomit (Dmf. 1825 Jam.). Deriv. lytrie, n., a quantity of anything in disorder, a confused swarm of small creatures (Gregor); adj., of something semi-liquid: dirty, disordered, mucky (Id.). Dim. logjek, lodjek, lyjoik, [ < loit(y)ick], excrement (Sh. 1908 Jak. (1928), Sh. 1961).Dmf. 1824 Scots Mag. (May) 537:
Yonder's a cloud, too, that's wearying to get a loot [sic] aff its stamach.Sh. 1951 New Shetlander No. 29. 28:
A big-boned, loud-voiced Amazon of a woman, who could step it out across the heather and da lyjoiks as well as any man.

3. A long rigmarole, a disconnected harangue, of a speech, sermon, etc., a piece of nonsense, written or spoken (Bnff. 1866 Gregor D. Bnff. 110, lytach, lyte(r), Bnff. 1880 Jam., loiter).

4. A heavy fall, a thud, with the accompanying noise, a clash (Bnff. 1866 Gregor D. Bnff. 110, lyte).