▪ I. † siche, n. Obs. rare.
[Related to next: cf. sike n.]
A sigh.
| c 1000 Sax. Leechd. I. 388 Ic me..on godes helde bebeode, wiþþ þane sara sice, wið þane sara sleᵹe. c 1200 Trin. Coll. Hom. 83 Þeh he him bidde mid his muð, he ne fecheð noht þe sore siches onneðerward his heorte. |
▪ II. † siche, v. Obs.
Also 3–5 syche. pa. tense 3 sihte, syhte, 3–4 siȝte, 4 syȝte, siȝt, 5 syght. pa. pple. 4 y-siȝt.
[OE. s{iacu}can, whence in ME. both sīchen (siːtʃ-) and sīken sike v. In OE. a strong verb (cf. the past t. onsāc), but in ME. transferred to the weak class represented by rǣcean, tǽcean, etc. After siche became obsolete, the pa. tense sight was associated with sigh v., and remained in use till the 17th c.]
intr. To sigh.
| α c 893 K. ælfred Oros. ii. viii. 92 Þæt wæron þa tida þe Romane nu æfter sicað. c 1000 Ags. Psalter (Thorpe) vi. 5 ælce niht on minum bedde ic sice and wepe. c 1205 Lay. 12772 Þe king gon siche sare. c 1275 Passion our Lord 463 in O.E. Misc. 50 Louerd, he seyde, þench on me, and bi-gon to syche [rime kyneriche]. 13.. St. Gregory (Vernon MS.) 31 For þi suster i mai wel siche [rime riche]. 1387 Trevisa Higden (Rolls) V. 353 Þe kyng byhelde þe man and þe place, and siched sore. 1422 tr. Secreta Secret., Priv. Priv. 232 Yf he syche,..that man lowyth the and dreddyth. |
| β c 1200 Trin. Coll. Hom. 169 Iob..an-hefde þo his egen to heuene..and sore sihte. c 1250 Owl & Night. 1291 Þe nyhtegale sat and syhte. 13.. Guy Warw. 4683 Þan stode þer sir Gij vp-riȝt: Wel depe in hert he haþ y-siȝt. c 1350 Will. Palerne 2971 Sorwfuliche sche siȝt. 1387 Trevisa Higden (Rolls) VIII. 227 Whanne he wook and syȝte [L. suspirante]. c 1450 St. Cuthbert (Surtees) 3420 He ansuerd noȝt, bot sare syght. |
Hence † ˈsiching vbl. n. Obs.
| 1387 Trevisa Higden (Rolls) IV. 287 Herodes..was i-tormented..wiþ ofte brekynge of sore sichinges [v.r. sychyngs]. |