▪ I. met, n.1 Obs. exc. dial.
(mɛt)
Forms: [1 ᵹe-met(t], 3– met, mett. Also 3, 5–6 mete, (7 meat). Also i-met.
[OE. ᵹemet neut. = OS. gimet (Du. gemet acre), OHG. gameȥ, ON. mét neut. pl., weight of a balance:—OTeut. *ga-meto{supm}, f. root *met- to measure: see mete v.
The form i-met survived only to the beginning of the 13th c. in the south; in other dialects the prefix was lost still earlier, according to the general rule with regard to ns.]
= measure n. in various senses.
† 1. Size, dimension or quantity as determinable by measurement; = measure n. 2, b, c. Sometimes = distance. Obs.
| [c 888 K. ælfred Boeth. xviii. §1 [Ptolomeus] se towrat ealles þises middanᵹeardes ᵹemet on anre bec. c 1050 Laws Northumbr. Priests lvi. (Liebermann), Betweonan Eferwic & six mila ᵹemete.] 13.. Cursor M. 8123 (Gött.) And all þair schapp was turned new, Of man-kind had þai þe mett. c 1330 R. Brunne Chron. Wace (Rolls) 14978 Þe lengþe of þe Ilde of Tenet, Sex myle þen ys þe met. c 1420 Pallad. on Husb. iii. 199 A xl foote of mette Vche elm away from other most be born. a 1529 Skelton E. Rummyng 333 She..bad Elynour..fyll in good met. |
2. The action of measuring. by met or with met: as determined by measuring.
| a 1300 Cursor M. 8814 Þai lete it [þe tre] don wit-vten lett, And fand it merc inogh wit mett [a 1425 (Trin.) bi met]. c 1386 Chaucer Pars. T. 725 To take þy neighebours catel agayns his wille..be it by mette or by mesure. c 1400 Laud Troy Bk. 9480 Two hundred fet was it be met. |
† 3. A method or system of measuring; = measure n. 6. Obs.
| c 1250 Gen. & Ex. 439 Met of corn, and wiȝte of se, And merke of felde, first fond he. 1580 Reg. Privy Council Scot. III. 300, xxxii bollis wattir mett. 1627 Rep. Parishes Scotl. (Bann.) 2 Four bollis otis rining mett. |
4. A unit of measurement, esp. of capacity. Now dial. = a bushel or (in some parts) two bushels.
| [c 1000 ælfric Deut. xxv. 15 Hæbbe ælc man..rihte ᵹemetu on ælcum þingum.] c 1250 Gen. & Ex. 3333 A met ðor was, it het Gomor. a 1300 Cursor M. 28437 Again þe lagh in land is sett, Haf i wysed fals weght and mette. 1513 Douglas æneis viii. Prol. 40 The myllar mythis the multur wyth a met scant. 1624 A. Huntar (title) Treatise of Weights, Mets and Measures of Scotland; with their quantities, and true foundation. 1660 Hexham, Een Gemeet Landes, a Meat or Measure of Land. 1691 Ray N.C. Words 48 A Met: a Strike or four Pecks,..in York-sh. two Strike. 1793 Statist. Acc. Scot. VII. 589 Herrings..sell for 1d. per score, or 3s. per mett, nearly a barrel of fresh ungutted herrings. 1876 Whitby Gloss., Met, two bushels. |
5. An instrument for measuring = measure n. 4. Obs. exc. dial. (see E.D.D.).
| [c 1030 Laws of Cnut ii. ix. (Liebermann), ᵹemeta & ᵹewihta rihte man ᵹeorne.] a 1300 Cursor M. 12398 Þe knaue þat þis timber fett Heild noght graithli his mett, Bot ouer scort he broght a tre. c 1440 Alphabet of Tales 330 Sho..tuke hur mettis & hur messurs at sho fillid ale with. a 1733 Shetland Acts 16 in Proc. Soc. Ant. Scot. (1892) XXVI. 199 The trying and adjusting of bismers with the stoups, cans, and other mets and measures. |
6. a. A quantity measured out; esp. a quantity of anything as measured out according to a certain unit of measurement, as a met of coals. Now only dial.
| [c 1000 Ags. Gosp. Matt. xiii. 33 On þrim ᵹemetum melwes.] c 1200 Ormin 14034, & twafald oþerr þrefald mett Þa fetless alle tokenn. 13.. E.E. Allit. P. B. 625 Þre mettez of mele menge & ma kakez. 1522 Test. Ebor. (Surtees) V. 145 To every of them oon mette of corne, scilicet, half of whete, and the other halfe malte. 1636 Farington Papers (Chetham Soc.) 12, 23 Metts Banberie Malte. 1765 Lond. Chron. 3 Jan. 16 The prisoners in Ouse-Bridge gaol received..10 mets of coals from his Grace the Archbishop. 1891 A. Matthews Poems & Songs 19 A wab o' claith, a pirn wheel A met o' coals, a cheese, a neep. |
| fig. c 1230 Hali Meid. 273 [He] earneð him..met of heouenliche mede. 1572 Satir. P. Reform. xxxiii. 343 Quhilks for to out with dowbill met and mesure, The vther tway ȝe ludgeit at thair plesure. |
b. In Matt. vii. 2 and echoes.
| [c 975, c 1175: see i-met.] a 1300 Cursor M. 25318 Wit sli mett als yee bi and sell, Wit þat ilk sal you be mett. c 1330 Spec. Gy de Warewyke 549 Alswich met as þu metest me, Alswich i wole mete to þe. |
c. by or with large met: in abundance.
| c 1290 St. Nicholas 150 in S. Eng. Leg. 244 And hou heo hadden bi large met wel more corn i-brouȝt. c 1450 Hymns Virg. 118 Hytt [the rayne] schalle ouergo wyth large mett Alle that ys in erth I-sett. |
† 7. Extent not to be exceeded; limit, bounds; = measure n. 12. withute met(e: beyond bounds. with met: ‘by measure’. Obs.
| [c 888 K. ælfred Boeth. xl. §1 Þylæs hi cweþan {thbar} wit sprecan ofer monnes ᵹemet. c 1000 Ags. Gosp. Matt. xxiii. 32, & ᵹefylle ᵹe {thbar} ᵹemet eowra fædera.] c 1200 Ormin 17986 Forr Godd ne ȝifeþþ nohht wiþþ mett Hiss Gastess Hallȝhe Frofre. a 1240 Sawles Warde in Cott. Hom. 251 Helle is wid wið ute met ant deop wið ute grunde. Ibid. 263 Ha luuieð god wið ute met. |
† 8. Moderation, temperance; = measure n. 13. Also, modesty. Obs.
| [a 1000: see i-met.] c 1200 Ormin 6116 Wiþþ mett & mæþ i mete & drinnch, & ec inn ȝure claþess. a 1240 Sawles Warde in Cott. Hom. 255 For ne mei na wunne ne na flesches licunge..bringe me ouer þe midel of mesure and of mete. c 1357 Lay Folks Catech. 445 Methe is mesur and met [Lamb. MS. mede] of al that we do. |
9. Comb., as met-loom, instrument for measuring; met-poke, a bag serving as a measure. (See also met-line, -rod, -stick, -wand, -yard s.vv. meteline, meterod, etc.)
| 1528 Burgh Rec. Stirling (1887) 33 The baillies sall caus all metloumis pyntis, quhartis and chopynnis, to cum to the tolbouit. 1641 Best Farm. Bks. (Surtees) 100 When wee sende wheate [etc.]..to markette..wee putte it into mette-poakes. |
▪ II. † met, ppl. a. Obs.
[See mete v.1]
Measured.
| c 1375 Sc. Leg. Saints xl. (Ninian) 1406 Twa hundre myle of met way. a 1400 Sir Perc. 1708 The stede..Leppe up over an hille Fyve stryde mett. c 1460 Towneley Myst. xii. 484 This botell..It holdys a mett potell. |
▪ III. met
see mete.