† ˈughten Obs.
Forms: 1 uhtan, 3 uhhtenn, 4 vȝten, vghtene. See also oughten.
[Common Teutonic: OE. {uacu}htan, obl. form of *{uacu}hte wk. fem. = OS. ûhta (MLG. uchten, LG. ucht; MDu. uchten, ochten, Du. ucht-, ochtend), OHG. ûhtâ, uohtâ (MHG. uohte, uhte), Goth. ūhtwō, ON. and Icel. ótta (Norw. and Sw. otta) in the same sense: relationship to forms outside of Germanic is uncertain. In ME., as in MLG. and MDu., the oblique case in which the word commonly occurred was adopted in place of the original nominative.]
1. The part of the night immediately before daybreak; early morning.
| Beowulf 126 Ða wæs on uhtan mid ærdæᵹe Grendles guðcræft gumum undyrne. 971 Blickling Hom. 47 Syxtan siþe on niht ær he ræste, seofoþan siþe on uhtan. c 1000 Saxon Leechd. III. 20 Læt standan þreo niht; syle drincan ær uhton lytelne scænc fulne. c 1200 Ormin 2484 Godess enngell comm himm to Onn uhhtenn þær he sleppte. a 1300 K. Horn 1474 (Camb. MS.), Hi sloȝen & fuȝten, Þe niȝt & þe vȝten. 13.. E.E. Allit. P. B. 893 Ruddon of þe day⁓rawe ros vpon vȝten, When merk of þe mydnyȝt moȝt no more last. 13.. St. Erkenwolde 118 in Horstm. Altengl. Leg. (1881) 268 Ser Erkenwolde was vp in þe vghtene ere þene. |
2. attrib. in ughten-tide; also ughten-song, = uhtsong.
| c 900 tr. Bæda's Eccl. Hist. iv. xii. 300 Neowe steorra..in uhttide [Ca. uhtantide] wæs upeornende. c 950 Lindisf. Gosp. Mk. xiii. 35 On uhte tid [Rushw. uhtu-tid] vel on honcroed. c 1200 Ormin 5832 Hu Crist ras upp off dæþe Onn uhhtenntid te þridde daȝȝ. Ibid. 6360 Wiþþ daȝȝsang & wiþþ uhhtennsang, Wiþþ messess & wiþþ beness. 13.. [see next]. |
Hence ˈughtening (also dial. oachenin), in the same sense.
| a 1300 E.E. Psalter lxxii. 14, I was swongen al þe dai, And in vghteninges [Harl. MS. uhtentide] mi þhraying ai. Ibid. c. 9 In vghteninge I slogh with hand Alle þe sinful of þe land. c 1900 Eng. Dial. Dict. (Caithness dial.), Oachenin, the early dawn. |