hilding Obs. or arch.
(ˈhɪldɪŋ)
Also 6 held-, hield-, 6–7 hyld-, 7 hiled-, 7–8 heild-.
[A late word, of obscure etymology: perh. f. hield hyld vb., to bend downwards, bow, also to fall, sink, and to decline, turn waywardly aside + -ing. It is not clear whether the application was first to a horse or to a human being.]
† 1. A worthless or vicious beast, esp. a horse; a sorry hack, a jade. Obs.
| 1589 R. Harvey Pl. Perc. (1590) 18 Least standing long still in the open faire, they fall to downeright halting, and so be disclosed for arrant heldings. 1600 Holland Livy xxi. xl. 415 Their horses, no other than lame jades and poor hidebound hildings. 1719 D'Urfey Pills IV. 16 A Runaway Beast that will not be held in..a very Heilding. |
2. A contemptible, worthless person of either sex; a good-for-nothing. arch. a. Applied to a man.
| 1601 Shakes. All's Well iii. vi. 4 If your Lordshippe finde him not a Hilding, hold me no more in your respect. 1611 ― Cymb. ii. iii. 128 A base Slaue, A Hilding for a Liuorie, a Squires Cloth. 1611 Cotgr., Caguemaille, a filthie snudge,..miserable scrape-good, couetous hylding. 1679 Dryden Tr. & Cr. iii. ii, Away, away, you naughty hildings. 1843 Lytton Last Bar. i. v, There's Master Sancroft, of the Oak, will not trust us a penny, the seely hilding. |
b. Applied to a woman: A jade; a baggage.
| 1592 Shakes. Rom. & Jul. iii. v. 169 Out on her, Hilding. 1631 Celestina xii. 142 She is a crafty Hileding, and I will not give her time to invent some one villainous tricke or other. 1681 Dryden Sp. Fryar ii. iii, How the Gipsey answers me! Oh, 'tis a most notorious Hilding! 1713 Rowe J. Shore iv. (1766) 135 This idle Toy, this Hilding [Jane Shore] scorns my power. |
3. attrib. (in apposition) passing into adj.
| 1582 Breton Hunted Hart in Heliconia (1815) I. 139 Shee then takes of those hylding curres againe. 1596 Spenser F.Q. vi. v. 25 Thinking to take them from that hylding hound. 1597 Shakes. 2 Hen. IV, i. i. 57 Some hielding Fellow, that had stolne The Horse he rode on. 1613 Markham Eng. Husbandman ii. ii. vii. (1635) 89 Those orts may be given to other heilding, and hungry Cattell. 1820 Scott Ivanhoe xxvii, Some hilding fellow he must be, who dared not stay to assert his claim. |