▪ I. rathe
obs. form of raith.
▪ II. † rathe, n.1 Obs.
In 3 raþ(e, rath.
[a. ON. ráð = OE. rǽd rede n.]
Counsel, advice; help.
| c 1200 Ormin 1414 Þatt teȝȝ forr þe deofless raþ Drihhtiness raþ forrwurrpenn. c 1300 Havelok 75 To þe faderles was he rath, Wo so dede hem wrong or lath. Ibid. 2542. |
▪ III. rathe, n.2 Now dial.
(reɪð)
Also 7 raeth, 8 rath, 8–9 rade, 9 raithe. See also raer and rave n.2
[Of obscure origin; perh. the base of raddle n.1]
1. A cart-rail = rave n.2 1.
| 1497 Naval Acc. Hen. VII (1896) 102 Cart..without rathes. 1523 Fitzherb. Husb. §5 The bodye of the wayne of oke, the staues, the nether rathes, the ouer rathes [etc.]. 1705 Lond Gaz. No. 4112/4 With this Crest, a Cock upon a Rath. 1733 Tull Horse-hoeing Husb. 88 Three Waggons had each a Board..fix'd Cross the Middle of each Waggon by Iron Pins, to the Top of the Rades or Sides. 1875– in dial. glossaries, in forms rathe (Chesh., Shropsh., Leic.) and rade (Som., Berks, Hants, Sussex). 1890 Buckman Darke's Sojourn v. 34 Numerous waggons with hurdles tied along their rathes. |
2. Weaving. = rave n.2 3.
| 1564 Inv. in Noake Worcestershire Relics (1877) 13 In the weaving shoppe a rathe, a warpinge bore, a troughe. 1688 R. Holme Armoury iii. viii. 346/2 The Raeth is a thing like a Rake... The Raeth keeps the Yarn in Warping, that they shall not tangle or twist one with another. 1875 Ure's Dict. Arts (ed. 7) III. 1111 A comb or raithe..guides the threads with precision on to any length of beam. 1886 in Cheshire Gloss. Suppl. |
▪ IV. rathe, rath, a.1 poet. and dial.
(reɪð, rɑːθ, -æ-)
Forms: 1 hræð-, pl. hraðe, 5 Sc., 6–7, 9 rath, 7 raith, 4–7, 9 rathe, 9 dial. rave.
[f. rathe adv.; rare in OE. in place of hræd rad a.1, but common after c 1400. For the uses of the compar. and superl. see rather a., rathest a.]
1. Quick in action, speedy, prompt; eager, earnest, vehement.
| c 900 Ags. Ps. (Th.) xiii. 6 Heora fet beoð swiðe hraðe blod to aᵹeotanne. a 1400 Sir Perc. 98 Was noȝte the rede Knyghte so rathe For to wayte hym with skathe. c 1450 St. Cuthbert (Surtees) 6442 To reule þaim wele he was full' rathe. 1575 Gascoigne Dan Bartholomew Wks. (1587) 66 In deede the rage which wrong him there was rathe. 1818 Scott Rob Roy vii, Art there, lad?—ay, youth's aye rathe—but look to thysell. 1949 E. Pound Pisan Cantos lxxxi. 113 Pull down thy vanity, Rathe to destroy, niggard in charity. |
2. a. Done, occurring, coming, etc., before the usual or natural time; early.
Originally with too: cf. rathe adv. 1 b.
| c 1420 Pallad. on Husb. i. 247 Tilyng..Is not to rathe yf dayis thryis fyue Hit be preuent. 1584 Cogan Haven Health (1612) 249 Rathe marriage is the cause why men be now of lesse stature than they haue been before time. 1609 C. Butler Fem. Mon. v. (1623) I iij, Those swarmes..if they be rathe, will swarme againe unless they be ouer-hiued. 1670 Ray Prov. 22 The rath sower ne're borrows o' th' late. 1816 Scott Antiq. xxxix, Laying his head in a rath grave. 1833 H. Coleridge Poems I. 13 A rathe December blights my lagging May. 1886 W. Som. Word-bk. s.v. Rathe... The expression..a rave spring..is not uncommon. |
b. esp. of fruits, flowers, etc., which grow, bloom, or ripen early in the year. (Cf. rathe-ripe.)
| 1572 L. Mascall Plant. & Graff. (1592) 53 For to haue rath or timely Peares... For to haue them rath or soone, ye shall graffe them in the Pine Tree. 1600 E. B. in Eng. Helicon B iv b, And made the rathe and timely primrose grow. 1637 Milton Lycidas 142. 1651 R. Child in Hartlib's Legacy (1655) 9 To sow Raith, (or early ripe) Pease. 1813 Scott Rokeby iv. ii, Where..the rathe primrose decks the mead. 1848 Lowell Fable for Critics Poet. Wks. (1880) 357 A single anemone trembly and rathe. 1880 Swinburne Songs of Springtides, On the Cliffs 44 The labours, whence men reap Rathe fruit of hopes and fears. |
3. Early in the day; belonging to the morning.
| 1596 Drayton Legends i. 8 The rathe Morning newly but awake. 1635 Hayward tr. Biondi's Banish'd Virg. 191 Intending to aske her what shee made there at so rathe an houre. a 1835 Hogg Allan of Dale 29 Beginning thy rath orisons here. 1877 Symonds Renaiss. It., Fine Arts (1897) III. iii. 110 The rathe tints of early dawn. 1914 C. Mackenzie Sinister Street II. iii. xiv. 787 Spring on these rathe mornings of wind and scudded blue sky was forward with her traceries. |
4. Belonging to, or forming, the first part of some period of time.
| 1850 Tennyson In Mem. cx, Thy converse drew us with delight, The men of rathe and riper years. 1898 Crockett Standard Bearer xxxi, The young ardour of spring and the rath summer-time. |
▪ V. † rathe, a.2
obs. var. rare a.1 (Cf. next.)
| 1548 Elyot s.v. Rarus, Rarum inuentu, harde and rathe to be found. |
▪ VI. † rathe, rath, a.3
var. of rare a.2 Obs. rare.
For the confusion of th and r, cf. raer, var. of rathe n.2, rare a.3 and rathe a.2
| 1684 Littleton Lat. Dict., Ovum sorbile, a rathe egg, a poached or rath-roasted egg. 1706 Phillips (ed. Kersey) s.v., A rath Egg. [See also ratherest.] |
▪ VII. † rathe, v. Obs.
Also 3 inf. raþenn.
[a. ON. ráða = OE. rǽdan rede v.]
trans. and intr. To counsel, advise.
| c 1200 Ormin 2948 Godd himm sennde hiss enngell To raþenn himm þe bettste raþ. Ibid. 5514 Swa þatt teȝȝ cunnenn raþenn rihht Hemm sellfenn & ec oþre. c 1300 Havelok 1335 Do nou als y wile rathe. |
▪ VIII. rathe, adv. poet. and dial.
(reɪð)
Forms: 1 (h)ræðe, hreðe, rað, 1–2 hraðe, 1–3 raðe, 2 reðe, 2–4 raþe, 3 ræðen, reaðe, 3–7 rath, 4 raþ, 4–6 Sc. raith, 6, 9 dial. rade, 3–7, 9 rathe.
[OE. hraðe, hræðe (hreðe) = OHG. (h)rado, ratho etc., the adv. corresponding to OE. hræd rad a.1]
† 1. Denoting rapidity in the performance or completion of an action: Quickly, rapidly, swiftly; esp. without delay, promptly, soon. Obs. (in common use down to 16th c.)
| Beowulf (Z.) 224 Þanon up hraðe wedera leode on wang stiᵹon. c 825 Vesp. Psalter xxxvi. 2 Swe swe leaf wyrta hreðe fallað. a 900 Cynewulf Christ 1525 [Hi] sceolon raðe feallan on grimme grund. a 1123 O.E. Chron. an. 1102 Þe he hine swa hraðe ᵹewinnan ne mihte, he let þær toforan castelas ᵹemakian. a 1200 Moral Ode 90 in E.E.P. (1862) 28 He scullen falle swiþe raþe in to helle grunde. a 1225 Ancr. R. 54 Þus wolde Eue inouh reaðe habben i-onswered. c 1275 Lay. 25645 So rathe so hii mihten Vt of sipe hii rehten. c 1300 Havelok 2391 Cum to þe king, swiþe and raþe. 1375 Barbour Bruce v. 417 Gif he had haldin the casteill, It suld haue beyn assegit rath. 1480 Caxton Chron. Eng. clxxxv. 162 He prayd hem that they shold make edward of Carrnariuan kyng of englond..as rathe as they myght. 1576 Gascoigne Philomene (Arb.) 96 Sende My daughter..And (since I counte al leasure long) Returne hir to me rathe. 1649 R. Hodges Plain. Direct. 36 Hee was wroth because she was ful of wrath so rath. |
† b. With too: Too quickly, too soon; hence (passing into sense 2), too early; before the fitting, usual, or natural time. Obs.
| c 888 K. ælfred Boeth. iii. §1 Ic wat þæt þu hæfst þara wæpna to hraðe forᵹiten. c 1205 Lay. 28362 Þer weore al þat fiht i-don ah þat niht to raðe com. a 1300 Cursor M. 8876 Al to rath he þat be-gan. 1330 R. Brunne Chron. (1810) 9 He regned fiftene ȝere, & died alle to rathe. c 1374 Chaucer Troylus v. 937 He was slayn, allas..Vn-happyly at Thebes al to raþe. 1413 Pilgr. Sowle (Caxton 1483) iv. xx. 65, I songe to rathe, for I sange by the morowe. a 1541 Wyatt in Tottell's Misc. (Arb.) 60 All to rathe alas the while, She built on such a ground. |
† 2. Denoting the point of time at which an action or occurrence takes place. Obs. (See also rare adv.2) † a. as rathe as (swa rathe swa), as soon as, at the moment when. Obs.
| c 1000 ælfric Hom. II. 526 He wæs Godes Bearn swa hraðe swa he mannes Bearn wearð. c 1175 Lamb. Hom. 97 Swa reðe swa he þes mannes heorte and his mod on lihte, hit iwendeð from ufele to gode. c 1425 Eng. Conq. Irel. 84 As rathe as thou hast I-sey these lettres, ne leue nat to come to socour vs. |
† b. Early with respect to the proper or natural time. Obs.
| 1565 Jewel Repl. Harding (1611) 8 It was verie rathe to haue Monasteries built in all S. Iames time. 1582 N. Lichefield tr. Castanheda's Conq. E. Ind. 124 b, For that it was somwhat rath for to returne, they went to the Iland of Cambalan. 1598 R. Barckley Felic. Man iii. (1603) 206 Though it was too rathe for those young yeeres to know the wickednesse of the world. |
3. Early (in the morning or day). poet. and dial.
| c 1386 Chaucer Shipman's T. 1289 What eyleth yow so rathe for to ryse. 1575 Turberv. Venerie 60, I am the hunte, whiche rathe and earely ryse. 1584 R. Scot Discov. Witchcr. xii. xxi. (1886) 230 Upon some Sundaie morning rath, light it. 1612 Drayton Poly-olb. xii. 168 Commaunding him..rathe as he could rise, to such a gate to goe. 1674–91 Ray S. & E.C. Words 75 Rathe in the morning, i.e. early in the morning. 1842 G. P. R. Pulman Rustic Sketches 29 In th' marnin' up I gits, Za rathe as break o' day. 1859 Tennyson Elaine 339 The face..held her from her sleep. Till rathe she rose. |
† b. Early in the year. Obs. rare—1.
| 1574 R. Scot Hop Gard. (1578) 10 Where the Garden standeth bleake or the Hoppe springeth rath. |