▪ I. hoast, n. Chiefly north. dial.
(həʊst)
Forms: [1 hwósta], 4–9 host, 5, 9 dial. hoost, (6–9 hoste, hoist), 7– hoast, (haust, 9 hoarst).
[The OE. hwósta is not known to have survived in ME.; the extant northern word (from 14th c.) was app. the cognate ON. hóste cough = OLG. *hôsto (MLG. hôste, MDu. hoeste, hoest, LG. hoost, hôst, Du. hoest), OHG. huosto (MHG. huoste, Ger. husten):—OTeut. *hwôston-, f. a root *hwôs- (whence OE. hwésan:—*hwôsjan to wheeze), pre-Teut. *kwōs-, kās-; cf. Skr. kās to cough.
It is possible that OE. hwósta may have survived dialectally; some writers refer to a dial. form, whoost, which would be its representative; and this, as in who, whoop, might become hoost, whence mod. Shropshire 'oost.]
A cough. In some Eng. dialects used only of cattle.
| [c 1000 Voc. in Wr.-Wülcker 277/27 Tussis, hwosta.] a 1300 Cursor M. 534 Als aand with host in brest is spred. c 1440 Promp. Parv. 248/2 Hoose, or cowghe (other MSS. host..hoost), tussis. 14.. Nom. in Wr.-Wülcker 708/2 Hec tussis, the host. c 1500 [see hives]. a 1510 Douglas K. Hart ii. 455 Heidwerk, Hoist, and Parlasy, maid grit pay. 1562 Turner Herbal ii. 34 Mastik is good..for an old host or coughe. a 1605 Montgomerie Flyting w. Polwart 302 The hunger, the hart-ill, and the hoist still thee hald. 1622 Course Conformitie 117 (Jam.) He that can swallow a camel..with⁓out an hoast. a 1651 Calderwood Hist. Kirk (1678) 60 (Jam.) From the thirteenth of November..he became so feeble with a hoast. 1674 Ray N.C. Words 24 An Haust or Hoste, a Dry Cough. 1688 R. Holme Armoury ii. 172/1 The Cough, or Cold, and Shortness of Breath, or Hausts, an Inward Disease in Cows. 1773 Epitaph in Spectator (1884) 6 Sept. 1173 Of a cauld and a sair host, He died upon the Yorkshire coast. 1803 Med. Jrnl. X. 217 A great number of cats in Shrewsbury became seized with what is commonly called the Hoost. 1821 Galt Ann. Parish ii. (D.), I gave them a sign by a loud hoast. a 1825 Forby Voc. E. Anglia, Hoist, a cough. 1863 Mrs. Gaskell Sylvia's L. xxiv, I'll make him a treacle-posset; it's a famous thing for keeping off hoasts. 1879 G. F. Jackson Shropsh. Word-bk., Hoost [oost], a cough: said of cattle. 1893 Northumbld. Gloss., Hoast, Hoist, a cough. |
▪ II. hoast, v. Chiefly north. dial.
Forms: [1 hwóstan], 5–9 host, (6 hoyst, 9 hoist), 8– hoast, (dial. huist).
[OE. hwóstan = OLG. *hôstôn (MLG. hôsten, MDu. hoesten), OHG. huostôn (MHG. huosten, Ger. husten), ON. hósta (Sw. hosta, Da. hoste), f. the n.: see prec. The existing northern word (known only from 15th c.) appears to be the ON. word. Beside hoast, Sc. has also the form huist, going back to hōst.]
1. intr. To cough.
| [c 1000 Sax. Leechd. II. 258, & hwostað [MS. hwosað] ᵹe⁓lome.] c 1440 Promp. Parv. 249/1 Hostyn, or rowhyn, or cowghyn,..tussio. 1483 Cath. Angl. 190/1 To Host, tussire. 1619 Life & Death P. Simsone (1845) 100 He hosted continually to his death. c 1750 in Ritson Scot. Songs (1794) II. 250 He hosts and he hirples the weary day lang. 1752 A. Macinnes in Scots Mag. (1753) July 342/2 Allan Breck came behind him, and hoasted. a 1825 Forby Voc. E. Anglia, Hoist, to cough. 1885 Queen 31 Jan. 111 That hobbling ‘hosting’ old woman who asks for human charity. |
2. trans. To cough up or out. Also fig.
| 1508 Dunbar Tua Mariit Wemen 272 Ane hair hogeart, that hostit out flewme. 1513 Douglas æneis xiii. i. 10 The Latyn pepyll..hostit owt full cleyr, Deip from thar brestis the hard sorow smart. 1583 Leg. Bp. St. Androis 146 in Sat. Poems Ref. xlv, He hosted thair a hude full fra him. 1786 Burns Willie Chalmers v, And host up some palaver. |
▪ III. hoast
obs. form of host.