▪ I. hait, heit, int.
(heɪt)
Forms: 4 hayt, haite, heyt(e, 5 hyte, 6–7 haight, 8– hait.
[Cf. Ger. hott!]
A word of encouragement or command given to horses to urge them forward; in some dialects, to turn them to one side or the other.
| c 1386 Chaucer Friar's T. 245 The Cartere smoot and cryde as he were wood, Hayt [v. rr. haite, heyt] Brok, hayt Scot, what spare ye for the stones? Ibid. 263 Heyt now quod he. c 1460 Towneley Myst. (Surtees) 9 Harrer, Morelle, iofurthe, hyte, And let the ploghe stand. a 1577 Gascoigne Flowers Wks. (1587) 101 His thought sayd Haight, his silly speech cryed Ho. 1614 Copley Wits, Fits & Fancies (N.) Saying to his asse by the way..Haight, beast, and on a God's name. a 1825 Forby Voc. E. Anglia, Hait-wo, a word of command to horses in a team, meaning, ‘go to the left’; for wo, in this case, is not stop, but go. 1879 G. F. Jackson Shropsh. Word-bk. s.v. Waggoner's words to horses, The waggoner, standing to the left of his horses, would address..the Pin-horse and Shafter alike: ‘Haw-woop’..come towards; ‘Heit’ go from me. The whole team: ‘Woo’..stop. |
Hence hait v. intr., to cry ‘hait’.
| ? c 1690 Bagford Ball. (Ball. Soc.) 757 And Carters for the sport left Ho and Haiting. |
▪ II. hait
obs. form of hate, hight, hot, hote.