▪ I. snite, n.1 Now dial.
(snaɪt)
Forms: 1, 6– snite, 4–7 (8) snyte, 5 snyghte, snyhte, snyȝt, 6–7 snight.
[OE. sn{iacu}te (also in comb. wudusn{iacu}te), apparently not represented in any of the cognate languages.]
1. = snipe n. 1.
Some distinction between snite and snipe is implied in the following entries in MS. Cott. Nero A. vi. (early 15th cent.):—fol. 165 v, Plouer, snytys, snypys, larkys; fol. 177 r, Ploueres, snytes, quaylys, snypys.
| c 725 Corpus Gloss. A 138 Acegia, snite. c 1000 ælfric Voc. in Wr.-Wülcker 132 Aceta, snite, uel wudecocc. c 1325 [see snipe n. 1]. 1363 in Riley Memorials London (1868) 312 A snyte, 1½d. 1382 Wyclif Isaiah xxxiv. 11 The snyte [L. ibis] and the crowe dwelle shul in it. a 1400 Sqr. lowe Degre 323 With deynty meates that were dere;..Both storkes and snytes ther were also. c 1400 Lydg. Churl & Bird in Minor P. (Percy Soc.) 192 A downghille doke [is to thee] as deynte as a snyghte. 1515 Barclay Egloges iv. (1570) C v b/2 A shamfull rable..presumeth to indite, Though they have scantly the cunning of a snite. 1581 J. Bell Haddon's Answ. Osorius 374 Ill may the Snight the Woodcock twight for his long bill. 1604 Drayton Owle 947 The witlesse Wood-cocke, and his Neighbour Snite. 1688 Phil. Trans. XVII. 713 These passages are also in the Heads of Snites. 1694 Motteux Rabelais iv. lix. (1737) 244 Snytes... Thistle-Finches. 1837– in Devon and Cornwall glossaries, etc. 1893 Baring-Gould Mrs. Curgenven xlix, Widgeon, nor wild goose, hearn, and snite. |
† b. Applied to species of birds resembling the snipe. Obs.
| 1694 Martens' Voy. Spitzbergen in Acc. Sev. Late Voy. ii. 72 This Snite, which is also called the Strand-runner.., is no bigger than a Lark. |
† 2. As a term of abuse. Obs. Cf. snipe n. 3.
| 1653 Urquhart Rabelais i. liv, Here enter not vile bigots, hypocrites, Externally devoted Apes, base snites. |
3. attrib., as † snyte-knave, a jack-snipe (cf. snipe-knave s.v. snipe n. 8).
| 1611 Cotgr. s.v. Un, Deux pour vn, the Snyte-knaue; tearmed so, because two of them are worth but one good Snyte. |
▪ II. † snite, n.2 Obs.—1
Also snyt.
[Cf. WFris. snjit, snitte a spit or sprinkling of rain.]
(See quot.)
| a 1548 Hall Chron., Hen. VI, 186 b, Their fell a small snyt [Grafton snite] or snow, which by violence of the wynd was driven into the faces of them. |
▪ III. snite, v. Now dial. and Sc.
(snaɪt)
Forms: 1 snytan, 5 snytyn, 5–7, dial. and Sc. 9 snyte (5 snyth-), 5– snite (5 snete); 6 snytte, 7 snit, snett. pa. tense 4 snytte. pa. pple. 4 y-snyt, 7 snit.
[OE. sn{yacu}tan, = ON. and Icel. sn{yacu}ta (Norw. and Sw. snyta, Da. snyde), OHG. snûzan (MHG. snûtzen, sniuzen, G. schneuzen, schnäuzen), MLG. snûten (LG. snüten), Du. snuiten (WFris. snute): the stem snūt- is prob. the same as that of snout n. Cf. also snot n.]
1. a. intr. To clean or wipe the nose; to cast away mucus. b. trans. To remove by wiping, etc.
| a 1100 in Napier Contrib. O.E. Lexicog. 58 Hræce & snyte bæftan him oððe adun be his sidan. Ibid., Swa hwæt swa man him fram hræce oððe snyte, fortrede hit mid his fotum. a 1586 in Maitland MS. (Pinkerton, 1786) 185 They snyte, thoch thair na mister be, That ye may thair trim napkyne see. 1598 Bp. Hall Sat. vi. i, So looks he like a marble toward rain, And wrings and snites, and weeps, and wipes again. 1632 Holland Cyrupædia viii. ii. 181 Hee inured them to this, neither to spit nor snit openly in sight. a 1779 Graham Writ. (1883) II. 154 A weel blooded hissie..that..snites the snotter frae their nose. |
2. trans. To clean or clear (the nose) from mucus, esp. by means of the thumb and finger only; to blow. Also fig., to tweak or pull.
| c 1305 St. Dunstan 85 in E.E.P. (1862) 36 Mid his tonge he snytte hire nose, and tuengde hire sore. Ibid. 91 As god þe schrewe hadde ibeo atom ysnyt his nose. 1422 tr. Secreta Secret., Priv. Priv. 189 Therfor sayth Salamon, whoso ouer-harde Snythyth the noos, he draueth blode. c 1460 J. Russell Bk. Nurture 284 in Babees Bk., Pike not youre nose.., Snyff nor snitynge hyt to lowd. 1530 Palsgr. 724/1 Snytte thy nose, or thou shalte eate no buttered fysshe with me. 1601 Holland Pliny xxxv. xi. II. 550 Theodorus drew one snetting his nose. 1632 ― Cyrupædia 6 Even yet among the Persians it is held a shamefull thing..to snit the nose. a 1700 B. E. Dict. Cant. Crew, Snite his Snitch, Wipe his Nose, or give him a good Flap on the Face. 1701 Grew Cosmol. Sacra i. v. 26 Nor would any one be able to snite his Nose, or to Sneeze. 1785 Grose Dict. Vulgar T., Snite, to wipe, or slap. 1804 Couper Poetry II. 61 (E.D.D.), Tibb snyted Madge's muckle nizz Till out the purple sprang. 1828– in many dial. glossaries, etc. (Cumb., Westm., Lancs., Chesh., Yks., Derby, Linc., Leic., Heref., Glos.). |
† b. Falconry. Of a hawk, etc.: To wipe (the beak or bill) after feeding. Obs.
| 1486 Bk. St. Albans, Hawking a vj, An hawke snytith or sewith hir beke and not wipith hir beke. 1575 Turberv. Faulconrie 289 Let hir tire against the Sunne, snyting and sewing hir beake a little at your discretion. |
3. To snuff (a candle). ? Obs.
Cf. next for evidence of this use in OE.
| c 1440 Promp. Parv. 461/2 Snytyn..a candyl, emungo, mungo. 1483 Cath. Angl. 347/1 To Snyte..a candelle, mvngere. ? a 1800 in Gordon Bk. Chron. Keith (1880) 65 [He could not] snite [the candles and attend to his Psalm Book at the same time.] 1808 in Jamieson s.v. |