▪ I. hest, n. arch.
(hɛst)
Forms: α. 1 hǽs, 2 hes, 2–3 hæs, 3 heas, 3–4 has. β. hesn. γ. 2–6 heste, 3– hest, (3 haste, 3, 5–7 heast, 4–5 heest(e, 5–6 heaste, 6 Sc. heist).
[OE. hǽs fem. (inflected hǽse) was the regular repr. of OTeut. *hait-ti-, abstr. n. from haitan ‘to call upon by name’, OE. hátan: see hight v.; thence early ME. hæs (has), heas, hes (infl. -e), altered to heste, hest, by assimilation to ns. in ME. -te:—OE. -t, as ishefte, wiste, OE. ᵹesceaft, wist, from scięppan, wesan. The early pl. of this was hesten. In 12th c., there was also a deriv. in -n, hesn, inflected hesne.]
1. Bidding, command, injunction, behest. arch.
| α c 1000 ælfric Gram. xxxiii. (Z.) 210 On ðisum and swylcum is ᵹebed and na hæs. ― Gen. xxiv. 10 Be his hlafordes hæse. a 1200 Moral Ode 292 Nout of godes bode ne of godes hese [v.r. hease]. Ibid. 345 Þe narewei is godes hes [v.r. has]. c 1200 Ormin 3537 Þurrh þatt Kaseress hæse. |
| β c 1175 Lamb. Hom. 139 To techen þe folke godes hesne to done, þe lewede godes hesne for to heren. a 1175 Cott. Hom. 229 He ȝestilde windes mid his hesne. |
| γ c 1175 Lamb. Hom. 9 Þa ilke þa haldet cristes heste. a 1225 Ancr. R. 8 Þeos..beoð Godes hesten. a 1225 Leg. Kath. 48 [He] sende heast & bode, se wide se þe lond was. 1377 Langl. P. Pl. B. ii. 82 Vnboxome and bolde to breke þe ten hestes. c 1449 Pecock Repr. 465 Teching the doctrines and the heestis of men. 1609 Sir R. Shirley in Harl. Misc. (Malh.) III. 93 Perform those heasts, which the great Persian..hath imposed upon thy integrity. 1610 Shakes. Temp. iii. i. 43 O my Father, I haue broke your hest to say so. 1633 T. Adams Exp. 2 Peter ii. 11 They stand round about the Lord..and execute his imposed hests like ready servants. 1818 Scott Hrt. Midl. xv, Christian or heathen, you shall swear to do my hest. 1858 Carlyle Fredk. Gt. v. vi. II. 110 Standing like a hackney-coach..at the hest of a discerning public and its shilling. |
† 2. Vow, promise. Cf. behest. Obs.
| a 1200 Moral Ode 242 Þa þe gode biheten heste and nolden hit ileste. c 1330 R. Brunne Chron. Wace (Rolls) 6453 Þis ys þe heste [v.r. hete] þat y þe hight. c 1350 Leg. Rood (1871) 74 To þe land of hest þat ȝam was hight. c 1400 Rom. Rose 4477 Whanne heest and deede..varie, They doon a gret contrarie. a 1420 Hoccleve De Reg. Princ. 2243 Fy! what? a lorde breke his heste or bonde? 1513 Douglas æneis ii. xi. [x.] 84 Thi moderis heist on na wis nedis the dout. 1567 Turberv. tr. Ovid's Ep. (1576) 141 She thought it best To stand unto her former plighted hest. 1599 Life Sir T. More in Wordsw. Eccl. Biog. (1853) II. 46 To thee sweet Rose, by hest is this homage more than dewe. |
† 3. Will, purpose, determination. Obs.
(App. arising from an imperfect comprehension of sense 1.)
| 1500–20 Dunbar Poems xxxii. 30 He..handlit hir as he had hest. 1583 Stanyhurst æneis ii. (Arb.) 64 In one heast hee stieflye remayned. ― Ps. i. 2 (Arb.) 126 But in the sound law of the lord His mynd, or heast is resiaunt. 1845 Carlyle Cromwell viii. (1871) IV. 80 Swallowing in silence as his hest was. |
▪ II. † hest, v. Obs.
[f. hest n. Cf. behest v.]
1. trans. To promise.
| 14.. Cast. Love (Halliw.) 411 Tho thu to him thy hest hestyst [earlier MS. hiȝtest], Thorgh sothe then deth to him thou hettyst. c 1450 Cov. Myst. (Shaks. Soc.) 92 Ther hested I, as myn hert thought, To serve my God with hertyly love. |
2. To bid, command.
| 1583 Stanyhurst æneis iv. (Arb.) 106 He persisting too doo what Iuppiter heasted, Sturd not an eye. |
3. catachr. To grant (a wish).
| 1583 Stanyhurst æneis, iv. (Arb.) 98 Thy long wish is hested [habes, tota quod mente petisti]. |
Hence ˈhesting vbl. n., purpose, design. (Cf. hest n. 3.)
| 1583 Stanyhurst æneis ii. (Arb.) 45 This guest ful slylye did offer Hym self for captiue, thearby too coompas his heasting. |
▪ III. hest
obs. form of east.
| c 1375 Sc. Leg. Saints, Thomas 441 In hest ynde. |