† tethy, a. Obs. rare.
Also 5 tithy, thethy.
Of uncertain origin and meaning.
The sense of teethy a.1 seems unsuitable. Can it be a corruption, or rather a series of errors, for tidy a., which occurs in this poem (and elsewhere) as an epithet of approval or praise, = good, excellent, worthy, apt, brave, doughty? But such an alteration of vowel and consonant in tidy is unknown elsewhere, and is phonetically unwarranted.
| a 1400–50 Alexander 2198 Ȝe of Tebet ere tried, þe tethiest [D. thethiest] on erth. Ibid. 2784 Of our wale princes Twa of þe tethiest [D. tithiest] ere tint, & termynd of lyue. [Cf. Ibid. 2367 Ware noȝt þe tulkis out of Tire þe tidiest [D. triest] on erth.] Ibid. 2371 Was noȝt þe Thebes þar-to þe th[r]ey⊇est [? theþeest; D. tithiest] of othire.) |