▪ I. ditty, n.
(ˈdɪtɪ)
Forms: 4 dittee, 4–5 dite, ditee, dyte, dytee, (5 dete, dety, dytte), 6–7 ditie, dittie, (6 detie, diti, ditte, dytie, dytty), 6– ditty. β. 5 dictee, dyctee, 6 dictie, dyctye.
[ME. dite, ditee, a. OF. dité, ditté, orig. ditié, in 17th c. dictié, composition, treatise:—L. dictāt-um thing dictated, lesson, exercise, neut. pa. pple. of dictāre to dictate.]
† 1. A composition; a treatise: = dite n.1 1.
| 1387 Trevisa Higden (Rolls) III. 361 Ditee of Troye, þe whiche he [Aristotle] bytook Alisaundre [Higd. Iliadis dictamen quod dedit Alexandro.] c 1400 Rom. Rose 5289 Of this unyte spak Tulius in a ditee [Cicero De Amicitia]. |
2. A composition intended to be set to music and sung; a song, lay; now, a short simple song; often used of the songs of birds, or applied depreciatively.
| a 1300 Sat. People Kildare ix. in E.E.P. (1862) 154 Swiþe wel ȝe vnder-stode þat makid þis ditee so gode. 1382 Wyclif Exod. xv. 1 Thanne Moyses soong..this ditee to the Lord. ― Prov. xxv. 20 That singeth dites with peruerted herte. c 1485 Digby Myst. iv. 795 Sum dolorose ditee. 1589 Puttenham Eng. Poesie i. xxx. (Arb.) 72 All the commended fourmes of the auncient Poesie, which we..do imitate and vse vnder these common names: enterlude, song, ballade, carroll and ditty. 1599 Shakes. Pass. Pilgr. 199 The lark..doth welcome daylight with her ditty. 1625 Gonsalvio's Inquis. 194 Filthie and slanderous dities sung by boyes in his dispraise. 1667 Milton P.L. xi. 584 To the Harp they sung Soft amorous Ditties. 1712 Henley Spect. No. 396 ¶2 Penning a Catch or a Ditty, instead of inditing Odes, and Sonnets. a 1800 Cowper Poplar Field iii, The blackbird has fled..And the scene..Resounds with his sweet-flowing ditty no more. 1810 Scott Lady of L. ii. xviii, Distinct the martial ditty flowed. 1885 R. Buchanan Annan Water xxv, After each ditty she went round with a plate collecting coppers. |
† b. Any composition in verse; a poem, ballad.
| 1387 Trevisa Higden (Rolls) IV. 309 A Greek..usede to make noble ditees in preysinge of Cesar. c 1430 Lydg. Min. Poems (1840) 25 (Mätz.) The aureat dytees..Of Omerus in Grece. c 1510 Barclay Mirr. Gd. Manners (1570) A iij, My ditties indited may counsell many one. 1589 Puttenham Eng. Poesie iii. xix. (Arb.) 225 Our poet in his short ditties..will..conclude..his Epigram with a verse or two, spoken in such sort, as [etc.]. 1614 Bp. Hall Recoll. Treat. 124 Not the worst of the heathen Emperors made that monefull dittye on his deathbed. |
† 3. The words of a song, as distinguished from the music or tune; also, the leading theme or phrase; hence, Subject, matter, theme, ‘burden’.
| 1552 Huloet, Dittye synger, or he that beareth y⊇ fote of the song, præsentor. 1561 Bp. Parkhurst Injunctions, That the songe in the Churche be..so deuised and vsed that the ditte may plainly be vnderstand. 1580 Sidney Ps. xiii. v, Still, therefore, of thy graces shall be my Songs ditty. 1600 Shakes. A.Y.L. v. iii. 36 There vvas no great matter in the dittie, yet y⊇ note was very vntunable. 1641 J. Jackson True Evang. T. iii. 175 The Dity of that hymne, or Caroll, [was] Peace on earth. 1654 Whitlock Zootomia 485 Hymnes and Spirituall Songs, where Humane Invention cometh in for Ditty and Notes. 1672 Sir T. Browne Lett. to Friend §25 To be dissolved and be with Christ was his dying ditty. |
† 4. That which is said; speech. Obs. rare.
| 1483 Caxton Gold. Leg. 275/2 Whan he spack for his frende he attempred soo the maner of his dytee that he was not ouer hastyng hym self. |
† 5. = dittay. (Anglicized spelling of the Sc. law term.) Obs.
| 1634 Rutherford Lett. (1862) I. 134 If you can learn a ditty against C., try, and cause try, that ye may see the Lord's righteous judgement upon the devil's instruments. 1649 Bp. Guthrie Mem. (1702) 47 The Scottish Bishops..did accuse the Earl of Traquair..and gave in great Ditties against him. 1657 Hutcheson Expos. John iii. 17 Albeit Christ may be eventually for the falling of many, and his coming will afford sad matter of ditty against them. |
▪ II. † ˈditty, v. Obs.
[f. prec. n.: cf. OF. ditier to write, compose, dite.]
a. intr. To sing a ditty; trans. to sing as a ditty; also, to celebrate in song. b. To fit or adapt words to (music): cf. prec. 2. Hence ˈdittied ppl. a., ˈdittying vbl. n.
| 1597 Morley Introd. Mus. 172 You must have an especiall care of causing your parts [of a ditty] giue place one to another..nor can you cause them rest till they haue expressed that part of the dittying which they haue begun. Ibid. 178 One of the greatest absurdities which I haue seene committed in the dittying of musicke. 1602 Marston Antonio's Rev. ii. ii, Such Songs..I often dittied till my boy did sleepe. 1633 G. Herbert Temple, Providence iii, Beasts fain would sing; birds dittie to their notes. 1633 P. Fletcher Purple Isl. i. viii, Which bears the under-song unto your chearfull dittying. 1633 ― Poet. Misc. 65 My Fusca's eyes, my Fusca's beauty dittying. 1634 Milton Comus 86 With his soft Pipe, and smooth-dittied song. 1768 S. Bentley River Dove 8 Heard is the love-ditty'd Strain. 1797 T. Park Sonnets 97 Many a little dittied tale. |