to-

▪ I. to-, prefix¹
    the prep. and adv. to used in combination with verbs, ns., adjs., and advbs. in the sense of motion, direction, or addition to, or as the mark of the infinitive: see in their alphabetical places, to-come, to-do, to-draught, to-gainst, together, to-midst, to-when, to-while, etc. Also the following obs. verbs:
    to-cast, to add, make addition: = L. adicere; to-hang, to append; to-hear, to hearken to, listen to; to-knit, to knit to, bind up: = L. alligāre; to-lay, to put forward, allege; to-neighe, to approach: = L. accēdĕre; to-put, to put to, add, affix: = L. appōnĕre; to-set, to set to, affix; to-stand, to stand to, post oneself, assist: = L. astāre, assistĕre; to-step, to step to, advance: = L. aggredī; to-stick, to stick to, adhere: = L. adhærēre; to-tach, to fasten to, attach; to-yield, to yield to, cede, give up.

a 1340 Hampole Psalter cxiii. 23 Lord *tokast [L. adiciat] on ȝou, on ȝou & on ȝoure sunnys... Oure lord eke ȝoure noumbire.

1464 in Acc. Fam. Innes (1864) 78 To thir my present lettres I haf *to hungyn my sele. 1536 Reg. Mag. Sig. Scot. 343 note, I have subscrivit thir presentis with my hand, and has to hungin my proper sele of armes.

a 1225 Ancr. R. 84 Þet ȝe þe bet icnowen ham..*to-her hore molden.

a 1300 E.E. Psalter cxlvi. 3 Þat heles forbroken ofe hert for wa, And *toknittes [alligat] þar sorwes swa.

c 1450 Pol. Poems (Rolls) II. 240 Auctoryteys for hem they *toleye.

1382 Wyclif Judith xiv. 14 He wente *to-neȝhende to the curtin [Vulg. Accessit proximans ad cortinam].

1420 in Pinkerton Hist. Scot. (1797) I. 455 The sealls of the for⁓said..to thir indentures interchangablie are *toput. 1445 in Charters rel. Glasgow (1906) II. 440, I have procurit..the secrete sele of the burgh of Lithqw to be toput.

a 1340 Hampole Psalter lxxxviii. 22 Þe sun of wickednes sall not *toset [apponet] him to noy.

c 1375 Cursor M. 3498 (Fairf.) Þer-to was he maste *to-sette. 1455 in Charters, &c. Edinb. (1871) 81 To the parte of this endentur remanand with the said toune the said Sir James sele is to sett. a 1340 Hampole Psalter ii. 2 Tostode [L. astiterunt] þe kynges of erth.

c 1205 Lay. 17406 Þa cnihtes *to-stepen [c 1275 to-stapte] Mid muchelere strengðe.

1596 Dalrymple tr. Leslie's Hist. Scot. vi. (S.T.S.) I. 340 The capsell sa fast *tostack..that the force of man culde neuir sindir thame.

13.. Gaw. & Gr. Knt. 579 Queme quyssewes [cuisses]..with þwonges *to-tached.

c 1350 Will. Palerne 3924 He a-liȝt, & wiȝtli to william his wepun vp *to-ȝelde.

▪ II. to-, prefix² Obs. exc. in rare arch. or dial. use.
    [OE. to-, ME. to- (te-) = OFris. ti-, te- (to-), OS. ti- (te-), OHG. zi-, za-, ze- and zir-, zar- (MHG. ze-, zer-, zir-, Ger. zer-):—WGer. *ti-:—OTeut. *tiz- = L. dis-, a particle expressing separation, ‘asunder, apart, in pieces’.
    The WGer. ti- (= L. dis-) in prehistoric times ran together in form with ti the unstressed prepositional form of tó (see to prep.), with which it had no etymological connexion (being indeed almost opposite in sense); and when the latter was levelled in vowel with its stressed adverbial form tó, ti- (= dis-) also followed it, and appears constantly in OE. as to-. In most grammars and dictionaries this is written tó-, like the stressed form of to adv. and prep. But as it was the unstressed form with which the prefix was formally confounded, and as it was itself always stressless (being sometimes written te as in OS. and OFris.), it seems more in accordance with the facts to spell it in OE. to- with short o, which is therefore done here.
    In OE., about 125 compound verbs in to- are recorded; many of these did not survive in ME., where however so many new compounds appear (some formed even on vbs. from French) that their number in Early ME. was not less than in OE. In the 15th c. they rapidly disappeared and only a few are found after 1500. Many of the verbs which took the prefix to- had themselves the sense of separation or division; such were break, burst, deal, melt, scatter, strew, tear, etc.; in these to- added little but force to the notion: cf. burst, burst asunder, tear, tear asunder, etc. This led to the prefixing of to- to verbs which had no sense of partition, merely as a strengthening or emphasizing particle, as in darken, to-darken, swink, to-swink, etc. From an early time to- verbs were often strengthened by the qualifying adv. all (all C) in sense ‘wholly, completely, altogether’; in later times this became universal. Consequently, the prefix began to be viewed as all-to- or allto-; and (verbal prefixes being very commonly written separate from the vb.) all to or all-to began to be treated as itself an adverb with the sense ‘altogether, completely’: see all C. 14, 15. Thus in the Bible of 1611, Judges ix. 53 ‘and all to brake his scull’ was etymologically and historically all to-brake, i.e. ‘all to-pieces-broke’, but may have been understood as all-to brake, i.e. ‘altogether’ or ‘completely broke’; Fairfax in 1674 by all-to-be-deckt can only have meant all-to bedeckt, ‘completely bedecked’.]
    1. With separative force: Asunder, apart, to or in pieces; also, away, about, abroad, here and there. Combined with verbs and derived adjs. and ns. The more important of these appear in their places as main words: the following are obsolete words of single or rare occurrence. (All vbs. trans. unless otherwise stated.
    † to-bray v., to bray or beat to atoms; † to-bust v. [bust v.¹], to beat or thrash to pieces; † to-crack v., to crack to pieces, shatter; † to-dight v., to put apart, separate; hence † to-dighting vbl. n.; † to-flap v., to knock to pieces; † to-gnide v. [gnide v.], to crush to fragments; † to-hale v., to haul or drag asunder; to pull about; to distend; † to-heave v., to ‘lift up’ (one's eyes), to open; † to-hene v. [hene v.], to mutilate by stoning; † to-hurt v., to dash or knock asunder; † to-leave v., to relinquish, to abandon; † to-lithe v. [lithe v.²], to dismember; † to-liver v., = deliver v.; † to-melt v. intr., to melt away, dissolve; † to-part v. intr., = depart v.; † to-set v., to distribute, divide, arrange; † to-shider v., [cf. shide n.] intr., to break in pieces, to be shivered; † to-shred v., to cut to shreds; † to-skair v. [skair v.²], to scatter, disperse; † to-skill v., to divide, distinguish; † to-slent v.¹ [slent v.¹] intr., to slip away; † to-slent v.² [slent v.³] intr., split, burst; † to-slive v. [slive v.¹], to cleave; † to-sned v. [sned v.], to cut to pieces; † to-sparple v., to scatter abroad; = disparple; † to-swinge v., to disperse by beating; to beat to pieces; † to-thrust v., to thrust apart, to push open; to-torve v., to hurl about; to dash to pieces; † to-tose v. [toze], to tear to pieces; † to-twin v., to separate, divide; † to-waver v. intr., to waver uncertainly; to wander; † to-wawe v., [OE. waᵹian] intr., to move about; † to-wowe v. [OE. wáwan], to scatter by blowing; † to-writhe v., (a) trans. to twist or wrench apart; (b) intr., to twist or writhe about; † to-wry v., to turn, twist about.

1382 Wyclif 2 Chron. xxxiv. 7 The mawmete wodus and grauen thingus he hadde *to-brayȝide in to gobetis.

a 1250 Owl & Night. 1610 (Cott.) An euer euch man is wið me wroð..An me *tobusteþ & tobeteþ.

13.. Sir Beues 4313 + 180 (MS. E.) Þere men myȝte seen schafftys schake And mennys crownys al *tocrake. c 1450 Lovelich Grail xiv. 196 Helmes and hawberkis to-kraked he then.

1340 Ayenb. 72 Þanne þridde dyeaþ þet is þe *todiȝtinge of þe zaule and of þe bodie.

1382 Wyclif 2 Sam. xxii. 43 As cleye of streetis I sal breek hem, and *to-flappe [confringam].

a 1300 E.E. Psalter ci. 11 [cii. 10] For vp-heueand *to-gnodded þou me [v.r. for þou to-gnod me vpheuand: Vulg. elisisti; Wyclif hurtledest me (down)].

1387 Trevisa Higden (Rolls) V. 327 So was he al day to drawe and *to haled, i-scorned, and i-buffetted [tractus et illusus colaphizatur]. 1398 ― Barth. De P.R. xix. liv. (Bodl. MS.), Raw hony not wele clarified..streccheþ and to haleþ the bodie.

c 1200 Trin. Coll. Hom. 201 Man þe nappeð [h]wile *to-heueð his eȝen, and þenne seð.

a 1250 Owl & Night. 1119 Stones hi doþ in heore slytte [= pocket] & þe totorueþ & *toheneþ.

a 1225 Ancr. R. 426 Sum nouhtunge hwar þuruh heo *to-hurteð [v.r. to hurren] eiðer urommard oðer. 1432–50 tr. Higden (Rolls) V. 69 The cardinalles supposede that he hade..to⁓lefte his benefice for the luffe of theyme.

c 1000 ælfric Hom. II. 272 Þa *toliðode se engel þæt cild on ðam disce. c 1205 Lay. 4216 Stater heo nom & al hene to-liðeden [c 1275 to-limekede]. Ibid. 25929 Nu hafeð be..Mine leomen al to-leðed [c 1275 a-liþede].

13.. Metr. Treat. on Dreams in Rel. Ant. I. 266 Of sunne ant peril *to-lyvred he byth. c 1425 Seven Sag. (P.) 1976 Ham to-lywryd a man anon, And thider fast thay gone gone.

a 1240 Wohunge in Lambeth Hom. 269 Hwat herte is swa hard þat ne mei *to-melte i þe munegunge of þe? c 1374 Chaucer Troylus iii. 249 (298) His olde wo..Gan tho for Ioye wasten and to-melte.

c 1275 Passion our Lord 702 in O.E. Misc. 57 Hwanne hi schullen *to-party vt of lyue þisse.

1387 Trevisa Higden (Rolls) V. 265 Forto know rediliche þe meres and þe merkes of þe contrayes where þese men were *to set, loke in the firste book. Ibid. VII. 307 Everiche celle is departed in foure, and to sette wiþ ynne for þe oratorie, þe dortour, þe fraytour, and þe werkhous.

c 1450 Guy Warw. (C.) 1468 Faste þey smote þen togedur That þer sperys can *toschyder.

c 1386 Chaucer Knt.'s T. 1751 The helmes they tohewen and *toshrede.

c 1200 Ormin 1498 Till rihhte læfe turrnesst Þatt flocc þatt was *toskeȝȝredd ær. Ibid. 9462 Þatt Judisskenn follc Þa shollde beon toskeȝȝredd..Forr heore depe sinne.

Ibid. 18652 Illc an had iss oþerr fra *Toskiledd & todæledd.

14.. Sir Beues 2539 (MS. M.) Ascopard..Smot Beues a strok gret, That his own fote *toslynt And he fel wiþ is owene dentte.

c 1380 Sir Ferumb. 4940 Þe ymage of Mahoun..Wiþ þe axe smot he oppon þe molde, Þat al þat heued *to-slente [pr. to-flente].

c 1050 Gloss. in Wr.-Wülcker 406/29 Findit, *toslaf, tocleaf. c 1314 Reinbrun cv. in Guy Warw. (E.E.T.S.) 666 Helm and scheld,..Þai gonne hem al to-schliue.

c 1205 Lay. 4015 Þe uniselie moder mid sexe hine *to-snæde. Ibid. 16148 Hengest..hafde..mid sæxen to-snædðe snelle þe þeines.

1387 Trevisa Higden (Rolls) V. 287 Hengistus..brouȝte to gydres his knyȝtes and men of arms þat were *to sparpled and to schad [L. dispersis].

c 1205 Lay. 1533 Þer wes moni steap mon Mid stele *to-sw[u]ngen.

c 1175 Lamb. Hom. 131 He *to-þruste þa stelene gate..of helle.

c 1000 Ags. Gosp. Matt. xiv. 24 Witodlice wæs {thbar} scyp of þam yþum *totorfod, for-þam þe hyt wæs strang wind. c 1175 Lamb. Hom. 9 Ac me þe sculde nimen and al to-teon mid horse oðer þe al to-toruion mid stane. a 1250 [see tohene].

a 1250 Owl & Night. 70 Þe sulue mose..wolde þe *totose.

c 1200 Ormin 19060, & tiss lif unnderr Crisstenndom *Totwinneþþ & toshædeþþ All Cristess follc fra defless follc. a 1225 Ancr. R. 254 Euerichon to dealed [Corpus to twuned] from oðer.

1375 Barbour Bruce vii. 302 For thai trow we so scalit ar, And fled *to-vauerand her and thar.

c 1350 Will. Palerne 19 Þe child..spakly speke it couþe tho & spedeliche *to-wawe.

13.. in Anglia III. 279/89 Þe wind hem wolde *towowen.

c 1000 ælfric Gram. xxvi. (Z.) 155 Torqueo, ic wriðe,..distorqueo, ic *towriðe. c 1320 Sir Tristr. 3179 So wo was ysoude,..Þat alle sche wald to wriþe. ? a 1400 Morte Arth. 3920 He al to-wrythes for woo.

1423 Jas. I Kingis Q. clxiv, So tolter quhilum did sche [Fortune] It *to-wrye.

    2. Used as a mere intensive: Completely, entirely, soundly, greatly, severely, etc.
    (A few of these show traces of the separative sense.)
    All vbs. trans., unless otherwise stated.
    † to-bent pa. pple., quite bent, bent low; † to-bite v., to bite severely; † to-blast v., to blast utterly; † to-brain v., to brain completely; † to-clout v., to cover with clouts; † to-darken v., to darken greatly (rendering L. contenebrare); † to-deraign (-dreyn) v. [deraign v.¹], to maintain, vindicate (a cause, etc.) entirely; † to-drunk pa. pple., thoroughly inebriated; † to-dun v. [dun v.²], to strike with resounding blows; † to-establish v., to establish perfectly or entirely; † to-harrow (-harwe) v., to harrow completely; † to-minish v., to make small, break up (rendering L. comminuere); † to-pierce (-perse) v., to pierce entirely; † to-punish v., to punish soundly; † to-push v., to push about, to hustle; † to-ray v. [ray v.² 5], to besmear; † to-rot v. intr., to rot utterly (rendering L. computrescere); † to-schrape v. [shrape], to scrape entirely; † to-shell v., to peel entirely, to make bare of skin; † to-smite v., to smite violently (in quot. absol.); † to-spill v., to confound, ruin utterly; † to-spreng v., to besprinkle completely; † to-stick v., to prick all over; † to-sting v., to sting severely; † to-stink v. intr., to stink greatly; † to-stir v., to move violently; † to-stony v., to astound; † to-swelt v. intr., to perish, die; † to-swink v. intr., to toil hard; † to-tar v. (-ter(re) [tar, tarre v.²], to provoke greatly; † to-teen v. [teen v.¹], to injure or annoy greatly: see quot. s.v. to-tray; † to-threat v., to threaten violently; † to-tray v., to torment exceedingly; † to-trouble v., to trouble greatly, to afflict severly; † to-turn v., to overthrow, upset, subvert; † to-walt v. intr., to overflow; † to-waste v., to waste greatly.

c 1401 Lydg. Flour of Curtesye 260 Over this, myn hertes lust *to-bente.

1375 Creation 640 in Horstm. Altengl. Leg. (1878) 132 An addre..al *to-bot Seth in þe face. 1382 Wyclif Job Prol. 2 The boc shortid, and to-torn and to-bite.

1303 R. Brunne Handl. Synne 8866 Þe syȝte of here myn herte *to-blaste. c 1330 ― Chron. Wace (Rolls) 9293 Þe sight of hure hym al to-blast.

c 1489 Caxton Blanchardyn xliii. 164 He..*to brayned ther many one.

c 1430 Pilgr. Lyf Manhode iii. xxii. (1869) 148 That is thilke that hath thus to ragged me and *to clowted me as thou seest.

1382 Wyclif Lam. v. 17 Therfore dreri mad is oure herte, therfore *to-dercned ben oure eȝen.

c 1320 Cast. Love 974 For I chulle an ende ouercome þ{supt} fiht, And *to-dreynen al þi riht.

1382 Wyclif Jer. xlvi. 10 Deuouren shal the swerd,.. and be *to-drunke with the blod of hem.

c 1240 Wohunge in Cott. Hom. 281 Siðen ȝette buffetet and *to dunet i þe heaued wið þe red ȝerde.

a 1562 Cavendish Poems, etc. (1825) II. 158 Your pryncely powers and hault dygnyties Assured me with suche perfection, *To-establyshed me in the hyest degrees.

1393 Langl. P. Pl. C. xxii. 268 (MS. T.) Al þis hus oxen ereden thei *to harwen [v.r. to-harewide] after.

1382 Wyclif Isa. xxviii. 28 Bred forsothe shal be *to-mynusht [1388 maad lesse].

c 1470 Henry Wallace iv. 662 The trensand blaid *to persyt euirydeill Throu plaitt and stuff.

a 1400–50 Alexander 4330 *To-ponyscht be-fore Fynd we na faute in na freke þat vs emange duellis.

13.. Lament. St. Bernard 198 in Minor Poems Vernon MS. 306 Þe Iewes of harm hedde non ende, Mi sone to-beten and *to-pust.

1560 Whitehorne Ord. Souldiours (1588) 46 b, Putting Toe..peeses of linnen cloth all *to-rayed therewith.

1382 Wyclif Jer. xlvi. 15 Why *to-rotide [v.r. to-stank] thi stronge?

a 1225 Leg. Kath. 1185 He..schrenchte þen alde deouel, & *teschrapet his heaued.

1377 Langl. P. Pl. B. xvii. 191 Ac þough my thombe & my fyngres bothe were *to-shullen.

14.. Beryn 1456 Yeur wyff woll sikirliche..hir tuskis sharpe whet, And *to smyte with hir tunge.

a 1300 E.E. Psalter xliii. 9 [xliv. 7] Þou *tospilte vs hatand.

1382 Wyclif Jer. vi. 26 Be thou gird with an heire, and *to-sprengd with asken.

c 1315 Shoreham ii. 75 Hy *to-stek hys swete hefed Wyþ one þornene coroune.

? a 1300 XI Pains Hell 177 in O.E. Misc. 152 Olde men..neddren..Heom heo *to-styngeþ vychon. 1382 *To-stank [see to-rot].

1382 Wyclif Isa. xxiv. 20 With to-stering shal be *to-stired the erthe.

1375 Barbour Bruce xviii. 547 His frendis..He couth ressawe,..And his fais stoutly *to-stonay. ? a 1400 Morte Arth. 1436 Alle to-stonayede with þe strokes of þa steryne knyghtez.

c 1205 Lay. 26810 Halmes to-hælden Hæhȝe men *to-swelten.

c 1386 Chaucer Pard. T. 191 In Erthe, in Eir, in Water man *to swynke.

1382 Wyclif 2 Macc. xii. 14 These that weren with ynne,..diden slow⁓licher, *to terynge [1388 to-terrynge] Judas with cursyngis.

1377 Pol. Poems (Rolls) I. 218 The Frensche men..with heore scornes us *to-threte.

a 1250 Prov. ælfred 303 in O.E. Misc. 120 Ac heo hine schal steorne *To-trayen and to-teone.

1382 Wyclif Ecclus. xxxv. 22 The strengeste shal not han in hem pacience, that he *to-truble the rigge of hem.

― Isa. xxviii. 17 The hail shal *to-turne vpsodoun the hope of lesyng. c 1470 Golagros & Gaw. 704 All to-turnit thair entyre, traistly and tewch.

13.. E.E. Allit. P. B. 428 *To-walten alle þyse welle-hedez & þe water flowed.

1382 Wyclif Jer. xiv. 15 In swerd and hunger shul be *to-wastid tho profetus.

    3. Hence all to-, all to, all-to, † alto, employed in middle and early modern Eng. as an intensive to any verb: see all C. 14, 15.

Oxford English Dictionary