unˈmeet, a.
[OE. unmǽte (un-1 7 + meet a.). Cf. OHG. unmâzi (MHG. unmâze, unmæ̂ze) and unimete a.]
† 1. a. Immoderate or excessive in amount. Obs.
| c 900 tr. Bæda's Hist. v. xii. (1890) 422 Ond ealle..mid unmæte eᵹe ᵹeslæᵹene weron & utfluᵹon. c 1175 Lamb. Hom. 103 Ȝifernesse..maceð þan men muchele untrumnesse and to deþe bringeð mid unmete drunche. c 1200 Vices & Virtues 19 Ðar is chiueringe of toðen for ðe unmate chele. a 1300 Cursor M. 23035 Þat drednes sal be sua vn-mete, Þat it mai all sli plightes bete. a 1310 in Wright Lyric P. iv. 23 This wilde wille went a-wai, with mone and mournyng muchel un-mete. |
† b. Excessive in size; immense, huge. Obs.
| c 900 tr. Bæda's Hist. v. xiii. (1890) 438 Þa teah he forð boc..unmættre micelnisse. a 1300 Cursor M. 16566 For to ber it [sc. a tree] vte o þe kirk Þai fand it ful vn-mete. 13.. Gaw. & Gr. Knt. 208 He hade..an ax in his oþer [hand], a hoge & vn-mete. c 1350 Lybeaus Disc. 1629 Another helm hym was brought, And a schaft unmete. a 1400–50 Alexander 143 Þen metis he furthe to Messadon full vn-mete gatis. 14.. Sir Beues (C.) 2537 Ascopard hys staffe onmeete Smot after hym a strok gret. c 1475 Partenay 5775 Hys panche as a pipe hug and comerous;..Off hir unmete hugenesse is gret meruaill. |
† 2. Unequal; unevenly matched. Obs.
| a 1300 Cursor M. 9362 Als rose and thron ar tua vnmete; And tuix þam fair a-cord es nan. 13.. E.E. Allit. P. A. 759 My makelez lambe..Me ches to hys make, al-þaȝ vn⁓mete Sum tyme semed þat assemble. 1390 Gower Conf. II. 121 Thou wost nothing of my desese, Hou thou and I be now unmete. c 1400 Destr. Troy 1324 But vnmete was the Macche at þe mene tyme: The Grekes were grym [etc.]. 1513 Douglas æneid ii. xi. 76 Litle Iulus..With wnmeit paiss his fader fast followand. a 1548 Hall Chron., Hen. V, 76 b, Their numbre was but small..and far vnmete to compare with halfe the power of his puissaunt armie. 1563 Mirr. Mag. Induct. xxviii, We passed on with steppes and pace vnmete. ? a 1760 in Child Ballads IV. 165/1 Four he killd and five did wound, That was an unmeet marrow! |
† b. Lacking in equality; inferior. Obs. rare.
| 1390 Gower Conf. III. 260 Sche..thoghte hirself unmete And the lest worth of wommen alle. a 1547 Surrey in Tottel's Misc. (Arb.) 219 He bowed at her feete, In humble wise as who would say I am to farre vnmete. |
† c. Superior. Obs. rare.
| 1390 Gower Conf. I. 163 This Galathee..Above alle othre was unmete Of beaute. Ibid. II. 199 The thridde maister scholde mete, Which, as thei seiden, was unmete Above hem alle, and couthe most. |
† d. As adv. Unequally. Obs.—1
| 1515 Scottish Field 188 in Chetham Misc. (1856) II, They were numbered nyne hundreth,..And they were x thousand..upon the other partie; Full unmette were they matched. |
† 3. Not closely united; remote. Obs.
| 1390 Gower Conf. I. 316 Fro merci thei ben al unmeete, And thus ben thei the worste of alle Of hem whiche unto wraththe falle. a 1500 Flower & Leaf 17 As I lay in my bed, sleep ful unmete Was unto me. |
4. Unfitting, unsuitable, unbecoming, improper.
Common c 1535–1675, and in 19th cent.
| a 1529 Skelton Replyc. 49 With baudy wordes vnmete Your tonges were to flete. a 1602 W. Perkins Cases Consc. (1619) 6 Inconuenience is when the thing or action is done in vnmeete circumstances. 1649 Bp. Hall Cases Consc. iv. vi. 450 Such a marriage is very unmeet. 1675 Hobbes Odyss. 27 While they contending were with words unmeet. 1790 Cowper Iliad i. 145 It were much unmeet that I alone..should want due recompense. 1814 Scott Ld. of Isles v. vii, With unaccustom'd ears, A language much unmeet he hears. 1850 Neale Med. Hymns (1867) 138 It is not for man's devices Here to pry with gaze unmeet. 1885–94 R. Bridges Eros & Psyche June xxiv, [There] were noises at the door..Such as..now seem'd most unmeet to be. |
b. Const. for, or to with inf. (Cf. next.)
| 1541 Act 33 Hen. VIII, c. 21 §7 Soo allso were it unmete and daungerous to the suretye of our..Kynge..to be construed by any lawe [etc.]. c 1555 Harpsfield Divorce Hen. VIII (Camden) 97 This kind of reason is..far unmeet for..these learned men. 1583 Stubbes Anat. Abus. ii. D 6, It is very vnmeete to feede forren nations, and our owne country famish at home. a 1683 Owen Two Disc. Holy Spirit (1693) 54 That which some oppose as unmeet for him, and beneath his Glory. a 1703 Burkitt On N.T. Mark iv. 2 Christ thought..a ship no unmeet place to preach in. 1807 Wordsw. White Doe i. 312 Why mention other thoughts unmeet For vision so composed and sweet? 1867 G. MacDonald Poems 48 Trailing loose their white attire For the sapphire-floor unmeet. 1868 Morris Earthly Par. I. i. 353 He rose and spoke in humble words, unmeet For a great King. |
5. Unfit or unsuited for some end or purpose; incompetent: a. With for.
| c 1522 Skelton Why nat to Courte 32 Age is a page For the courte full vnmete. 1577 B. Googe Heresbach's Husb. iii. 126 b, The olde that be barraine, or vnmeete for breeding. 1626 Gouge Serm. Dignity Chivalry §2 They were too meane and unmeet persons for a function so high. 1647 N. Bacon Disc. Govt. Eng. i. xlvii. 129 The more Baron, the lesse Bishop, and more unmeet for the service of Rome. 1676 Row Contn. Blair's Autobiog. xi. (1848) 326 Mr. Blair was now infirm and unmeet for travel. 1855 Tennyson Maud i. iv. x, Ah Maud, you milkwhite fawn, you are all unmeet for a wife. 1863 Conington tr. Hor., Odes ii. xix. 27 [They] Deem'd thee belike for war's rough game Unmeet. |
b. With † to (prep.), or to with inf.
| a 1513 Fabyan Chron. v. cxl. 125 They chase a man of lowe byrth & vnmete to that rome. 1533 Sir T. More Lett. Impugn. J. Fryth liv, Fryth is an vnmete mayster to teche vs what we shold praye. 1535 Coverdale Tit. i. 16 For so moch as they are..dishobedient, and vnmete to all good workes. 1600 Holland Livy 596 They supposed, that they would..bee farre unmeet to contrive a conspiracie. 1642 H. More Min. Poems Wks. (Grosart) 177/1 Such surface skill's Unmeet to measure the profounder quill. 1670 Baxter Cure Ch. Div. 372 In those cases where violent restraint..is necessary, the Pastor is the unmeetest person to meddle in it. 1808 Scott Marm. vi. xiii, To each one whom he lists, howe'er Unmeet to be the owner's peer. 1846 Keble Lyra Innoc. 235 Behold me, Lord, a worthless Gibeonite, Unmeet to bear one burthen in thy sight. |
c. Without const.
| 1535 Coverdale Job xxxvii. 19 Teach vs what we shal saye vnto him, for we are vnmete because of darcknes. 1557 Act 4 & 5 Phil. & Mary c. 3 §1 The same Disability..notwithstanding, the same unable and unmeet Persons..have also been released. 1598 R. Grenewey Tacitus, Ann. xiii. vi. 187 Neither did that [practice] long continue, because the lot fell oft vpon the vnmeetest. 1706 Prior Ode to Queen xxxv, That Muse desires..the lowest Place; Who tho' unmeet, yet touch'd the trembling String. 1825 Scott Betrothed xii, He were rather an unmeet counsellor in that which we now treat of. 1844 Is. Williams Baptistery iii. ii, Then like the Leper stand and pray aloof,—Like the Centurion deem thyself unmeet. |