▪ I. † sye, sie, n.1 Obs. or dial.
Also 5 scye.
[Of Scand. origin; cf. Norw. si (also baatsi) cowhair (and wool) or rope-fibre used for caulking.]
Tow or oakum used for caulking; see also quot. 1866.
| 1295 Acc. Exch. K.R. 518 m. 2 (P.R.O.) Et vj. d. ob. in Sy. empto et filo inde faciendo pro dicta Galea obstupenda. 1495 Naval Acc. Hen. VII (1896) 153 For Sye and spynnyng of the same..vs. 1497 Ibid. 294 For here & Scye occupyed & layed in the Semys of the seid Ship. [1866 T. Edmondston Shetland & Orkney Gloss., Sie, a narrow strip of cloth which, after having been soaked in tar, is placed between the overlaps of a clinker-built boat.] |
▪ II. sye, n.2 Obs. exc. dial.
(saɪ)
Forms: 5 syhe, 6 syghe, 6, 9 sye, 7–9 seigh, sigh, 9 sey, si', sie.
[f. sye v.2, or a. ON. s{iacu}a or MDu. sye, sie (Du. dial. zië, Flem. zie, ziig, † sijghe), corresp. to MLG. sie, sihe, sige, OHG. sîha (MHG. sîhe, G. seihe strainer, colander, filter, dregs):—OTeut. *sīχwōn. OE. had seohhe sieve:—OTeut. *siχwōn.]
1. A sieve, strainer (esp. for milk).
| 1468 Medulla Gram. in Promp. Parv. 79 note, Colum, a mylke syhe, or a clansynge syfe. 1688 Holme Armoury iii. 335/1 A kind of Wooden Dish with a large round hole in the bottom..by Milk Women called a Seigh; and having a Cloth tied about the hole, Milk runs through it, which takes away all hairs from the Milk; this in our Country is termed Seighing of Milk. 1846 J. Baxter Libr. Pract. Agric. (ed. 4) I. 209 The whole mass.. with the cream and new milk is run through the searce into the milk-sye. |
b. Comb. (partly from sye v.2) as sye-bowl, sye-clout, sye-dish.
| 1878 N. & Q. 5th Ser. X. 39/1 In Worcestershire a ‘*sigh⁓bowl’ is the name of the implement used for straining milk. |
| a 1650 Bell My Wiffe 30 in Furniv. & Hales Percy Folio II. 323 My cloake..is now but a *sigh clout, as you may see; It will neither hold out winde nor raine. |
| 1562 Lanc. Wills (Chetham Soc.) II. 33 One skymmer ij{supd}..one *syghe dyshe iij{supd}. 1844 H. Stephens Bk. Farm III. 835 The milk..is passed through the milk-sieve, or sey-dish, as it is named. |
2. A drop; also, a spot or stain made by a drop of liquid (cf. sye v.2 2).
| 1781 J. Hutton Tour to Caves (ed. 2) Gloss. (E.D.S.) Sye, Sie, a drop. 1838 Holloway Prov. Dict., Sigh, a drop. 1855 Robinson Whitby Gloss., A Sie, a slightly soiled appearance on linen or paper. |
▪ III. sye, v.1 Obs. exc. dial.
Forms: 1 siᵹan, 3 siȝe, sihe, sie, 3–5 seȝe, 4–5 sye, (4 seige ?, 5 syeȝe, cy(e, cygh, 3rd sing. seis, 9 dial. sigh). pa. tense. α. 1–3 sah, (1 saaᵹ, sagh, pl. siᵹon), 2–3 sæh, 3 seh, soh, 4–5 sey; β. 5 seit, seyt, seyit. pa. pple. 1 siᵹen, 3 isiȝe(n, isihen, 4 seȝen.
[OE. s{iacu}ᵹan, pa. tense sáh (older saaᵹ), siᵹon, pa. pple. siᵹen, = MLG., MDu. sigen, pa. tense seeg, seech, seghen, pa. pple. gesehen to sink (Du. zijgen intr. to sink down, droop), OHG. sîgan, pa. tense sêg, sigen, pa. pple. sigen to fall, fall in drops (MHG. sîgen, G. seigen to strain), ON. s{iacu}ga to sink gently down, glide, move slowly, pa. tense seig, sé, sigum, pa. pple. siginn (MDa. sighe, sige wk.).
The orig. meaning was prob. ‘to fall in drops’; cf. the related forms L. siat makes water (= *sijat:—*sigat), OHG. seihhen to make water, ON. s{iacu}k, s{iacu}ki ditch, trench, and Skr. siñcáti, sḗcate pours out, OSl. sĭcati to make water, and sye v.2, the forms of which in Engl. and the cognate langs. are often indistinguishable from those of this verb.]
1. intr. To sink, fall, descend (lit. and fig.); to collapse.
| Beowulf 1251 (Gr.) Siᵹon þa to slæpe. c 888 ælfred Boeth. xxxiii. §5 Ne nanwuht eorðlices hi ne healt þæt hio ne siᵹe. c 897 ― Gregory's Past. C. xix. 142 Ða men þe siᵹað on ðisses middanᵹeardes lufan. c 960 O.E. Chron. (Parker MS.) an. 937, Siðþan sunne up on morgen tid..oð sio æþele ᵹesceaft sah to setle. c 1200 Trin. Coll. Hom. 109 Þe sunne..arist anes â da{iacu} and eft sigeð. c 1205 Lay. 10255 Þa þe king sah to grunde. Ibid. 27635 His fule saule sæh in to helle. a 1330 Otuel 1393 He sey doun of his stede. c 1374 Chaucer Troylus v. 182 For whan she gan here fader fer aspye, Wel neigh doun on here hors she gan to sye. c 1375 Sc. Leg. Saints xliii. (Cecile) 535 A bose, of wynd Þat fillit ware, & with a prene Mocht out be latine..& seige [?], and to-giddire fal. a 1400–50 Wars Alex. 980 (Ashmole MS.) He seis [Dubl. MS. sittes] doune in þe sete with septer in hande. c 1400 Destr. Troy 6644 He gird to þat greke..Þat he seyt to þe soile, & soght out of lyue. 1896 Warwicksh. Gloss., Sigh, to fade, decrease. ‘This pimple's beginning to sigh.’ |
2. To go, proceed; fig. to proceed or come from a source, be derived.
| Beowulf 307 (Gr.) Guman onetton, siᵹon ætsomne. c 1052 O.E. Chron. (MS. C.) an. 1052, Godwine sah him æfre to werd Lundenes. c 1205 Lay. 23811 Seoððen þer gunnen ut siȝen sixti þusende Bruttes. a 1225 Leg. Kath. 2055 Þet heaðene folc þet alle weren isihen hider. c 1230 Hali Meid. 47 Wið þene seli brudgume þet siheð alle selhðe of. c 1400 Destr. Troy 2512 Then he..Seyit furth with sory chere. Ibid. 7129 After settyng of þe Sun þai Seyn to þe ȝates. a 1400–50 Wars Alex. (Ashmole MS.) 2182 He seȝis to þe Synagog. |
b. To come, arrive (fig. of a condition, time, etc.); occas. to befall, happen.
| c 1205 Lay. 2918, & seoððen þer seh [c 1275 soh] toward swiðe muchel seorwe. Ibid. 4023 Þa wes þe muchele speche..of þare seoreȝe þe isiȝe wes to lond. Ibid. 4566 He þoðte heo to habben to his awere bihoue, & oðer weis hit sæht [? read sæh]. Ibid. 24043 Þe dæi sæh to burhȝe þe Arður iset hafde. 13.. Gaw. & Gr. Knt. 1958 Til þe sesoun was seȝen, þat þay seuer moste. c 1400 Destr. Troy 3398 When yt seyit to Sopertyme. |
c. to sye hethen (= hence) or sye of life, to depart this life, die.
| 13.. Gaw. & Gr. Knt. 1879 He..prayed hym..Þat he wolde..lern hym..How his sawle schulde be saued, when he schuld seye heþen. a 1400–50 Wars Alex. 716 (Ashmole MS.) Wele semys slike a sacchell to syeȝe þus of lyfe! Ibid. 4333 Ne seȝes na segge of oure sede sodanly of lyue. |
Hence sying vbl. n.1, sinking, etc.
| c 1400 Promp. Parv. 77/1 Cyynge downe, or swownynge (P. cyghinge or swonynge downe), sincopacio. Ibid. 455/2 Syynge downe, or swonynge, sincopacio. |
▪ IV. sye, sie, v.2 Obs. exc. dial.
Forms: 1 sion, seon, (3rd pers. sing. siid), 2 pa. tense seh, 4–5 (9 dial.) sie, 4–6 (9 dial.) sye, (5 syee, cy(e, sigh, 6 sighe), 7 seigh, 9 Sc. sey.
[OE. s{iacu}on, séon (:—*sīhan), pa. tense sáh, pa. pple. siᵹen, siwen, later seowen, séon, = MLG. sigen, sihen, sîen, MDu. sighen, sijghen, siën, ziën (pa. tense seech, pa. pple. gesegen, gesiet, Du. zijgen), OHG. sîhan, pa. tense sêh, siwan, pa. pple. gisigan (MHG. sîhen, sîgen, pa. tense seic, sigen, pa. pple. gesigen, G. seihen), ON. s{iacu}a:—OTeut. *sīχwan. Cf. prec.]
1. trans. To strain, pass through a strainer; also, to strain out. † Also with up.
| c 725 Corpus Gloss. (Hessels) E 461 Excolat, siid. c 1000 Saxon Leechd. III. 14 Seoh ðurh clað. c 1380 Wyclif Sel. Wks. II. 383 Blynde leders, syynge þe gnatte and swolowe þe camel. c 1420 Liber Cocorum (1862) 17 Take swete mylk..And sethe and sye hit thorowghe a cloth. 1523 Fitzherb. Husb. §146 Milke thy kye, socle thy calues, sye vp thy mylke. 1530 Palsgr. 717/2, I sye mylke, or clense, je coulle du laict. This terme is to moche northerne. 1559 Morwyng Evonym. 392 Aromaticall wynes..the spyces beaten together, sighed and streined a few tymes through a streiner or Hippocras bag of wull. 1847 Halliwell, Sie..(4) to strain milk... It is still used in Derbyshire. 1895 Pinnock Black Country Ann. (E.D.D.) To sye it thru a jelly bag. |
2. intr. To drop as a liquid, drip, drain, ooze.
| c 893 ælfred Oros. i. vii. 38 Þa wæron swiðe hreowlice berstende, & þa worms utsionde. c 1000 ælfric Saints' Lives xx. 64 Hi cwædon þa sume þæt se læce sceolde asceotan þæt ᵹeswell..and þær sah ut wyrms. c 1175 Lamb. Hom. 121 Mid þornene crune his heaued wes icruned swa þet þet rede blod seh ut. c 1440 Pallad. on Husb. xi. 326 And into a wyn barel doun let hem sie. 1450–1530 Myrr. our Ladye 108 That there shulde no thorrocke that myghte syee or droppe in therto. 1868 [see b]. |
b. trans. To mark or stain by dropping.
| 1855 Robinson Whitby Gloss. s.v. Sie, Not stained, but sied all over. 1868 Atkinson Cleveland Gloss., Sie, v.n., to drop, to mark by dropping. |
Hence sying vbl. n.2 and ppl. a., straining; oozing, etc.
| c 1000 Saxon Leechd. II. 314 Wiþ seondum geallan ete rædic. c 1440 Promp. Parv. 455/2 Syynge, or clensynge (S. syftynge, P. siffinge), colacio, colatura. 1450–1530 Myrr. our Ladye 109 A place in the bottome of a shyppe wherein ys gatheryd all the fylthe that cometh in to the shyppe, other by lekynge or by syinge in to yt by the bourdes. 1688 [see sye n.2 1]. |
▪ V. sye
obs. pa. tense and pple. of see v.; obs. f. sigh.