▪ I. † weste, n.
[Reduced form of OE. wésten (see western n.2), or f. next.]
A desert, wilderness.
| c 1200 Ormin 11747 Þær i þe wesste þær he wass Himm ane. Ibid. 17408 Alls he comm wiþþ all þe follc Inntill a wilde wesste. c 1200 Trin. Coll. Hom. 127 On his ȝuweðe he fleh fro folke to weste. Ibid., Weste was his wunienge. |
▪ II. † weste, a. Obs.
Also 3 west.
[OE. wéste, earlier wœ́ste = OFris. wôste (WFris. woast), MDu. and Du. woest, OS. wôsti (MLG. wôst, wûst, LG. wöst), OHG. wôsti, wuosti (MHG. wüeste, G. wüst), f. the stem *wōst-, related to L. vāstus: see waste a.]
1. Of places: Uninhabited and uncultivated or untended; desert, desolate, waste.
| Beowulf 2456 [He] ᵹesyhð sorhceariᵹ..winsele westne. c 825 Vesp. Psalter lxviii. 26 Sie eardung heara woestu. Ibid. lxxiv. 7 From woestum muntum. c 900 tr. Bæda's Hist. i. xv. 52 Is sæd of þære tide..þæt hit [sc. þæt land] weste wuniᵹe. c 1000 Ags. Gosp. Matt. xiv. 15 Ðeos stowe ys weste. c 1200 Ormin 1417 All forrþi wass heoffness ærd Swa summ itt wesste wære. c 1200 Trin. Coll. Hom. 127 He..þerfore ferde into weste wilderne. c 1205 Lay. 10591 Al þat lond heo makeden west. Ibid. 17330 Ich wulle..maken him weste paðes & wildernes monie. c 1250 Owl & Night. 1528 Wowes weste [v.r. west] and lere huse. a 1300 Maximian 211 (MS. Digby 86) Þis world me þinkeþ west. |
2. west(e) land, waste land; desert.
| c 1030 Sherburn Surv. in Eng. Hist. Rev. (1912) Jan. 18 Ond þys synd weste land: Ane is Sal-leᵹe; oðer is Grante-leᵹe. c 1200 Ormin 9239 Sannt Johan i wessteland Wass wurrþenn cuþ þatt time. Ibid. 11429 All swa summ wessteland iss all Forrworrpenn & forrlætenn. c 1205 Lay. 16268 He funde west lond [c 1275 in west lond], leoden of-slæȝene. |
▪ III. † weste, v. Obs.
[OE. wéstan (:—wōstjan: see weste a.) = OS. (â)wôstian, OHG. wuostan (MHG. wuesten G. wüsten).]
trans. To lay waste.
| c 893 ælfred Oros. i. x. §1 Hie..wæron fiftene ᵹear þæt lond heriᵹende & westende. c 1000 Ags. Ps. (Th.) lxxviii. 7 Hi..his wic-stede westan. Ibid. lxxix. 13 Hine.. wilde deor westað and frettað. c 1205 Lay. 1754 Þus heo westen þat lond. Ibid. 20941 Heo..sæiden þat heo wolden..westen Arðures lond. c 1250 Gen. & Ex. 3915 Ðis folc..his lond tok,..And westen al to flum iordan. |
▪ IV. weste
obs. pa. tense and pple. of wish v., wit v.1