graith meaning (obsolete): definition, etymology and quotations

graith

verb

/ɡɹeɪθ/

Etymology From Middle English graithen, greithen, graiden, grathen, from Old Norse greiða (“to make ready, prepare, arrange, disentangle”), from Proto-Germanic *garaidijaną (“to prepare, put in order”). Cognate with Old English ġerǣdan (“to arrange, dispose, order, provide for, harness”), Gothic 𐌲𐌰𐍂𐌰𐌹𐌳𐌾𐌰𐌽 (garaidjan, “to enjoin”).

Scotland, Obsolete To make ready; prepare; put in order; make fit for use.

Gowden graith'd his horse before, and siller shod behind […]1776, David Herd, Collected Songs (reprinted in 1870 as Ancient and Modern Scottish Songs)
And graith my horse!1802, Walter Scott, The Minstrelsy of the Scottish Border:

UK, Dialectal, Obsolete To dress (someone or oneself) or be dressed.

At fairs he play'd before the spearmen, All gaily graithed in their gear-men.1748, “The Life and Death of the Piper of Kilbarchan; or, the epitaph of Habbie Simson”, in Poems in the Scottish Dialect by several celebrated Poets, page 9:
Where didst thou steal that goodly coat of green, That thou art graithed in?1820, Wallace; a historical tragedy, in five acts:

1 more example

Many a winsome dwarf was seen, graithed in rich attire;1903, “The Dwarf King's Court”, in The Masterpieces and the History of Literature:

graith

noun

Etymology From Middle English graith, graythe, greithe, from Old Norse greiði (“preparation, arrangement”), from Proto-Germanic *garaidiją (“apparatus, gadget”). Cognate with Icelandic greiðe, greiði (“preparation, arrangement, order, hospitality”), Faroese greiði (“requisite articles”), Norwegian greida (“implements, tackle”), Norwegian greide (“harness”).

Obsolete Preparation; arrangement; condition.

[…] tho' foul and tatter'd / In my present garb and graith1821, John Stagg, The Cumbrian Minstrel:
Is your razor in good graith? (B.K.)1900, B.K., quoted in The English Dialect Dictionary, page 704

Obsolete Accoutrements: clothes, materials, equipment, furniture, etc.

Item, to James Homel, to buy graith for the King's vellum doublet, 0[L.] 10[s.] 0[d.]1797, An Account of Charge and, of John Bishop of Glasow, Treasurer to James III, for the Year 1474, rendered into modern English in The History Of Scotland from the Accession of the House of Stuart
The Earl of Moray, however, looking very sharply after his royal sister's personal property, came to Sir Robert Melville's house and insisted "on seeing what graith belonging to the Queen he had got there." Among these were a knot of pearls and a piece of gold […]1856, Lives of the Queens of Scotland and English Princesses:

Related terms: gradely

Entry derived from the Wiktionary, under licence CC BY-SA 4.0 — list of authors.