graith

English

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɡɹeɪθ/
• Rhymes: -eɪθ

Etymology 1

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”).

Verb

graith (third-person singular simple present graiths, present participle graithing, simple past and past participle graithed)

1. (obsolete outside Scotland) To make ready; prepare; put in order; make fit for use.
   • 1776, David Herd, Collected Songs (reprinted in 1870 as Ancient and Modern Scottish Songs):

     Gowden graith'd his horse before, and siller shod behind […]

   • 1802, Walter Scott, The Minstrelsy of the Scottish Border:

     And graith my horse!

2. (obsolete outside dialects, chiefly UK) To dress (someone or oneself) or be dressed.
   • 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:

     At fairs he play'd before the spearmen, All gaily graithed in their gear-men.

   • 1820, Wallace; a historical tragedy, in five acts:

     Where didst thou steal that goodly coat of green, That thou art graithed in?

   • 1903, “The Dwarf King's Court”, in The Masterpieces and the History of Literature:

     Many a winsome dwarf was seen, graithed in rich attire;

Etymology 2

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”).

Noun

graith (countable and uncountable, plural graiths)

1. (obsolete) Preparation; arrangement; condition.
   • 1821, John Stagg, The Cumbrian Minstrel:

     […] tho' foul and tatter'd / In my present garb and graith

   • 1900, B.K., quoted in The English Dialect Dictionary, page 704:

     Is your razor in good graith? (B.K.)

2. (obsolete) Accoutrements: clothes, materials, equipment, furniture, etc.
   • 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:

     Item, to James Homel, to buy graith for the King's vellum doublet, 0[L.] 10[s.] 0[d.]

   • 1856, Lives of the Queens of Scotland and English Princesses:

     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 […]

References

• “graith”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.

See also

• gradely

Anagrams

• Hartig, TIGHAR, a'right, aright