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Wite vs Mite - What's the difference?

wite | mite |

As nouns the difference between wite and mite

is that wite is blame, responsibility, guilt while mite is shoot.

As a verb wite

is (chiefly|scotland) to blame; regard as guilty, fault, accuse or wite can be (obsolete|or|poetic) to go, go away, depart, perish, vanish.

wite

English

Etymology 1

From (etyl) , see below.

Alternative forms

* wyte

Verb

(wit)
  • (chiefly, Scotland) To blame; regard as guilty, fault, accuse
  • * Late 14th century , Geoffrey Chaucer, ‘The Wife of Bath's Tale’, Canterbury Tales :
  • As help me God, I shal þee nevere smyte! / Þat I have doon, it is þyself to wyte .
  • To reproach, censure, mulct
  • To observe, keep, guard, preserve, protect
  • Etymology 2

    From (etyl) , see below.

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • Blame, responsibility, guilt.
  • *:
  • *:And so by fortune the ship drave unto a castle, and was all to-riven, and destroyed the most part. So many lords and barons of this realm were displeased, for their children were so lost, and many put the wite on Merlin more than on Arthur; so what for dread and for love, they held their peace.
  • *:• :
  • *::And so by fortune the shyp drofe vnto a castel and was al to ryuen and destroyed the most part/ So many lordes and barons of this reame were displeasyd / for her children were so lost / and many put the wyte on Merlyn more than on Arthur / so what for drede and for loue they helde their pees
  • *, title= The Worm Ouroboros
  • , publisher= , passage=Nor I will not suffer mine indignation so to witwanton with fair justice as persuade me to put the wite on Witchland.}}
  • Punishment, penalty, fine, bote, mulct.
  • Etymology 3

    From (etyl) (m)

    Verb

    (wit)
  • (obsolete, or, poetic) To go, go away, depart, perish, vanish
  • References

    * Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia English terms with homophones ----

    mite

    English

    (wikipedia mite)

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • A minute arachnid, of the order Acarina, of which there are many species; as, the cheese mite, sugar mite, harvest mite, etc. See Acarina.
  • A small coin formerly circulated in England, rated at about a third of a farthing.
  • *1803 , William Blake,
  • *:One mite wrung from the lab'rer's hands
  • *:Shall buy and sell the miser's lands;
  • A lepton, a small coin used in Palestine in the time of Christ.
  • A small weight; one twentieth of a grain.
  • Anything very small; a minute object; a very little quantity or particle. Sometimes used adverbially.
  • * , chapter=5
  • , title= Mr. Pratt's Patients , passage=“Well,” I says, “I cal'late a body could get used to Tophet if he stayed there long enough.” ¶ She flared up; the least mite of a slam at Doctor Wool was enough to set her going.}}
  • * 1959 , Frances Cavanah, Abe Lincoln Gets His Chance , Project Gutenberg, [http://www.gutenberg.org/files/17315/17315-8.txt]:
  • "Those trousers are a mite too big, but you'll soon grow into them."

    Synonyms

    * (small amount) see also .

    Derived terms

    * widow's mite

    Anagrams

    * * * ----