skete

adj., adv.

Pat sckete

'quickly'

(Modern English )

Etymology

cp. OIcel skjótr ‘quick’ < PGmc *skeutaz, from the stem of the verb *skeutan- ‘to shoot’, cp. OE scēotan ‘to shoot’ (OIcel skjóta, OFris skiata, OS skiotan, OHG skiozan) and the OE n. gescēot ‘shooting’ (‘rapid movement’); there are no certain instances of adjectival cognates in Go or WGmc. The ME adv. may simply derive from the ME adj. skete ‘quick’ (see MED s.v. skēte (adj.)), or may directly reflect the ON neut./adv. skjót-t (as implied by TGD, GDS, OED and MED).

PGmc Ancestor

*skeutaz

Proposed ON Etymon (OIcel representative)

skjótr ‘quick’
(ONP skjótr (2) (adj.))

Other Scandinavian Reflexes

Far skjótur, Icel skjótur, Norw skjot, ODan skiud, OSw skiuter

OE Cognate

scēotan (v.) ‘to shoot’, gescēot (n.) ‘shooting’  

Phonological and morphological markers

absence of palatalization of */sk/

Summary category

A1*c

Attestation

First in Orrm in ME. There is a possible late OE attestation, (ge)scēot adj. with ambiguous <sc>, but for a cautious view see Peters 115 and SPS. Predominantly N and E, but recorded in a variety of texts altogether (esp. in the 15c.).

Occurrences in the Gersum Corpus

Gaw 19; Cl 1186; Pat 195

Bibliography

MED skēt(e (adv.) , MED skēt(e (adj.) , OED skeet (adv. and adj.) , HTOED , Dance skete, Bj. 125-6, 307, SPS 403