Etymology

cp. OIcel títt < *tíð-t ‘quickly’, i.e. ON neut./adv. of tíðr ‘frequent, usual, customary’ < PGmc *tīða-; cp. the related nouns OE tīd ‘time’, OIcel tíð, OFris, OS tīd, OHG zīt < PGmc *tīðiz.

PGmc Ancestor

*tīða- 

Proposed ON Etymon (OIcel representative)

tíðr (adj.) ‘frequent, usual, customary’
(ONP tíðr (2) (adj.))

Other Scandinavian Reflexes

Far tíð, Icel tíð, tíður, Norw tid, Dan tid, Sw tid; Norw tidt, ODan tith, tidt, Dan tidt, tit, Norw tidt, OSw tit, Sw tidt

OE Cognate

tīd (n.) ‘time’

Phonological and morphological markers

ON consonant cluster assimilation

<p>ON adjectival (adverbial) <em>-t</em></p>

Summary category

A3*c

Attestation

In ME predominantly N and E and alliterative (incl. WPal.), but occasionally more widely. Note that both instances in Gaw occur in rhyme. N in MnE dial.

Occurrences in the Gersum Corpus

Gaw 299, 1596; Pe 728; Cl 64, 901, 1099, etc.; Pat 100, 127, 229 etc.; WA 219, 3719, 2519, etc.

Only McGee (433) interprets as tyd at Pat 100 as an instance of the compound as-tit. The D MS of WA has a further instance at 1175, where the A MS has titely (adv.).

Bibliography

MED tīt(e (adv.) , OED3 tite, tit (adv., and adj.) , HTOED , EDD tite (adv. 2), Dance tite, Bj. 19, 222, de Vries tíðr (2), Mag. tíð (tíður), Kroonen *tīdi-, Nielsen tit (1), Falk-Torp Tidt, Torp Tid (1), Bj.-L tid