Etymology

This word is identified with the same Norse-derived etymon by all authorities except Emerson, who explains each of the two instances in Gaw (‘And mony arʒed þerat, and on lyte droʒen’ (1463), ‘I wyl no lenger on lyte lette þin ernde’ (2303)) differently. (1) All editors from TG onwards have identified lyte at both Gaw 1463 and 2303 with ME lite 'delay, postponement, procrastination', from the corresponding v. ME liten 'to rely (on); expect or hope; delay, tarry, wait'. This v. is always explained as a loan from ON, cp. OIcel hlíta ‘to rely on, trust, abide by’ (< PGmc *hlītan; there are no known non-Scandinavian cognates) (see further Dance). (2a) Emerson interprets on as an adv. rather than a preposition at Gaw 1463 (noting it bears the alliterative stress), reading the phrase on lyte droʒen as 'few advanced (drew on)', and thus taking lyte as the indef. pron. ME lit(e) 'few'. This word is usually taken as a straightforward reflection of OE lȳt (adj., n., adv.) ‘little, few’ (cp. OS lūt), though it is also possible (as OED) to ascribe some input from the ON adv. represented by OIcel lítt ‘little’ (cp. Go leitils, and with different vocalism OE lȳtel, OS luttil, OHG luzzil). While possible, this reading is very awkward syntactically (TGD). (2b) Emerson then reads the instance at 2303 as a n., ME lite 'flaw, vice' (cited three times by Strat-Brad) < ON, cp. OIcel lýti 'fault, flaw, deformity' (derived on the PGmc root *leut- (cp. Go liutei 'deceit, hypocrisy'), as in the adjectives OIcel ljótr, Go liuts). However the existence of such an ME n. is not supported by modern lexicographers who instead consider Strat-Brad.'s instances under entries for ME lite 'delay, punishment, procrastination' as at (1) (thus OED, MED) and there is therefore no unimpeachable evidence that ON lýti was loaned into English.

PGmc Ancestor

(1) *hlītan-; (2a) lūti- or lītilaz; (2b) *leut-

Proposed ON Etymon (OIcel representative)

(1) hlíta ‘to rely on, trust, abide by’; (2a) lítt (adv.) ‘little’; (2b) lýti ‘fault, flaw, deformity’
(ONP (1) hlíta (2) (vb.); (2a) líttill (adj.); (2b) lýti (2) (sb. n.))

Other Scandinavian Reflexes

(1) Far líta, Icel hlíta, Norw lita, Dan lide, OSw lita, Sw lita; (2a) Far lítt, Icel lítt, Dan lidt; (2b) Far lýti, Icel lýti, Norw lyte, Dan lyde, Sw lyte

OE Cognate

(2a) lȳt (adj., n., adv.) ‘little, few’

Phonological and morphological markers

[ON /y/ < */iu/ by front mutation] (may not be applicable)

Summary category

D2

Attestation

(1) ME lite ‘delay’ is N/EM only (cited in MED from (1357) Gaytr. LFCatech.(Yk-Borth R.I.11)). EDD records the n. from Yks and Lin. (2a) ME lite ‘few (people)’ is common in early ME, but by the later 14c. is found mainly in N and alliterative texts. (2b) Strat-Brad’s citations of its supposed ME līte ‘flaw, vice’ are all N/EM.

Occurrences in the Gersum Corpus

Gaw 1463, 2303

Bibliography

MED līt(e (n.2) , Dance lyte; (1) OED lite (n.1) , de Vries hlíta, Mag. hlíta, Bj-L. lite, EDD lite (v. and sb. 2); (2a) OED lite (n.4, adj.1 and adv.) , MED līt(e (n.3) , Heid. *lūta-, Orel *luttiz ~ *luttjaz, Kroonen *lītila-, AEW lȳt; (2b) de Vries lýta, Mag. lýta, Bj-L. lyte (1), Heid. leuta-, Orel *leutīn, Kroonen *leuta-, Bj. 296 n.1