n. (pl.)
‘vows, assurances of knightly service’
(Modern English )A n. formed on the stem of the v. hete (or a development of the equivalent OE n. (ge)hāt ‘promise, vow’ influenced by hete).
PGmc Ancestor
*hait-
Proposed ON Etymon (OIcel representative)
cp. heita (v.) ‘to call, name, promise’
(ONP heita (3) (vb.))
Other Scandinavian Reflexes
OE Cognate
(ge)hāt ‘promise, vow’
Phonological and morphological markers
Summary category
CCC2c
This rare n. is cited by MED from only a few texts; these are mainly N/EM, but notice also c1600(?c1395) PPl.Creed (Trin-C R.3.15).
Occurrences in the Gersum Corpus
Gaw 1525