dighten

Middle English

Alternative forms

• diten, dihten, disten, dithen

Etymology

From Old English dihtan, dihtian (“to set in order; dispose; arrange; appoint; direct; compose”), from Proto-Germanic *dihtōną (“to compose; invent”), of disputed origin.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈdixtən/

Verb

dighten

1. To prepare or ready:
   1. (transitive) To ornament, adorn.
   2. (transitive) To furnish, equip.
      • 1485, Sir Thomas Malory, chapter XV, in Le Morte Darthur, book II (in Middle English):

        And at the last he entryd in to a chambyr that was merueillously wel dyzte and rychely, and a bedde arayed with clothe of gold

        (please add an English translation of this quotation)

      • And whan balyn was wepenles he ranne in to a chamber for to seke somme wepen / and soo fro chamber to chamber / and no wepen he coude fynde / and alweyes kynge Pellam after hym / And at the last he entryd in to a chambyr that was merueillously wel dyȝte and rychely
2. (transitive) To compose, make.
   • 14^thc., Anonymous, The Chester Mystery Plays, Noah's Flood:

     Japhet's Wife: And I will gather chippes here / To make a fyer for you in feare, / And for to dighte your dinnere / Agayne you come in.

3. (transitive) To have sexual intercourse with.
   • 1387-1400, Geoffrey Chaucer, The Manciple's Prologue:

     Ne telleth nevere no man in youre lyf
     How that another man hath dight his wyf;

     (please add an English translation of this quotation)

Conjugation

Conjugation of dighten (weak suffixless/in -ed)

infinitive	(to) dighten, dighte
	present tense	past tense
1st-person singular	dighte	dighte, dighted
2nd-person singular	dightest	dightest, dightedest
3rd-person singular	dighteth	dighte, dighted
subjunctive singular	dighte
imperative singular		—
plural1	dighten, dighte	dighten, dighte, dighteden, dightede
imperative plural	dighteth, dighte	—
participles	dightynge, dightende	dight, dighted, ydight, ydighted

¹ Sometimes used as a formal 2nd-person singular.

Descendants

• English: dight
• Scots: dicht
• Yola: dieeght

References

• “dighten, v.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.