An Etymological Dictionary of the Scottish Language / in which the words are explained in their different senses, authorized by the names of the writers by whom they are used, or the titles of the works in which they occur, and deduced from their originals

by John Jamieson

BEIRTH, BYRTHE, s. Burden, incumbrance, charge; Gl. Sibb.

Dan. byrde, byrth; Isl. byrd; Su. G. boerd-a; Belg. borde, A. S. byrth-in; from Moes. G. bair-an, Su. G. baer-a, to bear.

BEIS, v. s. Be, is; third p. sing. subj. S.
Douglas.

Here the second pers. is improperly used for the third. A. S. byst, sis; Alem. Franc. bist, es, from bin, sum; Wachter, vo. Bin.

BEIS, BEES, One's head is said to be in the bees, when one is confused or stupified with drink or otherwise, S.
Shirrefs.

Teut. bies-en, aestuari, furente impetu agitari; or from the same origin with [Bazed], q. v.

BEIST, BEISTYN, s. The first milk of a cow after she has calved, S. biestings, E.

A. S. beost, byst; Teut. biest, biest melck, id. (colostrum).

To BEIT, BETE, BEET, v. a.
1. To help, to supply; to mend, by making addition.
Henrysone.
To beit the fire, or beit the ingle. To add fuel to the fire, S. "To beet, to make or feed a fire." Gl. Grose.
To beit a mister, to supply a want, Loth.
2. To blow up, to inkindle, applied to the fire.
Douglas.
3. To bring into a better state, by removing calamity or cause of sorrow.
Wallace.

A. S. bet-an, ge-bet-an, to mend, to restore to the original state; Belg. boet-en; Isl. bet-a, Su. G. boet-a, id. boet-a klaeder, to repair or mend clothes. A. S. bet-an fyr, corresponds to the S. phrase mentioned above, struere ignem.