A glossary of Tudor and Stuart words, especially from the dramatists

by Walter W. Skeat

tit, a small creature, young thing; a tit of tenpence, a girl worth tenpence; a depreciatory epithet. Fletcher, Woman’s Prize, iv. 2 (Petruchio).

tite: phr. swithe and tite, quickly and at once, Gammer Gurton’s Needle, i. 4. 13. Very common in the phr. as tite, as soon, as lief, in the north country, see EDD. (s.v. Tite, adv.²). ME. tite, quickly; as tyte as, as soon as (Wars Alex. 219, 693). Icel. tītt, at once with all speed; see Icel. Dict. (s.v. Tīðr).

tith, a variant of [tight] (q.v.). Of a ship: water-tight, Fletcher, Woman’s Prize, iii. 5; sound in body, ‘A good stanch wench, that’s tith’, id., Mons. Thomas, ii. 3 (Thomas). The compar. tither occurs in The Mad Lover, iii. 3 (Chilax) in a nautical allusion. Tithly, vigorously, Island Princess, i. 1. 20; closely, Women Pleased, iv. 3 (Penurio).

tithe, to decimate. Beaumont and Fl., Bonduca, ii. 1 (Penius).

titillation, a means of titillating, producing a pleasant sensation, used of a perfume. B. Jonson, Alchem. iv. 2 (Face).

titivil (tytyvyllus), a term of reprobation, a knave, villain, and esp. a mischievous tale-bearer, Hall, Henry VI (ed. 1542, f. 43); Skelton, Garl. Laurell, 642; Colyn Cloute, 418; ‘Coquette, a pratling or proud gossip . . . a titifill, a flebergebit’, Cotgrave; titifil, Heywood’s Proverbs (ed. Farmer, 24). Originally, the name of a devil said to collect fragments of words dropped, skipped, or mumbled in the recitation of the daily offices, and to carry them to hell to be registered against the offender; the name occurs in the mystery plays. Myrrour of our Ladye, i. 20. 54. See note to P. Plowman, C. xiv. 123. See NED. for a full and interesting account of this curious creation of monastic wit.

titivilitium, an exclamation of contempt. B. Jonson, Silent Woman, iv. 1 (Otter). L. titivillitium, a small trifle (used once by Plautus).

to, in comparison with. Temp. i. 2. 480, &c.

to-, prefix, in twain, asunder, in pieces. The following examples occur in Caxton’s Hist. of Troye: to-breke (pt. t. to-brake), to break in pieces; to-breste, to burst asunder; to-bruse, to bruise in pieces; to-drawe, to draw asunder; to-frusshe, to break in pieces; to-hewe, to hew in pieces; to-rente, to rend in pieces. Malory’s Morte Arthur has to-cratche, to tear to pieces; to-ryue, to rive asunder; to-sheuer, to reduce to shivers. See NED. (s.v. To-, pref.²).

toadstone, a stone fabled to be found in a toad’s head, which could cure pain instantly. See As You Like It, ii. 1. 13; Fletcher, Woman’s Prize, v. 1 (Livia); Mons. Thomas, iii. 1 (Thomas).