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QUIT.
person) ;
1603 FLORIO Montaigne n. ii.
(1897) H*- 29 ^ur m nde
'.
cannot out of her place attaine so high. She must quit it
and raise her selfe aloft. 1623 MASSINGER Dk. Milan iv. ii,
We know our duty, And quit the room. 1653 H. COGAN tr.
Pinto's Trav. vii. 19 Having quit the river he marched
somewhat faster than ordinary. 1732 POPE Ess. Man n. 274
Hope travels thro 1
, nor quits us when we die. 1787 WINTER
Syst. Husb. 306 When the earth is sufficiently dry, so as to
quit the hoe. 1805 SCOTT Last Minstr. i. iv, They quitted
not their harness bright, Neither by day, nor yet by night.
1833 HT. MARTINEAU Briery Creek v. 100 It is a senous
matter to quit country and family and friends. 1874 GREFN
Short Hist. v. 242 The labourer was forbidden to quit the
parish where he lived.
b. absol. To leave the premises which one occu-
pies as a tenant.
1768 [see QUITTING v6l. sb.}. x8x8 CRUISE Digest (ed. 2)
IV. 74 A lease.. determinable ..on giving reasonable notice
to quit. 1831 LAMB Elia Ser. it. To the Shade of F.lliston^
72
13 . . Coer de L. 1420, 1 schal quyten hym hys mede. a 135*
MINOT Poems vii. 66 Inglis men ..quit fam baire hire, c 1400
Gamelyn 512 Ther was non of hemalle..That he ne.. quitte
him his dette. 1550 CROWLEY Last Trumpet 446 Let me
take vengeance, saith the Lord, And I wyll quyte them all
theyr hyre. 1567 Satir. Poems Reform, xiv. 99 All Faithfull
hartis quyte thair meid.
1 13. To pay, or give, back ; to give in return.
a 1300 Cursor M. 27867 (Fairf.) He gas to paine, til wrange
tane ping be quite agame. c 1380 WYCLIF Wks. (1880) 173
Pes worldly prestis . . quiten not ajen but stynkynge preiere
bifore god. Ibid. 215 For o schrewed word a man mot
quyte anober or moo. 14 . . Good Counsel in King's Quair
(.S. T. S.) 51 For ilk ynch he wyll the quyte a spane.
QUITCLAIM.
3. reft. To do one's part, behave, bear oneself,
(usually in a specified way). Now arch.
r 1386 CHAUCER Frankl. T. Prol. i In feith, Squier, tbow
hast thee wel yquit. 1455 PastonLett. I. 329 To quyte us
lyke men in this querell. 1480 CAXTON Chron. Eng. ccxliii.
(1482) 291 Manly and knyghtly he quytte hym in al maner
poyntes. 1589 Marfrel. Epit. Dijb, lohn of London ..
could haue quited himselfe no better then this. 1611 BIBLE
x Sam. iv. 9 Quit your selues like men, and fight. 1642
ROGERS Naaman 188 Labour to quite our selves well in our
sufferings, a 1716 SOUTH Serm. (1744) X. 302-3 This is the
fourth means to enable us to quit ourselves in the great
duty of peaceableness. 1868 BROWNING Ring ff Bk. v. 278,
I rode, danced and gamed, Quitted me like a courtier.
f b. To acquit oneself (well, etc.) of a task or
duty. Obs.
14x3 Pilgr.Sowle (Caxton 1483) v. xi. 103 Of these, .seuen
[signes] ye haue quyte yow well, c 1450 Robin Hood 4-
Monk Ixxvii. in Child Ballads III. 100/2, I haue done be
a gode turne for an euyll, Quyte be whan bou may. 1600
HAKLUYT Voy. (1810) III. 383 One which knewe so well to
quite himselfe of his charge, that all rancour., ceased.
f c. To use (the hands) ; to play (one's part).
1396 HARINGTON Metaw, Ajax (1814) 35 That I were as
likely to quit my hands in the fray as well as any man.
1603 SHAKS. Meas.for M. ir. iv. 28 The generall subiect to
a wel-wisht King Quit their owne part,
f 4. To remit (a debt, etc.). Obs. rare.
1400 Rom. Rose 6032 They shall quyte
oth al free.
your
1523 LD. BERNERS Froiss. I. xvtii. 22 The lordes dyd quyt
me my ransom and prison. 1596 SHAKS, Merck, y. iv. i. 381
To quit the fine for one halfe of his goods, I am content.
1671 MILTON Samson 509 Perhaps God will relent, and quit
thee all his debt. 1693 Drydeit's Juvenal vii. (1697) 178
For that Revenge I'll quit the whole Arrear.
5. To give up, let go, renounce, etc. to cease ; to
have, use, enjoy, be engaged in or occupied with.
(Freq. with implication of sense 70
c 1440 Generydes ^608 As for the land of Perce . . My lord
and fader quyte it m his dayes. 1560 ROLLANO Crt. Venus
i. 900 The copie clene I quite it is sa skant. x6ia SELDEN
To Rdr. in Drayton's Poly-olb., The Capricious faction will . .
neuerquit their Beliefe of wrong. ax66x FULLER Worthies
(1840) II. 434 It seems that tbe Christian Britons at the font
quitted their native names as barbarous. 1671 True Nonconformist
2 That Nonconformists think they may quite
the communion of the church, if [etc.]. *7"9 BuTLERiSVrw.
Resentm. Wks. 1874 II. 100 Resentment has taken possession
of the temper, ..and will not quit its hold. 1788
FRANKLIN Autobiog. Wks. 1840 I. 156 Choosing rather to
quit their power than their principle. 1828 D'!SRAELI
Chas, /, II. ii. 47 Richelieu, once resolved, never quitted
his object, till it became his own. 1851 HELPS Comp.Solit.
xiii. (1874) 236 There are very few men who know how to
quit any great office.
b. To give up, yield, hand over to another.
Now rare or Obs.
a 1450 Knt. de la Tour (1868) 101, I have leuer to quytte
yow and gyue yow my parte. 1559 KENNEDY Lett, to
Willockin Wodrow Misc.
(1844) 273, I
quyte 3ou the haill
cause without farther disputatioun. 1617 HAKEWILL Apol.
(1630) 106 As God had quitted unto them, all dominion over
his creatures. 1647 CLARENDON Hist, Reb. in. 138 He
might wisely quit his Mastership of the Wards to the Lord
Say. 1769 ROBERTSON Chas. P', xn. Wks. 1826 III. 371
Every argument which . . could induce him to quit the
Imperial throne to Philip. 1824 J. JOHNSON Typogr. I. 551
His father seems to have quitted the trade to him in 1576.
c. To let go (something held or grasped).
1633 G. HERBERT Temple 122 Love unknown n The
servant instantly Quitting the fruit, seiz'd on my heart
alone, 1711 ADDISON Spect. No. 102 F 7 This teaches a
Lady to quit her Fan gracefully when she throws it aside.
1808 J. BARLOW Columb. vni. 82 The weak moment when
she quits her shield. 1841 ELPHINSTONE Hist. Ind. II. 145
A horseman .. sprung from his horse, and, without quitting
the bridle, rushed into the tent.
6. To cease, stop, discontinue (doing something).
Now U.S.
X7S4 in Picton Vpool Munic. Rec. (1886) II. 166 Persons
who rent seats., after they quitt sitting in them [etc.].
1837 W. IRVING Capt. Bonneville II. 165 They followed on
his trail, nor quit hovering about him . . until [etc.]. 1882
A. E. SWEET Sk. Texas Si/tings 62 The dog-catchers have
quit going their rounds.
b. absol. Also U.S. with off.
a 1641 SUCKLING Why so pale and-wan ii Quit ! quit for
shame ! this will not move. 1753 H. WALPOLE Lett. (1833)
III. 25 It is I, that will not act with such fellows .. if they
are kept, I will quit ; and if the Bishop is dismissed, I will
quit too. 1868 Morning^Star jo Mar., The good old maxim
for speech-makers, '
Quit when you've done . 1894 Chicago
Advance x Mar., I don't see how you ever made up your
mind to quit off [from study],
7. To leave, go away or depart from (a place or
to part or separate from Thou . . had notice to quit, I fear, before thou wert quite
ready
(a thing).
to abandon this fleshly tenement.
o. absol. To go away. dial, and U.S.
1839 MARRYAT Diary Amer. Ser. I. II. 231 Clear out, quit,
and put all mean '
be off'. 1850 LYELL 2nd Visit U. S. II.
99 No sooner was I . . engaged than all the other workmen
quitted. 1883 STEVENSON Silverado Sy. 146 He rose at
once, and said, .he reckoned he would quit.
8. intr. To quit with, to part with or from. rare.
1635 SHIRLEY Traitor t. i, If You can find dispensation to
quit with Amidea, . . be confident Oriana may be won. 1816
SCOTT Old Mart, viii, Ye hae preached twenty punds out o'
the Laird's pocket that he likes as ill to quit wi'.
9. trans. To remove ; to put, take, or send away
(also with dat of person) ; to dismiss. Now rare.
1575 TURBERV. Fmtlconric 364 This medicine, .cureth and
quitteth the mangie. 1598 BARRET Theor. Warra 116
Having quited and depriued them the preheminence to
elect Captaines. 1625 MASSINGER New U'ay 11. iii, I'll
quit you From my employments. 1649 EVELYN Afttn,(i&5j)
III. 45 The small intelligence come to us., would have
you
?uitted
this trouble. 1755 J. SHEBBEARE Lydia (1769)
. 361 Miss Arabella . . took it out again, without quitting
her hand from it. 1847 Infantry Man. (1854) 38 Quit the
left hand smartly to the left side.
II. 1O. To repay, reward, requite (a person with
some return for something done). Obs. exc. north,
dial, (in phr. God etc. quite, white, twite").
Generydes 6975 Thus quyte he them that were to hym so
Itynd. 1530 LD. BERNERS Artk. Lyt. Brjit. (1814) 178
Syth he had done me one displeasure, I shall quite him
agayne with two. 1576 WOOLTON Chr. Manual Ci, Let
vs not with like thanks quite almightye God for his greate
benefyts bestowed vppon vs. 1599 MASSINGER, etc. Old Law
if.
ii, when I visit, 1 come comfortably, And look to be so
quited. 1664 BUTLER Hud. H. i. 448, I understand .. how to
quit you your own way. 1691 RAY N. C. Words, White,
'
to requite ; as, God white you '. 1790 MRS. WHEELER
Westmld. Dial. (1839) 16 Odd white.. Justice an king teea,
for meaakin sic laas.
flL To make a return to (a person) for (something
done, a benefit or injury received, etc.). Obs.
a 1300 Cursor M. 4422 111 es pe quit J?i god seruis ! 1:1320
Sir Trislr. 2258 Je quite him iuel his swink. c 1386 CHAUCER
Manciple's T. 189 O false theef ! . . I wol thee quite anon
thy false tale ! c 1440 Partonopc 1554 His kyndenes so he
wole hym quyte. 1509 BARCLAY 6Vy/ of Folys (1570) i?i
God shall thee heare, and quite thee thy trauayle. 1548 W.
PATTEN Expcd. Scot. Pref. a ij, Since we soo quyt theym
their kyndnes, and departed so title in their det.
b. With omission of : personal object To repay,
make a return for (something done to or for one).
CI3SO Will. Palerne 325 Alle pi frendes fordedes faire
schalstow quite, r 1420 Citron. Vilod. 1187 His trauelle
shalle be ryjt welle y-quytte. c 1470 Gol. J- Caw. itoi As
I am cristynit perfite, I sail thi kyndnes quyte. a 1533 LD.
BERNERS Huon liv. 183, I shall quyte your mockes. c 1586
C'TESS PEMBROKE Ps. cxxxvu. iv, Thou, O Lord, will not
forgett To quit the paines of Edoms race. 1607 TOURNEUR
Rev. Trag. v. iii, The rape of your good Lady has been
quited. a 1631 T. TAYLOR Gods Judgem. i. i. ix. (1642) 199
On this manner was the Duke of Orleance death quitted.
1850 BLACKIE sEschyliis I. 137 Like quit with like, and
harm with harm repay. 1879 SIR E. ARNOLD Lt. Asia v.
xxvii, If I attain I will return and quit thy love.
t c. To be a return or equivalent for, to balance ;
esp. in phr. to quit (the) cost. Obs.
c 1420 Pallad. on //us/', i. 185 A litel tiled wel will quyte
expence. c 1440 Generydes 5700 On good turne another
quytith. 1523 FITZHERB. ffusi. 14 The roughe otes be the
worst e, and it quiteth not the coste to sowe them. 1608-11
BP. HALL Epist. i. viiL Wks. (1627) 288 Nothing can quite
the cost and labour of trauell but the gaine of wisdome. 1646
J. GREGORY Notes