spleet

From Middle Dutch spleet, splete or Middle Low German splete, North Frisian splēt, related to split.^[1][2]

spleet (countable and uncountable, plural spleets)

1. (obsolete) A small strip of split wood or willow.
   • 1609, Char[les] Butler, “Of the Hiues, and the Dressing of Them”, in The Feminine Monarchie. Or A Treatise Concerning Bees, and the Due Ordering of Them: […], Oxford, Oxfordshire: […] Ioseph Barnes, →OCLC, signature C4, verso:

     But if the hiue be more then fourteene inches ouer within, it may wel receiue foure spleets.

   • a. 1680, J[onas] Moore, “Of the Hives and Manner of Dressing Them”, in Englands Interest: or The Gentleman and Farmers Friend. […], 2nd edition, London: […] J. How, […], published 1703, →OCLC, page 104:

     Your Hive being pruned put in your ſpleets, 3 or 4 of them, as the largeneſs of your hive ſhall require, the upper ends whereof ſet together at the top of the hive, and the lower faſten about a handful above the Skirt; beſides theſe ſpleets within the hive, the ſtraw hive muſt have 4 other ſpleets driven up into the Skirts to keep the hive from Sinking when it is Loaded, […]

   • 1766, Members of the Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures, and Commerce, The Complete Farmer: or, A General Dictionary of Husbandry, in All Its Branches; […], London: […] [F]or the Authors; And sold by S. Crowder, […] J. Coote, […] and F. Blythe, […], →OCLC, signature [7K2], recto, column 2:

     [B]ind their ſtems together with a ſpleet of willow, or ſome tough wood, by wrapping it about them three or four times, and tucking the end under. […] a ſmall wreath, made of ſpleet, is ſlipped on the upper end of the ſtaff, which holds it together, and keeps the whole from falling about.

   • 1796, John Keys, “Extraction of Honey and Wax”, in The Antient Bee-Master’s Farewell; or, Full and Plain Directions for the Management of Bees to the Greatest Advantage; […], London: […] G[eorge,] G[eorge] and J[ohn] Robinson, […], →OCLC, page 62:

     Spleets, or ſticks, are proper to ſupport the combs, when extended near the bottom; […] as the combs are uſually built in parallel lines from front to back, each comb, when wrought down, being of conſiderable weight, it will have a ready ſupport from the ſpleet, and which will ſerve to faſten them alſo; […]

spleet (third-person singular simple present spleets, present participle spleeting, simple past and past participle spleeted)

1. (transitive, obsolete) To fit (a beehive) with slips of wood.
   • 1609, Char[les] Butler, “Of the Hiues, and the Dressing of Them”, in The Feminine Monarchie. Or A Treatise Concerning Bees, and the Due Ordering of Them: […], Oxford, Oxfordshire: […] Ioseph Barnes, →OCLC, signature C4, verso:

     And this is the eaſieſt & quickeſt way of ſpleeting a hiue: it is alſo ſtrong enough for bearing the combs, and beſt for taking them forth without breaking. Beſides which there are divers ſortes of ſpleeting needleſſe to be rehearſed: for every country hath his faſhion.

   • 1681, J[ohn] W[orlidge], “Of Bees”, in Systema Agriculturæ; the Mystery of Husbandry Discovered. […], 3rd edition, London: […] Tho. Dring, […] Sold by R. Clavel […], →OCLC, section III (Of Insects), page 186:

     But before we have done with the Hives, we muſt not forget the Spleeting of them. The way they uſually Spleet the ordinary Strawn and Daubed Hives, every Countrey Coridon underſtands.

   • 1796, John Keys, “Extraction of Honey and Wax”, in The Antient Bee-Master’s Farewell; or, Full and Plain Directions for the Management of Bees to the Greatest Advantage; […], London: […] G[eorge,] G[eorge] and J[ohn] Robinson, […], →OCLC, page 186:

     The combs of common hives cannot be taken out whole (though ſpleeted according to my directions) without an iron inſtrument in form of an L.

Obscurely related to split. Compare the noun and rare Middle Low German spleeten.^[3]

spleet (third-person singular simple present spleets, present participle spleeting, simple past and past participle spleeted)

1. (ambitransitive, later chiefly Scotland) To split.
   • 1585, Adrianus Iunius, translated by Iohn Higins, The Nomenclator, or Remembrancer of Adrianus Iunius Physician, […], London: […] Ralph Newberie, and Henrie Denham, →OCLC, page 62, column 2:

     Piſcem exdorſuare, […] To ſpleete out, oꝛ part alongeſt the ridge bone iuſt in the midſt.

   • 1585, Christ[opher] Clifford, The Schoole of Horsmanship. Wherein Is Discouered What Skill and Knowledge Is Required in a Good Horseman, Practised by Perfect Experience. […], London: […] [Thomas East] for Thomas Cadman, […], →OCLC, folio 88, verso:

     Of the ſpleeting in the ſhoulder, or renting the ſhoulder from the breaſt of the Horſe.

   • c. 1599–1602 (date written), William Shakespeare, The Tragicall Historie of Hamlet, Prince of Denmarke: […] (Second Quarto), London: […] I[ames] R[oberts] for N[icholas] L[ing] […], published 1604, →OCLC, [Act III, scene ii], signatures G3, verso – [G4], recto:

     [I]t offends mee to the ſoule, to heare a robuſtious perwig-pated fellowe tere a paſſion to totters, to very rags, to ſpleet the eares of the groundlings, […]

   • c. 1606–1607 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Anthonie and Cleopatra”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act II, scene vii], page 351, column 2:

     [M]ine owne tongue / Spleet’s what it ſpeakes: […]

   • 1681, J[ohn] W[orlidge], “Dictionarium Rusticum: or, The Interpretations and Significations of Several Rustick Terms, &c.”, in Systema Agriculturæ; the Mystery of Husbandry Discovered. […], 3rd edition, London: […] Tho. Dring, […] Sold by R. Clavel […], →OCLC, page 327:

     Hurdles, made in form of Gates, either of ſpleeted Timber or of Hazle Rods, they either ſerve for gates in Encloſures or to make Sheep-folds or the like.

   • 1701, John Brand, A Brief Description of Orkney, Zetland, Pightland-Firth & Caithness, […], Edinburgh: […] George Mosman, →OCLC, pages 25 (A Description of Orkney, […]) and 127 (An Account of […] the Isles of Zetland):

     And at all times it is highly dangerous, for any not experienced with theſe Seas, to paſs through between the Iſles, tho with ſmall Boats, becauſe of the many blind Rocks lying there, upon which sometimes the Inhabitants themſelves do ſpleet, […] The ſignal defeat and overthrow of the Spaniſh Armado […] was eſpecially cauſed by ſtormy Winds and Tempeſts, some thereby ſinking at Sea, others ſpleeting upon the Coaſts both of England and France and eſpecially upon the North of Scotland, Orkney and Zetland; […]

   • 1828, Mansie Wauch [pseudonym; David Macbeth Moir], “Volunteering”, in The Life of Mansie Wauch, Tailor in Dalkeith. […], New York, N.Y.: […] J. & J. Harper. […], →OCLC, page 119:

     [T]here were the men at ease, holding their sides, laughing like to spleet them; […]

   • 1905, “SPLIT, v.”, in Joseph Wright, editor, The English Dialect Dictionary: […], volume V (R–S), London: Henry Frowde, […], publisher to the English Dialect Society, […]; New York, N.Y.: G. P. Putnam’s Sons, →OCLC, page 676, column 2:

     Da auld axe ta spleet da lamb’s head wi’, Sh[etland] News (Sept. 22, 1900)

From splijten (“to split”).

• IPA^(key): /spleːt/

• Audio:

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• Hyphenation: spleet
• Rhymes: -eːt

spleet f (plural spleten, diminutive spleetje n)

1. crack, cleft, split
2. fissure, slit
3. (childish, especially in the diminutive) vagina
4. (vulgar) anus

• (crack): kier, reet
• (anus): gat, hol, reet

• bilspleet
• stemspleet

• Negerhollands: split
• → Papiamentu: splet, spleet

spleet

1. singular past indicative of splijten

• van Veen, P.A.F., van der Sijs, Nicoline (1997) Etymologisch woordenboek: de herkomst van onze woorden (in Dutch), Utrecht, Antwerpen: Van Dale Lexicografie, →ISBN

• sleept, speelt, splete, tepels