sb. Now rare or Obs. [LIME sb.1] Lime mixed with water as a coating for walls, etc.; whitewash. Also attrib.
1528. Paynell, Salerne’s Regim., c j b. A playster made of Auripigmentum, Brymstoone, whyte lyme, and Sope, myngled to gether.
a. 1658. Cleveland, Plat. Love, iv. Wks. (1687), 212. Pictures might court each other and exchange Their white-lime Looks.
1824. Southey, Sir T. More, I. 173. The old cottages … Substantially built of the native stone … dirtied with no white-lime.
So White-lime v. Obs. or dial., trans. to coat or cover with white lime; to whitewash; hence White-limed ppl. a., White-liming vbl. sb.; also White-limer, one who white-limes, a whitewasher.
13[?]. Life of Jesus (Horstm.), 422. Þe roues þat beoth withoute *Iȝwitlimede and iplanede faire,… And withInne fulle of caroyne.
1377. Langl., P. Pl., B. XV. 111. Ypocrysie … is lykned … to a wal þat were whitlymed and were foule wythinne.
1398. Trevisa, Barth. De P. R., XVI. xxiv. (Bodl. MS.). Suche medleynge is … nedeful … to pargette and whitelyme walles.
1556. Chron. Grey Friars (Camden), 54. Alle churches new whytte-lymed, with the commandmenttes wryttyne on the walles.
1583. Golding, Calvin on Deut. xxvii. 2. The Iewes are commanded, To gather great stones, & to whitelime them ouer.
1602. Balliol Coll. Oxf. Acc. (MS.). Item for lyme, and the laborers woork, to whytlym the Hall, xvid.
1634. Brereton, Trav. (Chetham Soc.), 13. The great church … most daintily … white-limed.
1588. Shaks., Tit. A., IV. ii. 98. Ye … shallow harted Boyes, Ye *white-limb’d [sic] walls.
1624. Donne, Serm., Matt. iii. 17 (1640), 426. If we be not onely Dealbati Christiani, (as S. Augustine speaks) White-lim’d Christians, Christians on the out-side.
1655. Fuller, Ch. Hist., I. i. § 13. As white-limed houses exceed those which are only rough-cast.
1611. Cotgr., Pincean,… a *Whitelimers Brush.
1622. R. Hawkins, Voy. S. Sea (1847), 121. Hayre, such as the whitelymers use.
c. 1440. Promp. Parv., 525/2. *Whytlymynge, calcificacio.
1547–8. in Swayne, Churchw. Acc. Sarum (1896), 275. To Lytchefeelde for whitelymynge of the same.
1611. Cotgr., Blanche,… whiting or whiteliming.
