Sc. Forms: 5–6 art, arth, 6– airth, airt. [app. a. Gael. aird, àrd, Irish ard, a height, top, point, also quarter of the compass. (Found only in Scottish writers from 15th c. to 18th c., but also used in some north. Eng. dialects, and recently by some Eng. writers.] A quarter of the heaven or point of the compass; a direction.
1470. Harding, Chron., lxxviii. And yf any met another at any arte [v.r. arcte] … he shuld his felowe tell His auentures.
c. 1470. Henry, Wallace, I. 308. Our kyne are slayne … And othir worthi mony in that art.
a. 1500. Wisd. Solomon (R. R. 11). The sonne … cerclis the erd about all artis anis euery day [Eccles. i. 5].
1535. Stewart, Cron. Scot. (1858), I. 298. In sindrie airthis baith be south and north.
1552. Lyndesay, Monarche, 5600. Angellis sall passe in the four airtis.
1637. Rutherford, Lett., No. 94 (1862), I. 244. Oh, if I cd turn my sails to Christ’s right airth!
1730. T. Boston, Mem., App. 30. They can have little hope from that airth.
1788. Burns, Wks., IV. 293. Or a’ the airts the wind can blaw, I dearly like the west.
1839. De Quincey, Recoll. Lakes, Wks. 1862, II. 36. Suppose … a pole, 15 feet high … with two cross-spars to denote the airts (or points of the compass).
1863. Atkinson, Whitby Gloss., Airt or Airth, quarter or direction. ‘The wind blows from a cold easterly airt.’
1866. Kingsley, Herew., xxxiv. (1877), 425. He sent out spies to the four airts of heaven.
1876. Morris, Sigurd, III. 170. The airts whence the wind shall blow.
