Forms: α. Sc. and north. dial. 4–6 erde, 6 eird, 9 eard, yird. β. 6– earth. [f. EARTH sb.1; until 16th c. app. only Sc.]
† 1. trans. To commit (a corpse) to the earth; to bury. (In Sc. formerly the usual word for this sense; in Eng. writers only poet. or rhet., with a reference to the etymology.) Now only dial.
1375. Barbour, Bruce, XIII. 666. And the laiff … In-to gret pittes erdit war.
c. 1425. Wyntoun, Cron., IX. xii. 7. Robert oure secound Kyng … Wes erdyde in Skone, quhare he lyes.
1513. Douglas, Æneis, V. ii. 12. The reliquies and bonis in feir Of my divyne fadir we erdit heir.
1557. Tottel’s Misc. (Arb.), 142. Though earthed be his corps, yet florish shall his fame.
1591. Greene, Maiden’s Dr., Wks. (1881–3), XIV. 316. His liuelesse bodie … Let that be earthed … in gorgeous wise.
1626. Dk. Buckhm., Sp. Ho. Lords, in Rushw., Hist. Coll. (1659), I. 377. If my Posterity should not inherit the same fidelity, I should be glad to see them earthed before me.
1742. R. Blair, Grave, 169. Why thy ado in earthing up a carcase?
1808. Poet. Register, 73. We’ll earth her to morrow, ’Tis the only wise method to bury one’s sorrow.
1832–53. Whistle-Binkie (Sc. Songs), Ser. II. 100. But Lauchie did dee, and was welcomely yirdet.
1875. Whitby Gloss. (E. D. S.), Earded, consigned to the earth; buried.
2. To plunge or hide in the earth; to cover with earth. Also intr. (for refl.) Only poet. or rhetorical. Also fig.
1648. Bp. Hall, Select Th. (1654), 8223. Let a man strictly examine his own affections, he shall finde them so deeply earthed.
1652. Benlowes, Theoph., XI. xliii. 198. Seeds thrive When earth’t.
1742. Young, Nt. Th., IX. 948. The miser earths his treasure.
1839. Bailey, Festus (1848), 16. Could I, like Heaven’s bolt, earthing quench myself, This moment would I [etc.].
3. Gardening. To heap the earth over (roots and stems of plants). Usually with up.
1693. Sir R. Bulkley, Maize, in Phil. Trans., XVII. 939. It must be earth’d up with the Howe twice or thrice in growing.
1719. London & Wise, Compl. Gard., 299. In dry Soils, you must Earth up a little our Artichoaks.
1796. C. Marshall, Garden., xv. (1813), 231. Earth up the plants frequently … a little at a time, in order to blanch them.
1881. Whitehead, Hops, 8. The plant centres being ‘earthed’ or covered over with a few shovels of earth.
4. trans. To conceal in a hole or burrow.
1619. J. King, Serm., 40. Beasts … earthed in their thickets and bogges.
a. 1635. Corbet, Iter Bor., 127. The cunning men, like moles, Dwelt not in howses, but were earth’t in holes.
b. refl. (In 17th c. often transf. and fig.)
1609. Bp. W. Barlow, Answ. Nameless Cath., 334–5. This wily Creature, fearing lest hee should bee taken by the track or sent, hath earth’d himselfe backe againe into the 92. page.
1656. Artif. Handsom., 137. He then retreats to this [stronghold] of Scandal, and earths himself in this burrough.
1719. D’Urfey, Pills, IV. 56. He Earths himself in Cellars deep.
c. intr. for refl. of the fox, etc.: To run to his earth; to hide in the earth.
1622. Fletcher, Span. Curate, II. i. They wil not die here, They will not Earth.
1634. Heywood, Witches of Lanc., I. i. Wks. 1874, IV. 172. Perhaps some Foxe had earth’d there.
1713. Guardian, No. 125 (1756), II. 163. Hence Foxes earth’d, and Wolves abhorr’d the Day.
c. 1820. S. Rogers, Italy (1852), 188. Once again he earths, Slipping away to house with them beneath.
1882. Echo, 20 Feb., 4/2. The vulp earthed at last, and had to be left for another day.
5. trans. To drive (a fox, etc.) to his earth. Also fig.
1575. Turberv., Bk. Venerie, 239. We earth and digge a Badgerd.
1719. D’Urfey, Pills, II. 270. The vixen’s just now Earth’d.
1743. Young, Nt. Th., IV. 5/96. I see the circling Hunt, of noisy Men … Pursuing and pursued, each other’s Prey … Till Death, that mighty Hunter, earths them all.
1827. Blackw. Mag., XXI. 272. The consciousness of having now fairly … earthed the objects of this arduous search.
6. intr. (See quot.) dial.
1875. Parish, Sussex Gloss., Earth, to turn up the ground as a mole does.
7. In Sugar-making. Hence Earthed ppl. a. See quot., and cf. CLAYED.
1727–52. Chambers, Cycl., II. s.v. Sugar, Earthed Sugar is that which is whitened by means of earth laid on the top of the forms it is put in to purge itself.
