Obs. Forms: 3–4 kippe, 4 kip, kyp, 4–5 kyppe; pa. t. 3 kypte, 3–4 kipte, kipt, 4 kyppid. [ME. kippen: cf. ON. kippa to snatch, tug, pull; also MDu. kippen to catch, grip, G. dial. (Swiss) kippen to steal, ‘prig.’] trans. To take hold of, take in the hand, seize, snatch, catch.
c. 1250. Gen. & Ex., 3164. Ðo was non biging of al egipte lich-les, so maniȝe dead ðor kipte.
1297. R. Glouc. (Rolls), 2667. ‘Nimeþ ȝoure sexes,’ & is men þer wiþ Echon Kipte hor longe kniues.
c. 1300. Havelok, 1050. He … kipte up þat heui ston.
13[?]. E. E. Allit. P., B. 1510. Kyppe kowpes in honde kyngez to serue.
c. 1400. Sege Jerus. (E.E.T.S.), 27/478. Cayphas of þe kyst kyppid a rolle & radde.
c. 1440. Promp. Parv., 276/1. Kyppyn, idem quod hynton.
b. ? absol. or intr.
c. 1460. Towneley Myst., xii. 253. Be God, he bot syppys, begylde thou art; Behold how he kyppys. Ibid., xiii. 557. Any lord myght hym haue This chyld to his son. When he wakyns he kyppys, that ioy is to se.
¶ In many passages, kip, kipte, appear to be = kepe, kepte, from KEEP v.
c. 1300. Beket, 1841. That was signe of his baner, for other ne kipte he non [S. Eng. Leg. I. 158/1805 kepte].
c. 1305. St. Dunstan, 64, in E. E. P. (1862), 36. He ne kipte of hem non hure.
c. 1311. Pol. Songs (Camden), 152. Thus y kippe ant cacche caresful colde.
c. 1330. R. Brunne, Chron. (1810), 182. Togidir I rede we kip.
c. 1340. Cursor M., 3079 (Trin.). Whenne [Ismael] hadde good elde kipte he spoused a wif.
Hence Kipping vbl. sb.; also attrib., as in kipping-line, ? some kind of fishing line: cf. next.
c. 1440. Promp. Parv., 276/1. Kyppynge, or hyntynge (K., P. hentynge), raptus.
c. 1689. Depred. Clan Campbell (1816), 104. Ane long fishing lyne … and three kipping lynes.
