c1380 Sir Ferumbras (1879) l. 686 Þou hast y-lyued þy lif to longe to do me such a spyte.

a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 15568 Þou sal þam se yeitt to night do me ful gret spite.

a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Gött.) l. 7725 Godd it forbede, þat þu..euer him do spitt or schame.

c1515 Ld. Berners tr. Bk. Duke Huon of Burdeux (1882–7) l. 169 To do hym the more spyte I shall make lyes ynowe.

1589 R. Robinson Golden Mirrour sig. D He pities people poore that weepe, When wrong hath wrought them spite.

a1637 B. Jonson Timber 173 in Wks. (1640) III It is as great a spite to be praised in the wrong place,..as can be done to a noble nature.

1658 R. Allestree Pract. Christian Graces; or, Whole Duty of Man xi. §7. 231 Men will make..spoile of the goods of one, to whom they bear a grudg, though they never designe to get any thing to themselves by it, but only the pleasure of doing a spight to the other.

a1400 Amis & Amil. 1594 It is gret spite to al mi kende.

c1400 (?c1390) Sir Gawain & Green Knight (1940) l. 1444 Þre at þe fyrst þrast he þryȝt to þe erþe, & spede hym forth good sped, boute spyt more.

c1440 Promptorium Parvulorum 469 Spyyte, repref or schame,..obprobrium.

1449 Rolls of Parl. V. 148/1 Not oonly..to the irreparable hurt,..but also a everlastyng spite, and perpetuell denigration in the fame..of this noble Reme.

1549 M. Coverdale et al. tr. Erasmus Paraphr. Newe Test. II. Gal. vi. f. xxi^v I carie about in my bodye all the spite, that I haue for Christe sustayned, as emprisonmentes, scourgynges [etc.].

?1615 G. Chapman tr. Homer Odysses (new ed.) x. 181 Two days, two nights, We lay here pining in the fatal spights Of toil and sorrow.

1619 M. Drayton Legend Robert Dvke of Normandy in Poems (new ed.) 329 To make Time worke him euerlasting spight.

1633 P. Fletcher Purple Island vii. lviii. 99 His Will his Law, he weigh'd not wrong or right; Much scorn'd to bear, much more forgive a spight.

1562 W. Bullein Bk. Use Sicke Men f. lxxvii^v, in Bulwarke of Defence With a lustie manly courage he defied the spight of Furtune.

1595 Blanchardine & Eglantine I iv b Since..fortune hath spit her deadly spight.

1601 B. Jonson Epos in R. Chester Loves Martyr 178 To know Vice well, And her blacke spight expell.

1610 P. Holland tr. W. Camden Brit. i. 466 A certaine peculiar spite and envie of Nature.

1627 T. May tr. Lucan Pharsalia (new ed.) ii. 264 Windes rage, and Thunders spight, Plaine grounds must suffer.

1708 J. Ozell tr. N. Boileau-Despréaux Lutrin 54 The wormy boards, by Time's corroding Spight disjoin'd.

1815 W. Scott Lord of Isles vi. xxxvii. 273 Ourself the cause, through fortune's spite, That once broke short that spousal rite.

1899 Everybody's Mag. I. 70/2 Meanwhile an ordinance was passed making the building of spite fences illegal.

1904 Chicago Tribune 21 Aug. 5 With no friendly judge to be found to hear a plea for an injunction a ‘spite fence’ was hurried into place last evening separating the Commerce building from the Traders', the Imperial, and the Western Union buildings. Instead of a wide court the tenants of the north side will find this morning a solid iron railing eight feet high and ninety feet long.

1928 Cosmopolitan Aug. 89/2 For the full depth of the boundary ran a tall fence of unpainted boards set upright. This fence was fully eighteen feet high. It was what is known as a spite-fence.

1957 R. F. V. Heuston Salmond's Law of Torts (ed. 12) v. 201 An occupier of land is free to erect a wall or fence with the sole object of blocking his neighbour's view, or preventing him from acquiring an easement of light—a ‘spite-fence’ as it is sometimes called.

1977 New Yorker 23 May 50/3 To gain privacy from the street, he put up a nine-foot wall, which one of his neighbors, interpreting it as a spite fence, sued unsuccessfully to have removed.

a1400 Sir Degrev. 101 There wonede an eorl.., a lord of mochelle pryd,..He hade a grete spyt of the knyght.

a1568 R. Ascham Scholemaster (1570) i. f. 26 This is not, the opinion of one, for some priuate spite, but the iudgement of all.

1573 T. Tusser Points Huswifrie (new ed.) f. 26, in Fiue Hundreth Points Good Husbandry (new ed.) But where a spight, Of force must be, What is that wight, may disagræ?

1612 T. Taylor Αρχὴν Ἁπάντων: Comm. Epist. Paul to Titus i. 12 Oh, saith one, this Preacher..hath some spight at me.

1663 S. Patrick Parable of Pilgrim xxiv He bears an ill will to us, and owes us a spite.

1726 J. Swift Gulliver I. ii. i. 19 Being afraid the Boy might owe me a spight.

1850 G. Cupples Green Hand iii. 35/1 The mystery to her always is why the neighbors had a spite at me.

1890 Spectator 11 Jan. In a battle of sterile spites with the French people.

1735 J. Swift Stella at Wood-Park in Wks. II. 212 Don Carlos in a merry Spight, Did Stella to his House invite.

c1400 Rom. Rose 7254 It is gret pite, out of drede, For they wole be noon ypocritis. Of hem me thynketh (it) gret spite is.

1577–82 N. Breton Toys of Idle Head in Wks. (1879) I. 54/2 My Lady lawght: Is loue, quod she, A spight and sporte, to both at ones?

1601 B. Jonson Every Man in his Humor i. ii. sig. B4 I haue no boots, thats the spite on it. View more context for this quotation

1606 N. Breton Choice, Chance, & Change sig. G2^v What a spight it was to see a horse of seruice drawe in a doung-carte.

1655 T. Fuller Church-hist. Brit. i. 34 But now the Spight is, that an unparallel'd Critick in Antiquity, leaves this Patrick at this time sweating in the Irish Harvest.

a1586 Sir P. Sidney Arcadia (1593) v. sig. Qq1 She ioyned the vexacion for her friend, with the spite to see her selfe as she thought rebelliously detayned.

1670 W. Temple Let. to Sir J. Trevor in Wks. (1720) II. 233 After this I waited with great Spight and Impatience..about five Hours.

14.. in Tundale's Vis. (1843) 108 They schall askape in spyte of thi face.

1549 H. Latimer 2nd Serm. before Edward VI (Arb.) 73 A greate man keepeth certaine landes..and wilbe hyr tenaunte in the spite of hyr tethe.

1570 in J. Cranstoun Satirical Poems Reformation (1891) I. x. 183 Than come ȝour king..And reft him from hir in spyte of his nois.

1574 A. Golding tr. A. Marlorat Catholike Expos. Reuelation 13 Euen in spight of their harts they saw Christ sitting at the right hand of God.

1579 W. Fulke Heskins Parl. Repealed in D. Heskins Ouerthrowne 286 In spite of his nose, he must confesse al this speach to be figuratiue.

1622 T. Gataker Spirituall Watch (ed. 2) 73 It would euen enforce them to looke about them in spight of their teeth.

1659 H. Hammond Paraphr. & Annot. Psalms (cxxxviii. 7 Annot.) 672/1 Our English usual expression, in spite of the nose of mine enemies.

1689 E. Hickeringill Ceremony-monger Concl. iii. 102 Let the People go whistle, they are their Feeders and Pastors in Spight of their Teeths.

1712 J. Arbuthnot Lewis Baboon iv. vii. 32 [We] will go on with Law-suit in spite of John Bull's Teeth.

1835 Court Mag. 6 74/2 Pleasing herself before his very eyes, in spite of his teeth.

1592 W. Warner Albions Eng. (rev. ed.) vii. xxxvi. 153 In spight of Spight in Hespera I golden frute would pull.

1622 G. Wither Faire-virtue sig. N7 Those that sleight thee now, shall loue thee, And, in spight of spight, approue thee.

1855 Ld. Tennyson Maud xiii. i, in Maud & Other Poems 44 His face, as I grant, in spite of spite, Has a broad-blown comeliness.

?1615 G. Chapman tr. Homer Odysses (new ed.) x. 382 Ile guard thee free, And saue thee in her spite.

1711 A. Pope Ess. Crit. 5 Mævius Scribble in Apollo's spight.

1733 A. Pope Ess. Man i. 285 In thy Reason's spight, One truth is clear..Whatever Is, is Right.

1765 O. Goldsmith New Simile 4 The modern scribbling kind, who write In wit, and sense, and nature's spite.

1632 R. Sanderson 12 Serm. 546 In the spight of so many enemies.

1716 M. Davies Crit. Hist. 92 in Athenæ Britannicæ III In the sight and spight of the Scotch Forces, under Cardinal Beton.

1509 S. Hawes Pastime of Pleasure (1845) xix. 96 Spyte of your enemyes, I shal me so spede, That in short tyme ye may rewarde my mede.

1609 W. Shakespeare Sonnets cvii. sig. G3 Death to me subscribes; Since spight of him Ile liue in this poore rime.

1681 J. Dryden Absalom & Achitophel 18 For, spight of him, the weight of Business fell On Absalom and wise Achitophel.

1761 F. Sheridan Mem. Miss Sidney Bidulph I. 392 Her surprize, spite of her assumed airs of grandeur, was not to be concealed.

1823 ‘G. Smith’ Not Paul, but Jesus 168 Spite of reason, religion, and Jesus, the victory is, in this account, given to James.

a1873 E. O. M. Deutsch Lit. Remains (1874) 366 That stamp of unity which it now possesses, spite of the occasional difference of style.

1526 Rastell in Shaks. Jest Bk. (1866) 45 He agayn said he wold bryng them ouer spyte of his teth.

?1533 W. Tyndale Expos. Mathew v. f. xlv^v To obeye their cruelnesse and tyrannye spyte of their heedes.

1573 T. Tusser Fiue Hundreth Points Good Husbandry (new ed.) f. 55 Least..It noyeth or perisheth, spight of thy hart.

1602 W. Watson Decacordon Ten Quodlibeticall Questions 10 Satisfaction and restitution will be demaunded,..spite of their teeths.

1602 W. Watson Decacordon Ten Quodlibeticall Questions 341 [The Jesuits] shall be lanced into the quicke, spite of spite it selfe.

1618 R. Brathwait Remains after Death in Good Wife sig. E7 To such an one as sole executour; Spite of our nose playes Executioner.

1665 C. Cotton Scarronnides 93 He would go spite of all their noses.

1675 C. Cotton Burlesque upon Burlesque in Wks. (1725) 182 Spight of your Nose, and will ye, nill ye, I will go home again, that will I.

1878 S. Phillips On Seaboard 62 Spite dark Torquemada and his hecatombs of slain, Spite Te Deums sung by Tiber side for murder on the Seine.

1598 R. Bernard tr. Terence Eunuch iii. i, in Terence in Eng. 139 They spighted me miserably.

1599 W. Shakespeare Romeo & Juliet iv. iv. 70 Beguild, diuorced, wronged, spighted, slaine, Most detestable death, by thee beguild. View more context for this quotation

1658 R. Allestree Pract. Christian Graces; or, Whole Duty of Man xvi. 345 Not caring what they suffer themselves, so they may spite their enemy.

1833 H. Martineau Loom & Lugger ii. i. 7 I should be sorry to say anything about spiting the Spitalfields weavers.

1864 G. W. Dasent Jest & Earnest (1873) I. 161 You have been spited by the Kellner, whom you have perhaps not saluted that day... You have been spited, and only had a little piece.

1885 Manch. Examiner 26 June 5/3 The double object of gratifying themselves and spiting the English.

a1575 N. Harpsfield Treat. Divorce Henry VIII (1878) (modernized text) 209 For nothing else but to spight the Pope.

a1616 W. Shakespeare Macbeth (1623) iii. i. 112 I am recklesse what I doe, To spight the World. View more context for this quotation

1683 A. Wood Life & Times (1894) III. 72 Thanksgiving day: appointed I presume on that day to spite the Presbyterians.

1880 ‘Ouida’ Moths I. 31 I'll keep the child to spite her.

1885 ‘Mrs. Alexander’ At Bay xi. 166 I don't fancy Deering will cut off his nose to spite his face.

c1560 T. Ingelend Disobedient Child D j b Wherfore let my father spyte and spurne, My fantasye wyll neuer turne.

1577 T. Tusser Points Huswifrie (new ed.) f. 17, in Fiue Hundreth Points Good Husbandry (new ed.) Let fortune spight, and boldly take thine ease.

1579 T. North tr. Plutarch Liues 206 This Liuius spighted to see suche honour done to Fabius, so that one daye..he burst out and sayed [etc.].

1581 A. Hall tr. Homer 10 Bks. Iliades ix. 164 Wherat my mother spited much, and eke did iealous grow.

1591 R. Wilmot Tancred & Gismund i. iii. sig. B It was my cruell destinie, That spited at the pleasance of my life.

1616 N. Breton Good & Badde in Wks. (1879) II. 10/2 He spightes at the gracious, and spurnes the godly.

1641 W. Prynne Antipathie 42 In this Bishops time, the Italians had gotten many Benefices in England, who being much spited at [etc.].