From Middle English quiten, quyten, from Anglo-Norman quitter, Old French quitter, from quitte (“acquitted, quit”), ultimately from Latin quietus, which itself derives from Proto-Indo-European *kʷyéh₁-ti-s, from *kʷyeh₁- (“to rest”). Doublet of coy, quite, quiet, and quietus.
Compare Dutch kwijten (“to quit”), German Low German quitten (“to quit”), German quitten, quittieren, Danish kvitte, Swedish qvitta, kvitta (“to quit, leave, set off”), Icelandic kvitta.
Meanings
(followed by of, not-comparable, usually) Released from obligation, penalty, etc; free, clear, or rid.
With mounting anger the King denounced the pair, both father and son, and was about to condemn them to death when his strength gave out. Faint and trembling he was unable to walk and the sword fell from his hands as he murmured: 'May the Protector of the Buddhist Faith grant me but seven more days grace of life to be quit of this disloyal couple, father and son'. 1990, Claude de Bèze, translated by E. W. Hutchinson, 1688 revolution in Siam: the memoir of Father de Bèze, s.j, University Press, page 153:
From Middle English quiten, quyten, from Anglo-Norman quitter, Old French quitter, from quitte (“acquitted, quit”), ultimately from Latin quietus, which itself derives from Proto-Indo-European *kʷyéh₁-ti-s, from *kʷyeh₁- (“to rest”). Doublet of coy, quite, quiet, and quietus.
Compare Dutch kwijten (“to quit”), German Low German quitten (“to quit”), German quitten, quittieren, Danish kvitte, Swedish qvitta, kvitta (“to quit, leave, set off”), Icelandic kvitta.
Meanings
(transitive) To leave (a place).
The lions, if they left not the forest, would capture no prey; and the arrow, if it quitted not the bow, would not strike the mark. 1912, Edward Stanley Poole, transl., The Thousand and One Nights:
He quitted the lake on the 23rd of September, and on the 4th of October arrived at Queenstown, on the shores of Lake Wakatipu, having succeded in finding a transitable route. 1865, Proceedings of the Royal Geographical Society, page 33:
The British quit India in the 1940s.
Jones had no sooner quitted the room, than the petty-fogger, in a whispering tone, asked Mrs Whitefield, “If she knew who that fine spark was?” 1749, Henry Fielding, The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling, volume (please specify |volume=I to VI), London: A[ndrew] Millar, […], →OCLC:
At Malta the chief engineer of the ship, who always had been a good friend of mine, urged me to quit the sea; "otherwise," he said, "if you stay too long, you may, like myself, be condemned to wander about the world all your life and see your home only occasionally." 1943 January and February, Chas. S. Lake, “Some C.M.Es. I Have Known: IV—H. A. Ivatt”, in Railway Magazine, page 32:
... to cause the tenants to quit and give the plaintiff possession of the cottages, &c., ... 1865, Great Britain. Courts, Reports of Cases Argued and Determined in the English Courts of Common Law: With Tables of the Cases and Principal Matters, page 635:
(transitive) To set at rest; to free, as from anything harmful or oppressive; to relieve; to clear; to liberate.
To quit you […] of this fear, […]you have already lookt Death in the face; what have you found so terrible in it? 1688, William Wake, Preparation for Death:
(transitive) To release from obligation, accusation, penalty, etc.; to absolve; to acquit.
God will relent, and quit thee all his debt; 1671, John Milton, “Samson Agonistes, […].”, in Paradise Regain’d. A Poem. In IV Books. To which is Added, Samson Agonistes, London: […] J[ohn] M[acock] for John Starkey […], →OCLC, page 36, line 510:
(transitive) To abandon, renounce (a thing).
(ambitransitive) To resign from (a job, office, position, etc.).
After having to work overtime without being paid, I quit my job.
(ambitransitive) To stop, give up (an activity).
John is planning to quit smoking.
(transitive) To close (an application).
(archaic, transitive) To pay (a debt, fine etc.).
Edmund, enkindle all the sparkes of Nature
To quit this horrid acte. 1605, William Shakespeare, (Please provide the book title or journal name):
that judge that quits each soul his hire 1600, [Torquato Tasso], “(please specify |book=1 to 20)”, in Edward Fairefax [i.e., Edward Fairfax], transl., Godfrey of Bulloigne, or The Recouerie of Ierusalem. […], London: […] Ar[nold] Hatfield, for I[saac] Iaggard and M[atthew] Lownes, →OCLC:
(archaic, reflexive) To conduct or acquit (oneself); to behave (in a specified way).
Samſon hath quit himſelf
Like Samſon, 1671, John Milton, “Samson Agonistes, […].”, in Paradise Regain’d. A Poem. In IV Books. To which is Added, Samson Agonistes, London: […] J[ohn] M[acock] for John Starkey […], →OCLC, page 98, lines 1710–1711:
Be strong and quit yourselves like men, O ye Philistines, that ye be not servants unto the Hebrews, as they have been to you: quit yourselves like men, and fight. 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, 1 Samuel 4:9:
(archaic, transitive) To carry through; to go through to the end.
Never worthy prince a day did quit
With greater hazard and with more renown. 1595–1609, Samuel Daniel, Civil Wars:
(obsolete, transitive) To repay, pay back (a good deed, injury etc.).
Vnthankfull wretch (said he) is this the meed,
With which her soueraigne mercy thou doest quight? 1590, Edmund Spenser, “Book III, Canto V”, in The Faerie Queene. […], London: […] [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, →OCLC:
Forgive me, Rogero: 'tis my fate
To love thy friend and quit thy love with hate. 1613, John Marston, William Barksted, The Insatiate Countess, III.2:
(obsolete, transitive) To repay (someone) for (something).
I was but late att a Iustynge
and there I Iusted with a knyghte that is broder vnto kynge Pellam
and twyes smote I hym doune
& thenne he promysed to quyte me on my best frynde
and so he wounded my sone that can not be hole tyll I haue of that knyghtes blood 1485, Sir Thomas Malory, chapter XIV, in Le Morte Darthur, book II:
But if that I knewe what his name hight,
For clatering of me I would him ſone quight;
For his falſe lying, of that I ſpake never,
I could make him ſhortly repent him forever:[…] 1515–c. 1516, John Skelton, Againſt venemous tongues enpoyſoned with ſclaunder and falſe detractions &c., published 1568: