spleet

noun

1. (countable, obsolete, uncountable)A small strip of split wood or willow.

   “But if the hiue be more then fourteene inches ouer within, it may wel receiue foure spleets.”

   “Your Hive being pruned put in your ſpleets, 3 or 4 of them, as the largeneſs of your hive ſhall require, the upper ends whereof ſet together at the top of the hive, and the lower faſten about a handful above the Skirt; beſides theſe ſpleets within the hive, the ſtraw hive muſt have 4 other ſpleets driven up into the Skirts to keep the hive from Sinking when it is Loaded, […]”

   “[B]ind their ſtems together with a ſpleet of willow, or ſome tough wood, by wrapping it about them three or four times, and tucking the end under. […] a ſmall wreath, made of ſpleet, is ſlipped on the upper end of the ſtaff, which holds it together, and keeps the whole from falling about.”

   “Spleets, or ſticks, are proper to ſupport the combs, when extended near the bottom; […] as the combs are uſually built in parallel lines from front to back, each comb, when wrought down, being of conſiderable weight, it will have a ready ſupport from the ſpleet, and which will ſerve to faſten them alſo; […]”

verb

1. (obsolete, transitive)To fit (a beehive) with slips of wood.

   “And this is the eaſieſt & quickeſt way of ſpleeting a hiue: it is alſo ſtrong enough for bearing the combs, and beſt for taking them forth without breaking. Beſides which there are divers ſortes of ſpleeting needleſſe to be rehearſed: for every country hath his faſhion.”

   “But before we have done with the Hives, we muſt not forget the Spleeting of them. The way they uſually Spleet the ordinary Strawn and Daubed Hives, every Countrey Coridon underſtands.”

   “The combs of common hives cannot be taken out whole (though ſpleeted according to my directions) without an iron inſtrument in form of an L.”

2. (ambitransitive)To split.

   “Piſcem exdorſuare, […] To ſpleete out, oꝛ part alongeſt the ridge bone iuſt in the midſt.”

   “Of the ſpleeting in the ſhoulder, or renting the ſhoulder from the breaſt of the Horſe.”

   “[I]t offends mee to the ſoule, to heare a robuſtious perwig-pated fellowe tere a paſſion to totters, to very rags, to ſpleet the eares of the groundlings, […]”

   “[M]ine owne tongue / Spleet’s what it ſpeakes: […]”

   “Hurdles, made in form of Gates, either of ſpleeted Timber or of Hazle Rods, they either ſerve for gates in Encloſures or to make Sheep-folds or the like.”