"to adorn" (archaic or poetic), Old English dihtan "dictate, appoint, ordain; guide; compose," an early borrowing from Latin dictare "to dictate" (see dictate, v.).The Latin word borrowed even earlier into continental Germanic became Old High German dihton "to write compose," German dichten "to write poetry." In Middle English, dight exploded to a vast array of meanings (including "to rule," "to handle," "to abuse," "to have sex with," "to kill," "to clothe," "to make ready," "to repair") till it was one of the most-used verbs in the language, but all senses have faded now into obscurity, dialect, or poetic use.