What is "diota"

Usage examples of "diota".

My Aunt Diota is widow to a decent man, John Hammet, who was a groom in the lord bishop’s service, so when he died Bishop Henry found a place for her with Father Ailnoth.

He looked up at Diota, when the girl presented her, with complete incomprehension, but he comprehended all too well when he looked at the seal that fastened the parchment.

Solitary in the lavatorium, he made unusually leisurely ablutions, shaved with care, and went out into the great court, just in time to see Dame Diota Hammet come hurrying in through the wicket in the gate, stumbling and slipping on the glazed cobbles, clutching her dark cloak about her, and gazing round in evident agitation.

But would Ninian consent to depart until he knew that Dame Diota was safe and suspect of nothing in connection with his own expedition?

Cadfael’s judgement of Diota was that she went in considerable awe and fear of her master, but also that she would dare much for the boy she had nursed.

It was opened to him by Diota, prim and composed in her customary black.

I was there with Diota when you brought him back on Christmas Day, and I never thought what was missing until later.

Now, what I make of these hairs is that they came from the head of Dame Diota Hammet.

You are as convinced as I am that neither he nor Dame Diota ever laid hand on Ailnoth, and you certainly won’t pretend otherwise.

He took himself off smartly when he saw Ailnoth come raging to the meeting, and nothing more did he know of it until morning, when Diota came crying the priest was lost.

And when he started up in anxiety for Diota, she had drawn him down to her again with her arms wreathed about his neck, and told him he need have no uneasiness, for she had promised to go with Diota to the priest’s funeral Mass, and take as great care of her as he himself could have done, and deal with any threat that might arise against her as valiantly as even he would have dealt with it.

Even if the day passed without threat to Diota, that would not solve anything for the days yet to come.

He saw it again, resting in the palm of a shapely but work-worn hand, as Diota held it out to him.

He looked across the mute circle to where Diota stood, with Sanan’s arm about her.

And had she not, like Diota, drawn the hood of her cloak closely round her face, during the time that Cadfael himself had been absent, as if to avoid being noticed and recognised by someone?