释义 |
adown, adv. and prep. arch.|əˈdaʊn| Forms: 1 of dúne, 1–2 adún(e, 2 odune, 3 adun, 3–5 adoun(e, 4–6 adowne, 4– adown. [OE. of dúne off the mount, de monte (see down n.), cf. OFr. à val:—L. ad vallem to the valley, used in the same sense. As early as 2, the reduced form a-dūn was aphetized to dūn, doun, down, which soon became the ordinary prose form. But adown never became obs., and still survives as a poetic variant of down.] A. adv. 1. To a lower place or situation; downward, down. With vbs. of motion, and pleonastically with vbs. signifying descent; as fall, sink, alight, sit, kneel.
c975Rushw. Gosp. Luke iv. 9 Ȝif sunu godes arð, asend ðeh hiona of-dune [Lindisf. aduna, W. Sax. nyþer]. a1000Cynewulf Judith 291 Hí ðá hreowiᵹ móde Wurpon hira wǽpen of dúne. c1000ælfric Man. Astron. 16 Se ne gæð næfre adune under þyssere eorðan. a1090O.E. Chron. (Laud MS.) an. 1083 And þa oðre ða dura bræcon þær adune and eodon inn. c1175Lamb. Hom. 61 Þe engles adun follon in to þe þosternesse hellen. 1280Havelok 567 And caste þe knaue adoun so harde. c1380Sir Ferumb. 717 Eyþer enpeynede him with al ys miȝt? to dyngen oþer adoun. c1400Sege off Melayne 1480 He tuke his spere owt of reste adownn. 1480Caxton Chron. Eng. clxxviii. 159 The brayne fel adoun vpon the ground. 1596Spenser F.Q. i. vii. 24 Thrise did she sinke adowne in deadly swownd. 1717Parnell Poet. Wks. (1833) 17 And drops his limbs adown. 1808Scott Marm. v. viii, His gorgeous collar hung adown. 1870Morris Earthly Par. I. i. 418 Till the wretch falls adown with whirling brain. †2. In a lower place; esp. on earth, here below. Obs.
c1000ælfric Man. Astron. 16 On winterliere tide hi beoð on niht uppe, & on dæᵹe adune. c1386Chaucer Manciple's T. 1 Whan Phebus duelt her in this erthe adoun. 1501Douglas Pal. Hon. Prol. i. viii, O May thou Mirrour of Soles..Till eurie thing adown respirature [= refreshing]. †3. fig. To a lower condition or state. Hence, to bring adown: to bring to an end. Obs.
c1175Lamb. Hom. 205 Ðet blisfule bern..ðet þuruh his holi passiun werp þene deouel adun. 1205Layamon 19686 A þat Sæxisce men · setten us a-dune [1250 a-doune]. c1230Ancren Riwle 266 Buh adun þine heorte. 1384Chaucer L.G.W. 250 Ester ley thou thyn meknesse al a-doun. 1393Langl. P. Pl. C. xi. 94 And with þe pyk putte adoune..Lordes þat lyuen as hem lust. c1430Syr Generides 5418 To bring al this werre a doune. 1587Myrroure for Mag., Morgan vii. 1, If once I might put her adowne. †4. fig. In a lower condition or state. Obs.
1297R. Glouc. 376 Monye heye men of þe lond in prison he huld strong..And ȝyf þat eny hym wraþþede, adoun he was anon. B. prep. (with a defining obj.) 1. In a descending direction upon or along.
c1374Chaucer Troylus ii. 764 Adoune the staire anon right tho she went. 1596Spenser F.Q. i. vii. 31 [His] scaly taile was stretcht adowne his back full lowe. 1710Philips Pastorals i. 34 To chase the lingring Sun adown the Sky. 1725Pope Odyss. xvii. 365 Adown his cheek a tear unbidden stole. 1812Byron Ch. Har. i. lxxxix, Fresh legions pour adown the Pyrenees. 1868Hawthorne Amer. Note-Bks. (1879) I. 50 There is also a beautiful view from the mansion, adown the Kennebec. 2. fig. Of time.
1839Lowell Threnodia Wks. 1879, 2 He did but float a little way Adown the stream of time. 1877M. Arnold New Sirens in Poems I. 40 Adown life's latter days. |