释义 |
▪ I. astound, ppl. a. arch.|əˈstaʊnd| Forms: 4 astuned, 4–6 astouned, 5 astownyd, 6 astownd, 6 astound. [A phonetic development of astoned, astun'd, ME. (aˈstunəd, aˈstund), by lengthening and subsequent diphthongizing of the u, as happened in bound, found, ground, round, OE. bunden, funden, grund, OF. rond. The result was to dissociate astūnd, astound from astone, astun, and to make it appear as an independent adjective.] †1. Stunned, stupefied. Obs.
c1315Shoreham 88 Ase a mesel ther he lay Astouned in spote and blode. c1330Arth. & Merl. 6297 Hors and man astuned lay. 1596Spenser F.Q. i. ix. 35 His hollow eyne Lookt deadly dull, and stared as astound. 2. Confounded, distracted; amazed; astounded. arch.
c1440Generydes 4013 Where with the Sowdon was astownyd sore. 1596Spenser F.Q. i. viii. 5 With staring countenance..as one astownd. 1600Fairfax Tasso xix. lxv, Vafrine..with griefe and care Remain'd astound. 1633P. Fletcher Purple Isl. xii. xl, Earth astound, Bids dogs with houls give warning. 1810Scott Lady of L. ii. xxxi, Ellen, dizzy and astound As sudden ruin yawned around. 1881Rossetti Bal. & Sonn. 126 Astound of the fearful sight. ▪ II. astound, v.|əˈstaʊnd| [f. c 1600 from the prec., either by treating it as a simple adj., and forming a factitive vb. on it, as in round, to round, or by taking it as the contracted form of a pa. pple. astounded, which implied a vb. to astound. (Cf. ME. send = sended, pa. pple. of send v.) The latter view is supported by the facts that the pple. astounded (see next) appears much earlier than the other parts of the verb, and that our earliest instance of the latter shows astound as (contracted) pa. tense. Analogous changes appear in the vb. sound, sounded, for OF. soner, suner, souner, ME. soun, pa. tense souned, soun'd, and in several other words. (Cf. esp. the vulgar drownd, drownded, for drown, drown'd.)] †1. To deprive of consciousness, stupefy. Obs.
1600Fairfax Tasso ix. xxiii, No weapon on his hard'ned helmet bit, No puissant stroke his senses once astound. 1727Thomson Summer 1138 The lightnings flash a larger curve, and more The noise astounds. 2. To shock with alarm, surprise, or wonder; to strike with amazement.
1634Milton Comus 210 These thoughts may startle well, but not astound The virtuous mind. 1642― Apol. Smect. (1851) 306 It was intended to astound and to astonish the guilty Prelats. 1837J. Harris Gt. Teacher 367 Who could..have dazzled and astounded the world with celestial visions. 1851H. Spencer Soc. Statics xxxii. §6 Very intimate friends occasionally astound him by quite unexpected behaviour. |