α. 1500s–1600s 1800s appugn, 1600s appugne, 1700s apugn.
β. 1600s adpugne.
† appugnv.
Obsolete.
transitive. To fight against; to attack or oppose (physically or verbally); = oppugn v. Also occasionally intransitive.In form adpugn attested only in glossaries.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > harm or detriment > hostile action or attack > make an attack upon [verb (transitive)] > attack with hostile words or measures
fangc1320
hurtlec1374
impugnc1384
weighc1386
to fall upon ——a1398
to start on ——a1398
oppugn?1435
to lay to, untoa1500
onseta1522
wipe1523
to set against ——1542
to fall aboard——1593
aggress1596
to fall foul1602
attack1613
appugn1615
to set upon ——1639
to fall on ——1641
to lay home, hard, hardly to1650
tack1720
bombard1766
savage1796
to pitch into ——1823
to begin upon a personc1825
bulldog1842
to down on (also upon)a1848
to set at ——1849
to start on ——a1851
to start in on1859
set on at or to1862
to let into1872
to go for ——1890
swash1890
slog1891
to get at ——1893
tee1955
α.
β. 1623 H. Cockeram Eng. Dict. Adpugne. To fight against.1644 Vindex Angl. in Harleian Misc. (1744) II. 36 Moths and Cankers, who..must still be engrafting new coined Words in our English Nursery... a few Examples... Adpugne, Adgale, Adstupiate, [etc.].1615 R. Rogers Comm. Bk. Judges 486 [To] forfeit their soules to him [sc. the devil] with whose engins and tooles they appugne each other.
1647 J. Ellis Vindiciæ Catholicæ Ep. Ded. sig. A2v Such opinions, as are..appugned constantly..by the most eminent of our owne party.
1723 J. Macky Journey through Eng. (ed. 3) I. viii. 134 Here a Youth must study above three Years, before he can be a Batchelor of Arts; nay, must publickly apugn [1714 Oppugne] for several Days.
1814 Cobbett's Weekly Polit. Reg. 31 Dec. 854/2 National worship..is carefully protected by the statutes of the realm: consequently,..no person should be suffered to appugn it.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, December 2011; most recently modified version published online June 2021).
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