suddenadj.adv.n.
/ˈsʌdn/, U.S. /ˈsəd(ə)n/ A. adj.† 4. † b. Of mental faculties: Quick, sharp. Obsolete.† c. Of the eye: Glancing quickly. Obsolete.† 7. Done, performed, or prepared on the spur of the moment; extempore, impromptu. Obsolete.† 8. Brief, momentary, lasting only a short time.† 9. Happening at an early date; shortly to come or to be. Obsolete. (Cf. suddenly adv. 4.)
1. β. 1489 W. Caxton tr. C. de Pisan Bk. Fayttes of Armes i. xxii. 69 The soubdayne necessitees that may fall.1490 Caxton's Blanchardyn & Eglantine (1962) xxiv. 92 A soubdayne sparkle of Ialousye cam to hym.1563 N. Winȝet Certain Tractates (1888) I. 49 The subdane change of sum cunning clerkis.γ. c1480 (a1400) St. Justina 424 in W. M. Metcalfe Legends Saints Sc. Dial. (1896) II. 164 He hyr herd sodendely, & gert cese þat mortalyte.1488 (c1478) Hary Actis & Deidis Schir William Wallace (Adv.) (1968–9) iii. l. 418 It was wicht Wallace Had thaim ourset, in-to that sodand cas.1535 W. Stewart tr. H. Boethius Bk. Cron. Scotl. (1858) II. 124 At set purpois and nocht of suddante cace.1556 Peebles Burgh Rec. (1872) 234 Gif ony..sudand fyre occurris.a1578 R. Lindsay Hist. & Cron. Scotl. (1899) I. 63 Ewerie man iudgit that suddand and prosperous succes sould haue ane schort end.† e. Of diseases. sudden stroke: apoplexy. sudden taking (see quot. 1688). Obsolete.
a. Of actions, events, conditions: Happening or coming without warning or premonition; taking place or appearing all at once.In some contexts the implication is rather ‘Unexpected, unforeseen, unlooked-for’, or ‘Not prepared or provided for’.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > mental capacity > expectation > suddenness > [adjective]
ferlyc893
sudden1340
subitane?a1425
subite?1483
starting1545
plunging1566
abrupt1576
subitany1603
subitaneous1645
surprising1645
subitous1657
extempore1755
extemporary1761
the mind > mental capacity > expectation > surprise, unexpectedness > [adjective] > surprising, unexpected
unbeweena1325
sudden1340
unhopedc1374
unwarec1374
unweenedc1374
unguessedc1400
unlooked for1531
untraisted1533
extonious1548
unlooked1548
unthought1548
unwares1548
unaspected1578
inexpecteda1586
unexpecteda1586
unwary1590
unwaited1592
unmistrusted1595
inopinate1598
unforethought1601
nap-taking1602
startling1609
expectless1613
unexpect1633
admirable1639
immergent1655
unpresumed1686
abrupt1725
unguessed1746
unanticipateda1779
unpredicted1792
unprecipitated1795
unsurmised1820
unsupposed1821
inopine1880
windfall1945
over-the-transom1952
left field1955
conversation-stopping1960
1340 R. Rolle Pricke of Conscience 1951 What es til man mare certayn Þan þe dede es þat es swa sodayn?
1340 R. Rolle Pricke of Conscience 5129 Right swa þe commyng of man son sal be, Sodayne and bright and dreful to se.
c1386 G. Chaucer Clerk's Tale 260 This sodeyn cas this man astonyed so That reed he wax.
1390 J. Gower Confessio Amantis I. 78 The Schip with sodein blast, Whan men lest wene, is overcast.
c1440 York Myst. xvii. 42 A sodayne sight was till vs sente.
c1460 Merita Missæ 125 in Lay Folks Mass Bk. 151 What sothen a wenture the be-falle.
?1518 A. Barclay Fyfte Eglog sig. Av Tempest, and sodayne storme of rayne.
1544 Letanie in Exhort. vnto Prayer sig. Bvv Frome battayle and murder, and frome sodayne deathe; Good lorde deliuer vs.
1548 H. Latimer Notable Serm. sig. D.ivv The people wil not beare sodayne [printed sod ayne] alteracions.
1615 G. Sandys Relation of Journey 6 Here a garrison is kept; supplyed by the townes-men vpon each sodaine summons.
a1616 W. Shakespeare King John (1623) v. vi. 27 That you might The better arme you to the sodaine time, Then if you had at leisure knowne of this. View more context for this quotation
1658 R. Allestree Pract. Christian Graces; or, Whole Duty of Man v. §30. 129 His death may be sudden to him, though it come by never so slow degrees.
c1660 J. Evelyn Diary anno 1643 (1955) II. 83 Hayle, raine & suddaine darknesse.
1683 J. Pettus Fleta Minor (1686) i. 33 When the Oar is set alone upon the Test, that it may not be put into a violent suddain heat.
1782 W. Cowper Conversation in Poems 226 I interrupt him with a sudden bow.
1794 A. Radcliffe Myst. of Udolpho III. v. 120 She heard a sudden step behind her.
1855 Ld. Tennyson Brook in Maud & Other Poems 102 I come from haunts of coot and hern, I make a sudden sally.
1874 J. R. Green Short Hist. Eng. People vii. §7. 419 Few events in our literary history are so startling as this sudden rise of the Elizabethan drama.
1886 J. Ruskin Præterita II. vi. 189 I..am simply helpless on any sudden need for decision like this.
b. Of emotions, impulses, etc.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > mental capacity > expectation > suddenness > [adjective] > of emotions or impulses
suddena1382
a1382 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Douce 369(1)) (1850) Prov. iii. 25 Ne drede thou with sodeyn gastnesse.
1390 J. Gower Confessio Amantis I. 290 Thurgh his sodein Malencolie To do so gret a felonie.
1576 G. Gascoigne Princelye Pleasures Kenelwoorth (1821) 22 Into deepe admiration and suddayne perplexitie.
1581 G. Pettie tr. S. Guazzo Ciuile Conuersat. (1586) i. 12 b Moued by some sodaine toie which taketh them in the head.
1667 J. Milton Paradise Lost v. 452 Sudden mind arose In Adam, not to let th' occasion pass. View more context for this quotation
1785 W. Cowper Task vi. 550 His horse,..Snorting, and starting into sudden rage.
1831 W. Scott Count Robert vii, in Tales of my Landlord 4th Ser. II. 206 After a sudden start of surprise, he recognized his acquaintance Sylvan.
1898 ‘H. S. Merriman’ Roden's Corner ii. 21 Checked in a moment of earnest endeavour by a sudden perception of the humorous.
c. Of a turning, etc.: Abrupt, sharp. In Zoology and Botany applied to parts that are sharply marked off from the neighbouring parts (cf. suddenly adv. 1b).
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > direction > [adjective] > changed in direction > sudden (of change in direction)
sudden1390
the world > life > biology > physical aspects or shapes > physical arrangement or condition > [adjective] > sharply marked off from neighbouring parts
sudden1891
1390 J. Gower Confessio Amantis II. 293 It hapneth at a soudein wente,..He fell unwar into a pet.
1680 J. Moxon Mech. Exercises I. xi. 194 The swift coming about of the Work would..draw or job the suddain edge into the Stuff.
1785 W. Cowper Task i. 267 Descending now..A sudden steep.
1837 T. Carlyle French Revol. I. i. iv. 28 At some sudden turning in the Wood of Senart.
1891 Cent. Dict. (at cited word) A sudden antennal club; a sudden truncation.
d. Of physical objects: Appearing or discovered unexpectedly. Now archaic or poetic.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > mental capacity > expectation > surprise, unexpectedness > [adjective] > appearing unexpectedly
suddenc1460
c1460 J. Fortescue Governance of Eng. (1885) vii. 125 Ther come a sodayne armye vpon this londe by see or by lande.
1596 J. Dalrymple tr. J. Leslie Hist. Scotl. (1888) I. 192 The King of the Pechtes..wastes, with a suddane power, the nerrest cuntreyes perteyneng to the Scottis.
1648 J. Beaumont Psyche iv. lxxviii. 47 A sudden Grove sprung up.
1712 A. Pope Messiah in Spectator No. 350 Sees Lillies spring, and sudden Verdure rise.
1712 A. Pope Rape of Locke ii, in Misc. Poems 374 A sudden Star, it shot thro' liquid Air.
a1821 J. Keats Otho i. i, in R. M. Milnes Life, Lett. & Lit. Remains Keats (1848) II. 115 The Hungarians..Appear'd, a sudden host, in the open day.
1841 R. Browning Pippa Passes ii, in Bells & Pomegranates No. I 8/2 When o'er the sudden specks my chisel trips.
1855 R. Browning Childe Roland xix A sudden little river crossed my path As unexpected as a serpent comes.
1879 E. Arnold Light of Asia 4 And Earth put forth a thousand sudden flowers.
ΘΚΠ
the world > health and disease > ill health > a disease > disorders of internal organs > disorders of nervous system > [noun] > disorders of brain > apoplexy
apoplexyc1386
poplexyc1410
apoplex?1537
sudden stroke1543
catarrh1554
strong apoplexy1583
strong1820
the world > health and disease > ill health > animal disease or disorder > disorders of horses > [noun] > other disorders of horses
trench?a1450
colt-evilc1460
affreyd?1523
cholera1566
crick1566
incording1566
leprosy1566
taint1566
eyesore1576
fistula1576
wrench1578
birth1600
garrot1600
stithy1600
stifling1601
stranglings1601
hungry evil1607
pose1607
crest-fall1609
pompardy1627
felteric1639
quick-scab1639
shingles1639
clap1684
sudden taking1688
bunches1706
flanks1706
strangles1706
chest-founderingc1720
body-founder1737
influenza1792
foundering1802
horse-sickness1822
stag-evil1823
strangullion1830
shivering1847
dourine1864
swamp fever1870
African horse sickness1874
horse-pox1884
African horse disease1888
wind-stroke1890
thump1891
leucoencephalitis1909
western equine encephalitis1933
stachybotryotoxicosis1945
rhinopneumonitis1957
1543 Chron. J. Hardyng Edw. IV. f. xxviiv [He] stode lyke a man stryken with some sodeyn dysease, very pale & holding his head downe.
?1555 M. Coverdale tr. O. Werdmueller Treat. Death i. ix. 30 Ye gowte, fransy, the sodayne stroke, & such like.
1639 T. de Gray Compl. Horseman ii. i. 38 And it also preventeth sudden sicknes, if you have any suspect ther of.
1688 R. Holme Acad. Armory ii. 151/1 The Sudden taking [is] when he [sc. a horse] is deprived of his feeling and motion, not being able to stir any way.
2.
a. Of actions, feelings: Unpremeditated, done without forethought. Obsolete or archaic.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > will > intention > unintentional or unplanned character > [adjective] > unplanned
suddena1300
unpremeditate1551
extemporal1570
unpurposed1570
unmeditated1576
extemporate1590
unpremeditated1597
unplotted1598
extemporary1610
extemporanean1621
extempory1623
impremeditate1647
unthought1648
unresolved1649
extemporate1651
incogitate1652
unprojected1653
indeliberate1655
extemporaneous1656
indeliberated1656
autoschediastical1662
casual1667
offhanda1668
undiscourseda1670
extemporany1673
unplanned1775
impromptu1789
on (also upon) the spur of the moment (or occasion, etc.)1801
autoschediastic1809
impromptuary1827
improvised1833
extemporized1856
spontaneous1856
unconsidered1876
undevised1894
lashed-up1920
ad-libbed1933
willy-nilly1933
off the cuff1948
a1300 Cursor Mundi 28563 Als wreth þat scort, and soden es [MS. sodenes].
1390 J. Gower Confessio Amantis III. 192 How he..Of sodein wraththe and nought of right Forjugged hath.
1483 W. Caxton tr. Caton B vj Thou oughtest to refrayne thyn yre, not onely the yre subdayn and subytte [etc.].
1594 T. Bowes tr. P. de la Primaudaye French Acad. II. 230 It is a sodain & tumultuous iudgement, of which a man may truly say, a short sentence of a sottish iudge.
1629 Vse of Law 3 in J. Doddridge Lawyers Light If one kill another vpon a suddaine quarrell, this is Man slaughter.
1658 R. Allestree Pract. Christian Graces; or, Whole Duty of Man iv. §7. 104 He that swears commonly, is not onely prepared to forswear, when a solemn oath is tendered him, but in all probability does actually forswear himself often in these suddener oaths.
1726 Bp. J. Butler 15 Serm. viii. 141 Sudden Anger upon certain Occasions is meer Instinct.
1782 W. Cowper Hope in Poems 161 If sentence of eternal pain belong To ev'ry sudden slip and transient wrong.
b. Of persons: Acting without forethought or deliberation; hasty, impetuous, rash. Obsolete or archaic.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > manner of action > rapidity or speed of action or operation > [adjective] > acting with haste > hasty or sudden > specifically of persons
suddenc1374
startle1440
heady1545
c1374 G. Chaucer Troilus & Criseyde v. 1024 Retornyng in here soule ay vp and doun The wordes of þis sodeyn Diomede.
1530 J. Palsgrave Lesclarcissement 325/1 Sodayne, hasty of condycions, soudayn.
1597 A. Montgomerie Cherrie & Slae (ed. 2) 499 Be not soddane, Sir, The mater is of wecht.
1607 T. Middleton Revengers Trag. iv. sig. G2 His Grace is old, and sudden.
a1631 J. Donne Poems (1650) 2 Cruell and sodaine, hast thou since Purpled thy Nayle, in bloud of innocence?
1667 J. Milton Paradise Lost ii. 738 My sudden hand Prevented spares to tell thee yet by deeds What it intends. View more context for this quotation
1825 W. Scott Talisman vii, in Tales Crusaders IV. 146 Neither provoke me to be sudden by any unfit reply.
1850 J. H. Newman Lect. Diffic. Anglicans 252 Some men, or races of men, are more sudden in their tempers than others.
3.
a. Performed or taking place without delay; speedy; prompt, immediate. Obsolete except of death.
ΘΚΠ
the world > time > relative time > immediacy > [adjective]
ferlyc893
cofc1000
swiftc1000
smarta1325
suddenc1390
undelayed1439
wightlaykec1450
short1480
present1489
indelayed1523
on or upon a (or the) sudden1558
immediate1569
instant1598
momentaneous1657
abrupt1725
presto1767
summary1771
momentary1799
pistolgraph1859
fast1863
c1390 (?c1350) Joseph of Arimathie (1871) l. 390 Vppon sodeyne deþ þou schalt sone dye.
1450–80 tr. Secr. Secr. 18 Takyng on him hasty and sodeyne vengeaunce.
1557 Earl of Surrey et al. Songes & Sonettes (new ed.) f. 96 If I do false my faith in any point or case, A sodein vengeance fall on me.
a1616 W. Shakespeare Henry VI, Pt. 1 (1623) i. vi. 26 None durst come neere, for feare of suddaine death. View more context for this quotation
1650 O. Cromwell Let. Gov. Edinb. Castle 13 Dec. (Carlyle) Expecting your sudden answer, I rest, Your servant, Oliver Cromwell.
a1658 J. Cleveland Rustick Rampant in Wks. (1687) 449 He acquaints the Citizens with the Kings Peril and his own, and requests their sudden Assistance.
1671 J. Milton Paradise Regain'd i. 96 Our danger..which admits no long debate, But must with something sudden be oppos'd. View more context for this quotation
1679 J. Dryden & N. Lee Oedipus iv. 58 I charge him on his life To speak; concealment shall be sudden death.
1831 W. Scott Jrnl. 1 Jan. (1946) 132 If I were worthy I wou[l]d pray God for a sudden death and no in[ter]regnum between I cease to exercize reason and cease to exist.
b. sudden death n. (slang): (a) a single toss used to decide an issue; hence in Tennis, a game played to break a tie; also in general sporting use (usually attributive), designating an additional competition or period of extra time in which the first to concede a game or score is immediately eliminated; (b) U.S. a potent alcoholic drink; (c) (see quot. 1886); (d) in other uses (see quot. 1886).
ΘΚΠ
the mind > attention and judgement > judgement or decision > settlement of dispute, arbitration > [noun] > that which decides
umpire1583
sudden death1834
adjudicator1835
the world > food and drink > drink > intoxicating liquor > types or qualities of intoxicating liquor > [noun] > strong
strong drinkc1405
ipse1634
knock-down1698
hogan1702
knock-me-down1756
milk1784
hot stuff1823
chain lightning1825
sudden death1834
hardware1835
stagger-juice1905
sting1929
strongers1939
screech1944
rocket fuel1958
the mind > will > free will > choice or choosing > types of choice > [noun] > choosing by casting lots > tossing a coin > deciding at first toss
sudden death1834
quick death1938
society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > ball game > racket games > lawn tennis > [noun] > types of game
sudden death1834
matchplay1877
vantage-set1892
double1894
softball1914
breaker1979
challenger1990
1834 Blackwood's Edinb. Mag. May 752/1 ‘Which’, said he, ‘is it to be—two out of three, as at Newmarket, or the first toss to decide?’ ‘Sudden death’, said I, ‘and there will soon be an end of it.’
1860 Leisure Hour 19 Apr. 247/1 In all such ‘sudden death’ movements you may imagine, if you like, that the goods sold are the retained ad valorem goods.
1863 C. Reade Hard Cash I. vii. 205 America is fertile in mixtures: what do we not owe to her? Sherry-cobbler, gin-sling..sudden death.
1864 J. C. Hotten Slang Dict. (new ed.) Sudden death, the first toss in a bet, to be decided by skying a copper.
1865 ‘M. Twain’ in Californian 18 Mar. 8/3 Our reserve (whom we had..kept out of sight and full of chain-lightning, sudden death and scorpion-bile all day..) came filing down the street as drunk as loons.
1886 H. Yule & A. C. Burnell Hobson-Jobson Sudden death, Anglo-Indian slang for a fowl served as a spatchcock.
1927 W. E. Collinson Contemp. Eng. 36 Sudden death [is used] for a game played to bring a set to a sudden, decisive conclusion without playing out the full number.
1939 Sun (Baltimore) 21 July 15/8 Skipper Bill Barrow, of the Rochester Yacht Club, sailed his Thisbe II to victory today in a sudden-death race against defending champion Aphrodite.
1945 Sun (Baltimore) 3 Mar. 7/2 Tech meets the winner tonight, and got this break by having its name picked out of a hat when the ‘sudden death’ playoff plan was decided on.
1946 L. P. Hartley Sixth Heaven viii. 162 ‘Game-ball all,’ was called... ‘Shall we play it out?’ said Dick, ‘or shall we have sudden death?’
1961 Times 29 Aug. 3/4 Player and..J. Herbert tied for the lead..and then had a sudden-death play-off.
1972 ‘E. Lathen’ Murder without Icing xxvi. 224 ‘I hear that it wasn't a bad game.’.. ‘Not bad! When it went into sudden death overtime?’
1974 Times 22 Jan. 10/7 The WCT circuit as a whole contains a controversial innovation: a 13-point tie-break with a ‘sudden death’ finish. This means that the first player to score seven points wins the tie-break whether he leads by two points or not.
1977 Evening Gaz. (Middlesbrough) 11 Jan. 14/6 These matches are ‘sudden death’ affairs, a single match in each round either home or away depending on the luck of each draw.
a. Of persons: Swift in action, quick to perform, prompt, expeditious. Also, peremptory, sharp. Obsolete.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > manner of action > rapidity or speed of action or operation > [adjective] > acting expeditiously (of persons)
rapec1410
expedientc1485
sudden1591
expeditiousa1616
dispatchful1642
1591 Troublesome Raigne Iohn i. sig. B2v Speake man, be sodaine, who thy Father was.
a1616 W. Shakespeare Julius Caesar (1623) iii. i. 19 Caska be sodaine, for we feare preuention. View more context for this quotation
1630 tr. G. Botero Relations Famous Kingdomes World (rev. ed.) 193 The French is of so sudden and busie disposition, that he quickly yeelds to that a man demands.
a1640 J. Fletcher & P. Massinger Spanish Curat iv. vii, in F. Beaumont & J. Fletcher Comedies & Trag. (1647) sig. G3/1 A sudaine witty Theif.
1716 A. Pope tr. Homer Iliad II. vii. 282 No more—be sudden, and begin the Fight.
1753 S. Richardson Hist. Sir Charles Grandison III. xvii. 135 You are a little sudden upon me.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > mental capacity > understanding > intelligence, cleverness > sharpness, shrewdness, insight > [adjective] > of mind, mental operations: sharp
quickOE
readya1393
piercingc1425
piercive1567
perforating1578
sharp1580
nimble1589
sudden1604
smirk1607
apprehensive1621
emunct1679
arrowing1793
keen1794
thorough-edged1830
fast1850
insightful1907
1604 Penniles Parl. Threed-bare Poets in Iacke of Dover Quest of Inquirie sig. G2v There shall so many sodaine, or rather sodden wittes step abroad, that a Flea shall not friske foorth, vnlesse they comment on her.
1630 tr. G. Botero Relations Famous Kingdomes World (rev. ed.) 190 Men of light and unsteady braines, have commonly sudden and sharpe conceits.
1742 A. Pope Tom Southerne's Birth-day in Gentleman's Mag. Feb. 102 The feast, his towring genius marks In yonder wildgoose, and the larks! The mushrooms shew his wit was sudden!
ΘΚΠ
the world > physical sensation > sight and vision > a look or glance > [adjective] > quick or sudden
sudden1590
dartinga1616
1590 E. Spenser Faerie Queene i. v. sig. D8v The Paynim chaunst to cast his eye, His suddein eye,..Vpon his brothers shield.
1649 J. Milton Εικονοκλαστης xxiv. 196 Like the Apples of Asphaltis, appearing goodly to the sudden eye, but look well upon them, or at least but touch them, and they turne into Cinders.
1651 W. Davenant Gondibert i. vi. 59 [He] Bids both their Breasts be eithers open book, Where nought is writ too hard for sodain Eies.
5. Made, provided, or formed in a short time. Obsolete or archaic.
ΘΚΠ
the world > time > duration > shortness or brevity in time > [adjective] > made in a short time
suddena1616
a1616 W. Shakespeare Henry V (1623) i. i. 33 Neuer was such a sodaine Scholler made. View more context for this quotation
1617 F. Moryson Itinerary ii. 187 How dangerous it is, that the Army should depend on sudden provisions.
1697 J. Dryden tr. Virgil Georgics iii, in tr. Virgil Wks. 112 Swift Rivers, are with sudden Ice constrain'd. View more context for this quotation
1812 Sporting Mag. 39 101 A sudden dinner was provided.
1870 J. R. Lowell My Study Windows (1871) 173 Nothing is more certain than that great poets are not sudden prodigies, but slow results.
6. Prompt in action or effect; producing an immediate result. poetic.
ΘΚΠ
the world > time > relative time > immediacy > [adjective] > acting immediately
swift1340
present1541
suddenc1595
presentaneous1656
c1595 Countess of Pembroke Psalme lxiv. 25 in Coll. Wks. (1998) II. 72 Thou ô god from sodain bow Death striking them a shaft shall send.
1599 W. Shakespeare Romeo & Juliet iii. iii. 45 Hadst thou no poyson mixt, no sharpe ground knife, No sudden meane of death.
1819 P. B. Shelley Cenci ii. i. 27 How just it were to hire assassins, or Put sudden poison in my evening drink?
1826 H. H. Milman Anne Boleyn 165 There's no disease will let the spirit loose With less keen anguish than the sudden axe!
1865 A. C. Swinburne Atalanta in Calydon 44 Hast not thou One shaft of all thy sudden seven that pierced Seven through the bosom?
ΘΚΠ
the mind > language > speech > [adjective] > improvising > impromptu
extemporate1590
extemporary1610
suddena1616
extemporanean1621
extempory1623
extempore1639
extemporaneous1656
impromptu1789
impromptuary1827
ad-libbed1933
off-script1935
ad lib1936
society > leisure > the arts > literature > poetry > poem or piece of poetry > other types of poem > [adjective] > improvised
suddena1616
extemporean1624
extempore1639
improviso1753
impromptu1789
extemporized1856
a1616 W. Shakespeare Two Gentlemen of Verona (1623) iv. ii. 12 Notwithstanding all her sodaine quips, The least whereof would quell a louers hope. View more context for this quotation
a1616 W. Shakespeare Henry VI, Pt. 1 (1623) iii. i. 6 Doe it without inuention, suddenly, As I with sudden, and extemporall speech, Purpose to answer what thou canst obiect. View more context for this quotation
1654 J. Hall Apol. Let. 7 Your love will..put the best construction upon these sudden lines.
1741 I. Watts Improvem. Mind Pref. x Imperfect Sketches, which were design'd by a sudden Pencil, and in a thousand leisure Moments.
ΘΚΠ
the world > time > duration > shortness or brevity in time > [adjective]
shortc888
littleOE
shortlya1050
briefc1400
momentlya1425
small?a1439
momentany1447
momentaneous?a1450
stunta1450
momentaryc1485
momentane1510
hourlya1535
sudden1561
momentaneala1581
span-long1593
momentaneana1599
momental1606
narrow1611
timeless1657
concise1785
succinct1796
ultra-short1962
1561 T. Norton tr. J. Calvin Inst. Christian Relig. (1634) i. ix. 30 God brought not his word among men for a sodaine shew [Fr. vne monstre et parade de petite duree].
1567 J. Maplet Greene Forest f. 29 The race of this life was so sodaine and short so often perilled and every eche moment at death his nod and beck.
1614 R. Carew Excellencie Eng. Tongue in W. Camden Remaines (rev. ed.) 38 A fuller obseruation of what my sudden memorie cannot represent vnto mee.
ΘΚΠ
the world > time > relative time > the future or time to come > [adjective] > imminent, near, or at hand
towardc890
comingOE
at handc1175
hendc1175
hendc1175
short?a1400
likec1425
near present?c1450
hangingc1503
instant?1520
neara1522
approachinga1525
imminent1528
provenient1554
threatened1567
near-threateninga1586
eminent1587
impendenta1592
sudden1597
ensuing1603
dependenta1616
pending1642
incumbent1646
early1655
fast-approaching1671
impendinga1686
incoming1753
pendent1805
proximatea1831
simmering1843
pending1850
invenient1854
looming1855
forthcoming1859
near-term1929
upcoming1959
1597 W. Shakespeare Richard III iii. iv. 44 We haue not yet set downe this day of triumph, To morrow in mine opinion is too sodaine . View more context for this quotation
1607 T. Middleton Revengers Trag. ii. sig. C3v The Dukes sonne..One that is like to be our suddaine Duke.
1621 H. Elsynge Notes Deb. House of Lords (1870) 122 To represent the daungers and the present and sodeyne occasions which may be loste.
1712 R. Gale Let. 29 July in W. C. Lukis Family Mem. W. Stukeley (1882) I. 149 I will make up the first summe by a sudden opportunity.
1749 H. Fielding Tom Jones V. xv. ix. 272 I must pray for a sudden Opportunity of returning those pecuniary Obligations. View more context for this quotation
B. adv. (So French soudain.)
1. = suddenly adv. Chiefly poetic.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > mental capacity > expectation > suddenness > [adverb]
feringc1000
ferlyc1000
suddenlyc1290
feringlya1300
in a braida1400
sudden?1404
of (a) suddentyc1440
at a braid1549–62
on or upon a (or the) sudden1558
at a (orthe) sudden1562
in a sudden1562
abruptly1565
on or upon (a) suddenty?1567
of a sudden1570
upon a very great sudden1572
in or on a great, in sic a suddenty1587
plump1594
unaware1667
surprisedly1680
a-start1721
abruptedly1784
with a bump1872
just so1971
?1404–8 26 Pol. Poems 24 Deþ claymeþ eche man for hesse, And sodeyn, deþ no dayes selle.
1590 E. Spenser Faerie Queene i. i. sig. A3v The day with cloudes was suddeine ouercast.
1598 W. Shakespeare Love's Labour's Lost ii. i. 107 Pardon me, I am too sodaine bold. View more context for this quotation
1652 in J. T. Gilbert Contemp. Hist. Ireland (1880) III. 76 If I cannot be sudaine in the heade of a considerable armie, I am likly to be founde in the counties of Sligoe or Letrim.
1667 J. Milton Paradise Lost v. 653 Pavilions numberless, and sudden reard. View more context for this quotation
1743 R. Blair Grave 6 Sudden! he starts.
1810 W. Scott Lady of Lake v. 218 As up the flinty path they strained, Sudden his steed the leader reined.
1832 Ld. Tennyson Dream Fair Women xxxvii, in Poems (new ed.) 131 Sudden I heard a voice that cried, ‘Come here’.
1884 R. Browning Eagle in Ferishtah's Fancies 13 Sudden there swooped An eagle downward.
2. When qualifying an adjective in the attributive position sudden is often hyphenated with it.
ΚΠ
1730 J. Thomson Autumn in Seasons 172 The sudden-starting tear.
1836 J. H. Newman et al. Lyra Apost. 10 Sudden-whelming storm.
1859 Ld. Tennyson Elaine in Idylls of King 164 There brake a sudden-beaming tenderness Of manners and of nature.
C. n.† 2. A sudden need, danger, or the like; an emergency. Obsolete.Chiefly governed by prepositions at, on (cf. A. 1b, A. 1c).† 3. Suddenness. Obsolete. rare.† 4. for a sudden: for an instant. Obsolete.
1. In adverbial phrases formed with prepositions. = suddenly adv. (chiefly in sense A. 1).† c. at a (orthe) sudden. Obsolete.† d. in a sudden. Obsolete.† e. on (upon, with) such a sudden, so suddenly; of (upon) this sudden, on the spur of the moment; upon a very great sudden, in great sudden, very suddenly. (Cf. A. 2) Obsolete.
a. of a sudden (earlier †of the sudden): now usually in all of a sudden.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > mental capacity > expectation > suddenness > [adverb]
feringc1000
ferlyc1000
suddenlyc1290
feringlya1300
in a braida1400
sudden?1404
of (a) suddentyc1440
at a braid1549–62
on or upon a (or the) sudden1558
at a (orthe) sudden1562
in a sudden1562
abruptly1565
on or upon (a) suddenty?1567
of a sudden1570
upon a very great sudden1572
in or on a great, in sic a suddenty1587
plump1594
unaware1667
surprisedly1680
a-start1721
abruptedly1784
with a bump1872
just so1971
the world > time > a suitable time or opportunity > untimeliness > [adverb] > suddenly
in a widden-dreamOE
a sursaut1338
at a wapa1400
in a swing1487
on or upon a (or the) sudden1558
at a (orthe) sudden1562
in a sudden1562
of a sudden1570
short1579
overshort1587
on the starta1616
slap1672
swap1672
bob1673
souse1680
sharply1828
sharp1836
a-sudden1871
1570 J. Dee in H. Billingsley tr. Euclid Elements Geom. Math. Præf. sig. diijv I thinke, that none can iustly account them selues Architectes, of the suddeyne.
1590 H. Barrow in Greenwood Coll. Art D ij b I was..compelled..to answere of the sodaine vnto such articles.
a1616 W. Shakespeare Taming of Shrew (1623) i. i. 145 Is it possible That loue should of a sodaine take such hold? View more context for this quotation
a1665 K. Digby Closet Opened (1669) 188 When all is heated through, it [sc. gravy] will quicken of a sudden.
1686 J. Scott Christian Life: Pt. II II. vii. 601 All of a sudden, and without any..previous Instructions, they were heard to speak..in the fifteen several Tongues of fifteen several Nations.
1864 B. Lloyd Ladies Polcarrow 103 And then Prudy, all of a suddent, began to keep company with that little Preventative fellow.
1890 A. Conan Doyle White Company xxx As he gazed, he saw of a sudden a man steal forth from the wood.
1891 F. W. Farrar Darkness & Dawn I. xvii. 144 Then all of a sudden appears Caligula, and demands that Claudius should be recognised as his slave.
b. † (b) as adj. Prompt, speedily made. Obsolete.
(a) on or upon a (or the) sudden (also †on sudden, o' the sudden). archaic. Very common c1560–1700.
ΘΚΠ
the world > time > relative time > immediacy > [adjective]
ferlyc893
cofc1000
swiftc1000
smarta1325
suddenc1390
undelayed1439
wightlaykec1450
short1480
present1489
indelayed1523
on or upon a (or the) sudden1558
immediate1569
instant1598
momentaneous1657
abrupt1725
presto1767
summary1771
momentary1799
pistolgraph1859
fast1863
the mind > mental capacity > expectation > suddenness > [adverb]
feringc1000
ferlyc1000
suddenlyc1290
feringlya1300
in a braida1400
sudden?1404
of (a) suddentyc1440
at a braid1549–62
on or upon a (or the) sudden1558
at a (orthe) sudden1562
in a sudden1562
abruptly1565
on or upon (a) suddenty?1567
of a sudden1570
upon a very great sudden1572
in or on a great, in sic a suddenty1587
plump1594
unaware1667
surprisedly1680
a-start1721
abruptedly1784
with a bump1872
just so1971
the world > time > a suitable time or opportunity > untimeliness > [adverb] > suddenly
in a widden-dreamOE
a sursaut1338
at a wapa1400
in a swing1487
on or upon a (or the) sudden1558
at a (orthe) sudden1562
in a sudden1562
of a sudden1570
short1579
overshort1587
on the starta1616
slap1672
swap1672
bob1673
souse1680
sharply1828
sharp1836
a-sudden1871
1558 in A. Feuillerat Documents Office of Revels Queen Elizabeth (1908) 17 To be..done..for more reasonable hier in hope of present payment then can be had or done upon the soden.
1565 T. Cooper Thesaurus at Subitarius Subitarij milites, souldiours mustred..vpon a sodayne.
1581 T. Howell His Deuises sig. G.iij Who running well, at first, on sodaine slakes.
1611 Bible (King James) Ecclus. xi. 21 It is an easie thing in the sight of the Lord, on the sudden to make a poore man rich. View more context for this quotation
1630 W. Laud Let. in R. Parr Life J. Usher (1686) Coll. clxvi. 449 For the Bargain which you mention of Ancient Coins,..I cannot upon the sudden say any thing; for my own Purse is too shallow.
c1660 J. Evelyn Diary anno 1644 (1955) II. 170 It pleas'd God on the suddaine..to appease the Wind.
1702 Clarendon's Hist. Rebellion I. i. 12 He did not upon the Suddain comprehend the consequences.
1719 D. Defoe Life Robinson Crusoe 136 My Crop promis'd very well, when on a sudden I found I was in Danger of losing it all again.
1825 W. Scott Talisman xii, in Tales Crusaders III. 294 At length, and upon a sudden, the gallant stag-hound bayed furiously.
1843 F. E. Paget Warden of Berkingholt 118 He became on the sudden, moody, sullen and reckless.
1849 T. B. Macaulay Hist. Eng. I. ii. 152 On a sudden a gleam of hope appeared.
1869 R. Browning Ring & Bk. III. ix. 236 O' the sudden, as good gifts are wont befall.
ΚΠ
1683 W. Temple Mem. in Wks. (1720) I. 439 I was surpriz'd to hear a Proposition so on the sudden, so short, and so decisive.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > mental capacity > expectation > suddenness > [adverb]
feringc1000
ferlyc1000
suddenlyc1290
feringlya1300
in a braida1400
sudden?1404
of (a) suddentyc1440
at a braid1549–62
on or upon a (or the) sudden1558
at a (orthe) sudden1562
in a sudden1562
abruptly1565
on or upon (a) suddenty?1567
of a sudden1570
upon a very great sudden1572
in or on a great, in sic a suddenty1587
plump1594
unaware1667
surprisedly1680
a-start1721
abruptedly1784
with a bump1872
just so1971
the world > time > a suitable time or opportunity > untimeliness > [adverb] > suddenly
in a widden-dreamOE
a sursaut1338
at a wapa1400
in a swing1487
on or upon a (or the) sudden1558
at a (orthe) sudden1562
in a sudden1562
of a sudden1570
short1579
overshort1587
on the starta1616
slap1672
swap1672
bob1673
souse1680
sharply1828
sharp1836
a-sudden1871
1562 P. Whitehorne Certain Waies Orderyng Souldiers f. 3, in tr. N. Machiavelli Arte of Warre To know how many men may marche in a ranke, and at a sudden to brynge them into a fowersquare battell.
1574 E. Hellowes tr. A. de Guevara Familiar Epist. 109 When they should haue done a thing at the sodaine, they haue sit downe with great leasure to take counsell.
1589 G. Puttenham Arte Eng. Poesie iii. xxiv. 235 When Parmenio..perswaded king Alexander..to set vpon Darius at the sodaine.
1632 T. Hawkins tr. P. Matthieu Vnhappy Prosperitie 170 Caligula seeing many Senators at his table, laughed at a sudden.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > mental capacity > expectation > suddenness > [adverb]
feringc1000
ferlyc1000
suddenlyc1290
feringlya1300
in a braida1400
sudden?1404
of (a) suddentyc1440
at a braid1549–62
on or upon a (or the) sudden1558
at a (orthe) sudden1562
in a sudden1562
abruptly1565
on or upon (a) suddenty?1567
of a sudden1570
upon a very great sudden1572
in or on a great, in sic a suddenty1587
plump1594
unaware1667
surprisedly1680
a-start1721
abruptedly1784
with a bump1872
just so1971
the world > time > a suitable time or opportunity > untimeliness > [adverb] > suddenly
in a widden-dreamOE
a sursaut1338
at a wapa1400
in a swing1487
on or upon a (or the) sudden1558
at a (orthe) sudden1562
in a sudden1562
of a sudden1570
short1579
overshort1587
on the starta1616
slap1672
swap1672
bob1673
souse1680
sharply1828
sharp1836
a-sudden1871
1562 P. Whitehorne tr. N. Machiavelli Arte of Warre v. f. lxix The other twoo shal remain behinde, distaunte other thirtie yardes: the whiche facion maie bee ordained in a sodaine.
1562 P. Whitehorne tr. N. Machiavelli Arte of Warre iv. f. lx Parte of thy men maie be well hidden, to be able in a sodain, and contrary to thenemies opinion to assaut him.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > mental capacity > expectation > suddenness > [adverb]
feringc1000
ferlyc1000
suddenlyc1290
feringlya1300
in a braida1400
sudden?1404
of (a) suddentyc1440
at a braid1549–62
on or upon a (or the) sudden1558
at a (orthe) sudden1562
in a sudden1562
abruptly1565
on or upon (a) suddenty?1567
of a sudden1570
upon a very great sudden1572
in or on a great, in sic a suddenty1587
plump1594
unaware1667
surprisedly1680
a-start1721
abruptedly1784
with a bump1872
just so1971
the mind > will > intention > unintentional or unplanned character > [adverb] > in unplanned manner
suddenly1340
of unwarninga1400
on, upon, rarely of, in (a) suddenty1469
casuallya1549
extemporea1556
of (upon) this sudden1572
extemporally1577
at (the or a) volley1578
on (or o') the volley1578
extrumpery1582
unpremeditately1607
extemporary1610
extempory1623
extemporarily1667
impromptu1669
ad aperturam libri1679
unpremeditatedly1694
impulsively1768
extemporaneously1791
promiscuously1791
spontaneously1799
on (also upon) the spur of the moment (or occasion, etc.)1801
spontaneous1810
promiscuous1826
improvisedly1851
off-handedly1876
at the first jet1878
off the cuff1927
off the top of one's head1939
off the wall1966
1572 in H. Ellis Orig. Lett. Eng. Hist. (1824) 1st Ser. II. 267 If I could make them [sc. lodgings] better upon suche a sodeyn, then wold I.
1576 G. Gascoigne Princelye Pleasures Kenelwoorth (1821) 8 These verses were devised..upon a very great sudden.
1582 N. Lichefield tr. F. L. de Castanheda 1st Bk. Hist. Discouerie E. Indias i. xlvii. 103 b And indeed with such a sodaine came upon him, that [etc.].
1600 A. Munday et al. First Pt. True Hist. Sir I. Old-castle sig. C You are welcome sir, what ere you be, But of this sodaine sir, I do not know you.
a1616 W. Shakespeare As you like It (1623) i. iii. 26 Is it possible on such a sodaine, you should fall into so strong a liking with old Sir Roulands yongest sonne? View more context for this quotation
1617 J. Ussher Let. in R. Parr Life J. Usher (1686) Coll. xxx. 60 I have nothing that upon this sudden I can well write of.
a1674 J. Milton Brief Hist. Moscovia (1682) v. 95 Whereat the Emperour in great sudden bid him get home.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > harm or detriment > danger > [noun] > instance or cause of > sudden
sudden1559
the mind > will > necessity > condition of being necessary > need or want > [noun] > a sudden need
sudden1559
1559 W. Barker Nobility of Women (1904) 102 Howe redye they be in matters of dowbte, howe constant in the Sodeyne of dayngers.
1559 W. Barker Nobility of Women (1904) 119 Wymen be best at the sodeyne.
1585–6 Earl of Leicester Corr. (Camden) 228 When parliaments be called vppon suddens.
1589 Summarie Drakes W. Indian Voy. 44 The helpe of marriners for that sudden to make trenches could not be had.
1608 G. Chapman Conspiracie Duke of Byron ii. ii. 221 On any sudden, upon any ground, And in the form of all occasions.
a1639 H. Wotton Philos. Surv. Educ. in Reliquiæ Wottonianæ (1651) 331 I would wish Parents to mark..the witty excuses of their Children, especially at Suddains and Surprizals.
1704 S. Sewall Diary 22 May (1973) I. 504 He had..called him back again; At such a Sudden I knew not what to doe.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > mental capacity > expectation > suddenness > [noun]
suddennessa1382
suddentya1425
sudden1575
abruptness1604
1575 G. Gascoigne Glasse of Gouernem. iv. iv. sig. Iv The sodaine of our departure seemeth somewhat straunge vnto me.
ΘΚΠ
the world > time > duration > shortness or brevity in time > [adverb]
short whilec897
littleOE
awhileOE
littlec1175
a litel wanc1200
a while1297
while?a1505
till soona1529
for a moment1593
for a moment1611
short1611
for a flash1625
momentally1646
momentarily1655
for a sudden1688
shortly1809
momently1827
1688 J. Bunyan Heavenly Foot-man (1724) 84 Agrippa gave a fair Step for a sudden.
Draft additions October 2009
sudden infant death syndrome n. Medicine a condition characterized by the sudden, unexpected, and unexplained death of an apparently healthy infant; abbreviated SIDS.Sudden infant death syndrome is multifactorial in origin, probably involving an interaction between environmental, developmental, and genetic factors. A number of risk factors have been identified, including premature birth, low birthweight, sleeping face down, and maternal smoking.
ΚΠ
1963 R. J. Wedgwood & E. P. Benditt Sudden Death in Infants 131 In children who die before the age of 2 years, and most frequently in those who die when they are between 2 and 5 months old, these pathologic anatomic features..appear to constitute a syndrome. The designation Sudden Death Syndrome seemed acceptable to all the conference participants.]
1969 GP Dec. 99/1 Each year about 10,000 infants in the United States are victims of the ‘sudden infant death syndrome’ (SIDS)... SIDS is defined as the sudden, unexpected and inexplicable death of an infant.
1993 Guardian 5 Aug. 5/8 The risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) was 20 times greater for babies who slept on their stomachs.
1994 Toronto Life June 55/1 He refused even to attend the funeral when the baby girl died of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome.
2006 Metro 24 Aug. (London ed.) 22/2 Babies who died from sudden infant death syndrome have been found to have two ‘culprit genes’—one for lung function and another in the immune system.
Draft additions June 2013
sudden oak death n. a serious disease affecting various trees and shrubs of temperate regions, caused by the oomycete fungus Phytopthora ramorum, and characterized by distinctive bleeding cankers on the trunk.Named from its affect on oaks in the United States, where it was first described.
ΚΠ
2000 Marin (Calif.) Independent Jrnl. 14 May a1/4 The cause of what is being called 'sudden oak death' remains a mystery.
2007 Backpacker May 40/1 More than a decade after sudden oak death first appeared in the forests north of San Francisco, its toll is still rising.
2012 Western Mail (Nexis) 15 Feb. 11 Sudden oak death originated in the US, and is a misnomer in the UK as it does not affect British oak trees.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1915; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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adj.adv.n.a1300- heavy oil
- heavy oil of wine
- heavy on hand
- heavy order
- heavy petting
- heavy pine
- heavy spar
- heavy sugar
- heavy swell
- heavy uncle
- heavy upon hand
- heavy villain
- heavy water
- heavy water reactor
- heavy wet
- heavy-armed
- heavy-blossomed
- heavy-bottomed
- heavy-browed
- heavy-cheered
- heavy-clay
- heavy-duty
- heavy-earth
- heavy-eyed
- heavy-faced