A Dictionary of the Older Scottish Tongue (up to 1700)
Hide Quotations Hide Etymology
About this entry:
First published 2001 (DOST Vol. X).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
Swoun(d, Soun(d, n. Also: suoun, swown(e, swone, swond, sowun, soune, sown(e, swne, sownd. [ME and e.m.E. suun (Cursor M.), swone (14th c.) swowne (Rolle), swoune (Gower), sowne (c1400), swownyd (c1440), sound (1471), swounde (Malory), swond (1615), sownd (a1629), sown (1655), soune (1678); Asound adv., Aswowne adv.; Swoun(d v.] The condition or state of being unconscious; swooning, fainting. Also transf.Mainly, to fall, lie (etc.) in(to) swoun. Also const. fra, on, out of, and without const.Cf. Asound adv., Aswowne adv.(1) c1400 Troy-bk. ii 2986.
With that for sorowe fell he down Vpon the pathment in-to swoun 1460 Hay Alex. 357.
I for fraidnes fell in swone a1500 Henr. Fab. 301.
For verray dreid scho fell in swoun neir deid a1500 Henr. Orph. 399.
He fell … And lay a quhile in suoun and extasy ?a1500 Remembr. Passion 624.
With sobing, siching, lik to fall in swone a1570-86 Dunb. in Maitl. F. 187/89.
That new maid knycht wes laid in swoun 1530 Lynd. Test. Pap. 184.
Scho … flatlyngis fell, and swappit in to swoun 1560 Rolland Seven S. 158.
Ane lang space scho lay in deidly swoun a1700 Mare of Colinton 162.
For wearines she fell in swown(b) 1460 Hay Alex. 18493.
A thowsand knichtis and ladyis lay in soun a1500 Sir Eger 2459.
She is in sown [L. soun] ay sen she went 1513 Doug. vii v heading (Sm.).
Juno … For greif and dolour lik to suelt in sown 1540 Lynd. Sat. 1863.
Sowne a1578 Pitsc. I 208/16.
The king … fell in deidlie swne and the millar and his wyff harllit him into the myle 1603 Philotus 890.
Me think ȝe dreme Or than to be in sowne ȝe seime a1651 Calderwood VIII 261.
And so fell in soune, and was carried home sick to his bed(c) 1460 Hay Alex. 3956.
Emenedus and Lyconor sa mekill bled That into sowun thai fell doun(d) 15.. Clar. iii 668.
Scho, that weinit to have bein deid anone, Fell into swound(e) 1609 Crim. Trials III 8.
Ȝe gaif him ane grit … straik … be the paine quhairof and abundance of the bluid rynning frome him he being almost in sound 1613 Inverness Rec. II 112.
[She] bled meickil of hir bluid and fel deid in sound to the ground 1619 Crim. Trials III 468.
Except it war lybellit that the defunct, immediatlie eftir … fell doun in soundtransf. c1500-c1512 Dunb. Tua Mar. W. 175 (M).
His lume is waxit larbar and lyis in to swowne(2) 1560 Rolland Seven S. 8097.
Fra swoun agane he did his father bring(3) a1500 Henr. Fab. 1878.
Sum with ane staf he straik to eirth on swoun a1500 Henr. Orph. 126.
Scho … fell in swoun(4) 15.. Christis Kirk (Laing MS) § 12.
With thre routs thay raist him & cured him out of soune 15.. Clar. iii 1545.
At the last he out of sound abraid(5) a1568 Scott xv 14.
I knaw no siching, sadnes, nor ȝit soun
b. A swoon, fainting-fit, a period of unconsciousness; a coma. Variously const.(a) a1500 Henr. Fab. 544 (Bann.).
The wedow fra hir swoun Stert vp in haist 1513 Doug. iii v 53.
To the grond half mangit fel scho down, And lay a lang tyme in a dedely swown 1513 Doug. xii ix 80.
As he lyggis in hys mortall swoun 1513 Doug. xiii v 24.
Apon Turnus corps hym strekis doun, Enbrasyng it ongrouf all in a swoun 15.. Clar. i 96.
He out of his swoun awoke a1700 Mare of Colinton 189.
[He] for dead left her lying Into a deadly swown and trance(b) a1568 Bell. in Bann. MS 6a/159.
As quhen ane lovar dois his lady meit To quickin his lyfe of mony deidly soun 1549 Compl. 68/8.
I beand in this sad solitar soune sopit in sleipe 1603 E. Melville Godlie Dreame 180.
Sumtyme I sank, bot ȝit my gracious gyde Did draw me out half deid and in ane sowne(c) 1649 Last and Heavenly Speeches of Viscount Kenmuir 27.
When he was wearing weaker, he fell in a swound(d) 1684 Law Memor. 245.
It … struck the mother … with such violence that she immediately fell into a swond for a considerable time(e) 1560 Rolland Seven S. 1868.
Scho … fell to the ground, Without mair space into ane deidlie sound c1581 in Bann. Memor. 336.
When he come out of the sownd, he cryde ‘Cauld! Cauld!’ 1604-31 Craig i 7.
I felt as lying in a sound no sore 1661 Baillie III 437.
Castelmilk … fell downe in a sound and died 1661 Reg. Privy C. 3 Ser. I 21.
They beat her doune dead … so that she lay long in a sound and hardly recovered with her life 1680 Brodie Diary 425.
He was like to haue passed away without a word to anie of us, in a sound 1688 Tryal Philip Standsfield 4.
His mother being recovered out of a sownd
