A Dictionary of the Older Scottish Tongue (up to 1700)
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First published 2002 (DOST Vol. XII).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
Quotation dates: 1375-1700+
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Wondir, Woundir, n. Also: wonder, -ire, -yr(e, -re, wonndir, wonndr-, vonder, vondra, wounder, -ar, voundir, -er, windir, -er, -ar, wynder, wundir, -er. [ME and e.m.E. wunder (c1175), wunndre, wunnderr (both Orm), wonder (c1290), wondir (Wyclif), wondr- (Cursor M.), wondyr (1435), wounder (1553), OE wundor, MDu. wonder, ON undr.]
1. Surprise, astonishment, amazement. Chiefly const. to have wondir. Also comb. b. An expression of amazement or ? a further example of 2 (3) below.(a) 1375 Barb. iii 485.
Wonder 1375 Barb. viii 473.
Thar fayis … had gret wonder [C. voundir] quhen thai saw Thaim that war er lurkand sa law Cum apon thaim sa hardely a1400 Legends of the Saints ii 619.
Prechit Jhesu Criste … Sayand that he wes Goddis son. Than all thar harde, wondir hade a1400 Legends of the Saints x 121.
Wondyre 1460 Hay Alex. 2922.
Hald ȝe nocht ȝour landis of king Dare? Quhair-foir I haue gret wounder that ȝe dar 1494 Loutfut MS 132a (H).
And quhen a man stroke with the point he haldis him al close to gider enarmyt that his adversar may haf no wonder of him a1500 Bk. Chess 1898.
Wounder c1500-c1512 Dunb. (OUP) 147/37.
Winder 1533 Bell. Livy I 192/15.
Quhen he had schewin all his visioun, to the grete wounder [B. vonder] of all pepill present, … followit ane vthir mirakil mare wounderus than was sene afore 15.. Clariodus v 2272.
The Constabill … Sik wounder had to sie [etc.] 1560 Rolland Seven Sages 9406.
Ane naikit sword he laid thame twa betwene Quhairof scho had ane greit meruell & wonder, … that thay suld ly asonder c1590 Fowler I 131/136.
To hir … My constant fayith … great wounder sall inbring, And mak hir merwell at hir selff c1590 Fowler I 310/16.
And look, quhat fame hes blowen abrod … Quhat beutye hes with wounder spred a1700 Maidment New Bk. Old Ballads (1844) 15.
Wae and vondra light on thee(b) 15.. Dunb. App. viii 37.
Nature him knew, and had grit wundir, Quhen he of wirgyn wes born but wemcomb. 1628 Mure Doomesday 562.
In mindes of wonder-strucken wightsb. 1513 Doug. x Prol. 103.
Sweit Lord, Thy self is sa inestimabill, I can write nocht bot wondris of Thy mycht
2. A source, matter, object, etc. of surprise or amazement; an amazing thing. Chiefly in impers. or negative consts. Also to think (something) wondir and with indef. art and pl.(1) 1375 Barb. iv 323 (C).
He … said, gyrnand, ‘hangis & drawis!' It wes gret vounder [E. That wes wonder] of sic sawis, That he, that to the ded was neir, Suld ansuer apon sic maneir 1375 Barb. vi 344 (C).
Cowardis dois na thing sua Bot vterly forsakis all; And that war voundir for to fall Na war falt of discrecione 1460 Hay Alex. 3657.
Baith thare speris sauraly brak in sounder Thocht scheild and all war persit was na wounder a1500 Henr. Fab. 1560.
To se that sicht, forsuith, it wes grit wounder a1499 Contemplacioun of Synnaris 1106 (Asl.).
Off diuers folkis … Gret wounder is and blynd abusioun For temporale tinsall and thingis transitorie Quhilk [etc.] 1530 Lynd. Test. Pap. 787.
To schaw at lenth thair workis wer gret wounder; Thare myracklis thay wer so manifest c1552 Lynd. Mon. 3063.
To this lady, it wes no wounder, The quhilk had greter realmes, ane hunder, Nor Dauidis lytill regioun(b) 1375 Barb. xvii 383.
The schot alsa thik thar was That [it] war wondre for to se a1400 Legends of the Saints l 35.
Thane was gret wondir for till here The noys, the raryng, & the bere Of noyt & schepe & menstralsy a1400 Legends of the Saints l 1037.
I haf tynt this day allace! All hale my helpe … & the streynth of my empyre hale. Quhat wondire is I brist for bale? a1500 Henr. Test. Cress. 505.
He knew hir nocht Ȝit than hir luik into his mynd it brocht The sweit visage … Of fair Cresseid … Na wonder was, suppois in mynd that he Tuik hir figure sa sone 1513 Doug. i iv 13.
Baith heir and thair stant large craggis and brais. To se the hewis on athir hand is wondir 1513 Doug. xiii Prol. 162.
The brycht dawyng of day … That to behald was plesans, and half wondir 1561 Q. Kennedy Compendious Ressonyng (ed.) 171/24.
Quhen sic monstruous ministeries, blindit in ignorance … ar appoinctit to haif authorite in the kirk of God, quhat wonder is it that the warld be confundit with hereseis, factioun, and opinioun as it is? a1599 Rollock Wks. II 55.
A just judge hates not so much unrighteousnes as a wicked judge hates innocency. … therefore, it is a [? erron. for no] wonder that the judgment of the wicked proceeds unorderly against the godly(c) a1568 Bannatyne MS 222b/3.
My hairt is thrall begone me fro … No windir is thocht it be so For non may with hir bewtie strif a1568 Bannatyne MS 223b/9.
Quhat windir is my hairt be granit thrwcht Fro out the rute rewthles ȝe haif it revin a1568 Scott ii 167.
For he affeird, it wes na winder, His cursour suld him cast(2) 1375 Barb. xix 402.
Tymmeris for helmys … That thaim thoucht thane off gret bewte And alsua wondyr [C. wounder] for to se 1513 Doug. i viii 2.
The madynnys cum fra Amason … the manfull Troian Eneas To se thir nyce figuris thocht wonder was c1550 Lynd. Meldrum 527.
Than all the trumpettis blew agane … Of that meiting ilk man thocht wounder, Quhilk soundit lyke ane crak of thunder a1605 Montg. Misc. P. xl 54.
Quhat natur works, we may not think it wonder(3) 1535 Stewart 7266.
Beseikand him … To rew on him that wes so wracchit ane wycht, That fals Fortoun sa far hes put at vnder, Till all this warld quhill he wes maid ane wynder 1587-99 Hume 23/219.
Sa great a wonder was not heard, sen first the warld began The onely sonne of God to be, both verie God and man 1600-1610 Melvill 30.
He tauld me of my uncle Mr. Andro Melvill, whom he knew in the tyme of his course in the New Collage to use the Greik Logics of Aristotle quhilk was a wounder to tham that he was sa fyne a schollar 1637 Rutherford Lett. (1671) 219.
It is a wonder He should have suffered the like of me to have nicknamed the Son of His love Christ ?1665 M. Bruce Six Dreadful Alarms 15.
And it were kent how much we have thortured with God, we would be a wonder to our selves 1698 Dunlop P. III 86.
The country is healthful to a wonder; insomuch that our own sick which were many when we arrived are now generally cured a1706 Mare of Colinton in Watson's Coll. i 63/670.
If these men had licenced me To ha' biddin twa nights or three … I had not … been in sick a blunder: Nor made then sick a vvarld's vvonder
3. a. A miracle, a marvel worked by God. Also in collocation with Sign(e n. 16. b. A portentous event, an omen. Freq. in collocation with Sign(e n. 17, q.v. for a further example. c. A marvellous deed or action; something amazing and (apparently) inexplicable.There is some overlap between senses a and b.a. a1400 Legends of the Saints xxxvi 809.
Men ma se wele be this ferly That the Baptist is ful mychty With God, that sic a wondir dide For hyme 1513 Doug. viii viii 36.
We haue bot sobir pissance, and no wonder, To help in batale 1535 Stewart 23124.
Paladinus … wes send Into Scotland … Sanct Patrik als … Into Yrland … Richt langsum war … To tell ȝow heir of all thair sanctitude, And … The grit wonder and miraclis that tha kid a1561 Q. Kennedy Breif Tract. (ed.) 127/11.
Quhat vonder or miracle is techit be the kirk to be in this sacrament of the altare bot it that Christis avin vordes beres vitnes to and is conforme to the scriptour 1562-3 Winȝet I 75/14.
He sall misknaw and repell fra Him at the latter day all wirkaris of iniquitie, euin thame quha had propheciit, wrocht wounderis [MS wunderis], and cassin out deuilis in His name 1563-72 Ferg. Tracts 8.
Suppose the prophet shew a wonder or a myrackle c1590 Fowler I 217/3.
Quho to the heavens gaue starns … Dothe to our age His woundars more declaire, Since things more strainge then these we see in thee 1596 Dalr. I 13/6.
Mony sygnes be God war schawne and wonndirisb. 1513 Doug. ii iv 1.
Betyd, … A fer grettar woundir And mair dreidful … As Laocon [etc.] 1513 Doug. viii viii 180.
Suddanly thai se … The fyreslaucht betyng from the lyft on far [etc.] … this lord Troiane … said … 'Thé nedis not to ask, ne ȝit speir Quhat signyfyis thir wondris [L. portenta] dyd appeir' c1520-c1535 Nisbet 2 Cor. xii 12.
The signis of my apostilhede ar made on you, in al pacience and signis, and gret wonndris [L. prodigiis] and virtues c1552 Lynd. Mon. 5506.
Quhen sic wonderis dois appeir Men may be sure, the day drawis neir That iuste men pas sall to the glore, Iniuste, to pane for euer morec. c1450-2 Howlat 785 (A).
He couth werk wounderis [B. windaris] quhat way that he wald Mak of a gray gus a gold garland [etc.] c1550 Lynd. Meldrum 879.
The wonderis that he [sc. the squire] did reheirs Wer langsum for to put in vers c1550 Lynd. Meldrum 1305.
He, as forcie campioun, Amang thai wicht men wrocht greit wounder; For all thai speiris he schure in sunder a1578 Pitsc. I 366/2.
Thair was … playis and feistis … and also cuning carweris haueand the art of igramansie to cause thingis to appeir quhilk was as flieand dragouns in the air schot fyre at ether heids [etc.] … thir wonderis was sen be the nobielietie and common pepill that was thair thocht they war maid be men of ingyne
