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A Dictionary of the Older Scottish Tongue (up to 1700)

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First published 2001 (DOST Vol. IX).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

Stound, Stownd, n. Also: stounde, stond, stund, stoun, stoine. [ME and e.m.E. stund (Orm), stonde (Layamon), stounde, stunde (both a1225), OE, ON stund.]

1. A (period of) time; a moment, instant. Also, the (that) stound of dede.(1) a1400 Leg. S. xxx 726.
Scho persauit wele apere The stond of dede til hyre nere c1409-1436 Kingis Q. § 118.
The lytill birdis smale Styntith thaire song, and murnyth for that stound 1513 Doug. x xi 170.
Quhat sal I do, allace the wofull stond 1513 Doug. xi xv 139.
The cald deith and last stondis mortall The spreit dissoluyt from the corps our all(b) 1513 Doug. x xiv 46.
The stound of deth, the panys lamentabill Is deip engravyn in my hart onsound 1513 Doug. xi xiv 6.
The fader of goddis … commovis to the melle Tarchon, … In breithfull stoundis rasyt brym as fyre 1581-1623 James VI Poems II 14/38.
My cruell ennemies … Quhom shame mott so confounde As at a suddaine stounde Thay may … turne bakke uith feare 1675 Sel. Biog. II 220.
Soul-trouble hath its time; it is not always alike violent, but I find sometimes a calm, and at other times it comes in stounds and fits; the evil hour(2) 1375 Barb. x 501.
That tour and wall rycht to the ground War tumlyt in ane litill stound 1375 Barb. xvii 370.
Than men mycht se in litill stound Men assalȝeand a1400 Leg. S. xxiii 434.
Ilkane of thame in that stownd In armys he hynt ?1438 Alex. i 1138.
Thare schewit wele in to that stound That he ane hard pais can thaime leid ?1438 Alex. ii 5471.
I sall gar pay thé, in ane stound, Of siluer ane houndreth thousand pund 1456 Hay II 160/29.
Within a lytill stound he passit furth on his way 1460 Hay Alex. 3234.
In ane litill stound Off dede and hurt men so thik the feild was sawin That [etc.] 1460 Hay Alex. 5955.
And money stob and stok was in that stound And mony sturdie steid slane in that ground a1500 Rauf C. 620.
Askis he ernestly efter ony man? … Ȝe, forsuith in this stound, Efter ane Wymound a1500 Gol. & Gaw. 929.
The knight stakrit with the straik, all stonayt in stound c1475 Wall. vi 734.
The strenth thai held rycht awfully on fut, Till men and hors gaiff mony grewous wound Feyll to the dede thai stekit in that stound 1513 Doug. xi xiv 57.
[He] seyrsis all artis … Quhar he mycht fynd into sa litil stovnd A place patent to geif hym dedis wond a1561 Norvell Meroure 57a.
Stounde 1567 G. Ball. 208.
Do weill is fre in euerie stound 1580-92 James VI Lusus Reg. 50.
The seas & solide grounde must perishe & must chainged be into a suddaine stounde

b. In adv. phrases without prep.(a) 1375 Barb. ix 270.
A litill stound sammyn held thai a1400 Leg. S. xvii 124.
Scho fel to the grownd … & sa [la] a stovnd ?1438 Alex. ii 3215.
Than sichit the duke and thocht a stound c1420 Wynt. viii 4680.
Standis lordis a stownd c1409-1436 Kingis Q. § 53.
Quhen I … this orisoun Thus endit had, I stynt a lytill stound a1500 Peblis to Play 8.
God wait thai [sic] wald thai do that stound For it wes thair feist day 1513 Doug. x xi 1.
The ilk stound … Jove callys Juno 1513 Doug. xi iv 64.
Bot had this hasty ded … Haue sufferit bot my son a stound to lest, Quhill [etc.] 1513 Doug. xii ix 31 (Ruddim.).
The self stounde Eneas at ane assay … has kelit Tanaus 1513 Doug. xii xii 192.
Thiddir this schaft the gret fors of his cast Had thraw the ilk stund a1568 Bann. MS 51a/20.
The stanis sall cleive erd sall redound Sall no man respect get that stound(b) a1400 Leg. S. xviii 865.
Quhene I had knelyt a stond & mad myn prayer 1513 Doug. x xii 46.
So brym in stowr that stond Meȝentyus was

2. A sharp pain, a pang. 1375 Barb. iii 140.
He rouschit doun off blud all rede, As he that stound feld off dede ?1438 Alex. ii 2471.
Ȝe can richt wele Record of lufe euerilk dele, The stoundis, the shouris and the beit a1500 Henr. Test. Cress. 542.
Now is my breist with stormie stoundis stad a1500 Henr. Test. Cress. 538.
Stiffer than steill thair stert ane bitter stound Throwout hir hart a1570-86 Dunb. in Maitl. F. 232/98.
Methocht compassioun, vode of feiris Than straik at me with mony ane stound 1513 Doug. xii vii 97.
The payn vanyst als cleyn … as thocht it had beyn Bot a dyrlyng or a litill stond 1513 Doug. xiii v 112.
With all kynd of torment, in hir greif [She] Constrenys hym with stundys of myscheif c1550 Rolland Ct. Venus iv 350.
Esperance was strikkin with sic stound Of puir pietie 15.. Clar. iii 1471.
Of misbeleife the stound struike to his heart 1567 G. Ball. 99.
Lyke deidly dartis thow geuis stang & stound 1570 Sat. P. xvii 162.
Deploir Of deith the dolent stound a1585 Maitl. Q. 203/72.
With monye a piteous plaint And wofull stound scho thus begane to say c1680 McWard Serm. 122.
There is never a stroke given to one of his members upon the earth, but the stound of it is felt in heaven

b. A blow from a weapon. Also fig. and in fig. context. 1460 Hay Alex. 1601.
With ane spere he gaue him sic ane stound That hors and man ȝede bakwart to the ground c1500-c1512 Dunb. Tua Mar. W. 109.
With his hard hurcheone scyne sa heklis he my chekis … I schrenk for the scharp stound, bot schout dar I nought 15.. Clar. ii 1504.
Throw quhais [sc. Cupid's] stoundis scho oft changit hew 1560 Rolland Seven S. 9558.
With all his strenth ane straik he laid on thair. Quhill baith thair steids stakkerit at the stoundfig. c1500-c1512 Dunb. Tua Mar. W. 340.
Than with a stew stert out the stoppell of my hals That he all stunyst throu the stound as of a stele wapin 1537 Lynd. Depl. Magd. 33.
O Dame Nature … Had thow with naturall targis maid defence, That brybour [sc. Death] had not cummit within hir boundis And [she] had bene sauit from sic mortall stoundis

c. Force, impact. 1584-9 Maxwall Commonpl. Bk. Prov. No. 207.
The thunder has a grit clape bot a lytill stoine

d. A verbal attack; a campaign of vituperation. 1596 Cal. Sc. P. XII 308.
[Mr. Bowes of late has kept a great] stoun [against me … giving me up … as author of certain] braveling [matter fallen out betwixt him and our ministers]