v. Obs. rare exc. in pa. pple. forgrown. Forms: see GROW. [OE. forgrówan, i. FOR- pref.1 + grówan: see GROW v.]
1. intr. To grow to excess or out of shape. Only in pa. pple. forgrown, overgrown, misshapen.
a. 1000. Riming Poem (Gr.), 46. Brondhord ȝeblowen, breostum in forgrowen.
1399. Sarcastic Verses, in Archæol. (1826) XXI. 89.
| Þis is a busch þt is forgrowe | |
| Crop hit well & hold ht lowe. |
1543. Grafton, Contn. Harding, 599. A pylgremes hat vpon his heed, with a long and forgrowen bearde reachying to his sadell bowe.
1565. Golding, Ovid’s Met., I. (1593), 14.
| A terror to the newmade folke, which never erst had knowne | |
| So foule a Dragon in their lyfe, so monstrously foregrowne. |
1576. Newton, Lemnie’s Complex. (1633), 133. In this accidentall habit of body, although the party be fat and forgrowne, yet the veines lye not hid and unappearing, as in them that naturally be grosse.
1601. Bp. Andrewes, Serm., Matt. xxii. 21 (1641), II. 96. To be quiet from the inward violent injurious oppressours, the fat and foregrown rammes within our own fold, is a special blessing.
fig. 1583. Golding, Calvin on Deut. clxxxii. 1129. An euill custome is nothing else than an errour forgrowen.
2. trans. To overgrow, cover with a growth (usually one that is excessive or unsightly).
c. 1200. Trin. Coll. Hom., 129. For þi is þis westren forgrouwen mid brimbles and mid þornes and mid iuele wiedes.
1399. Political Poems (Rolls), I. 363.
| The long gras that is so grene, | |
| Hit most be mowe, and raked clene; | |
| forgrowen hit hath the fellde. |
1494. Fabyan, Chron., V. cxx. 97. The towne of Westmynster, ye which that tyme was forgrowen with busshes & bryres excedynglye.
a. 1535. More, Wks., 74/1. For lyke as the ground that is al foregrowen with nettels breers, and other euil weedes, canne bring foorth no corne til they be weded out, so can oure soule haue no place for the good corne of spiritual pleasure, as long as it is ouergrowen with the barreyn weedes of carnall delectacion.
1575. Laneham, Lett. (1871), 14. Hombre Saluagio … forgrone all in moss & Iuy.
b. In pa. pple. (of aged persons): Overgrown or covered (with hair). Hence (? or from sense 1), Extremely old.
c. 1430. Lydg., Bochas, IX. x. (1554), 201 b.
| They were arayed in their passage | |
| With hear frogrowen body and visage. |
c. 1440. Generydes, 3665.
| And as he went, he mette vppon the playn | |
| A man that was right ferr in age certayn, | |
| And all for growe. |
1494. Fabyan, Chron. VII. 605. In the bordour of this dilicious place, which was named Paradyse, stode ii. forgrowen faders, reasemblyng Ennok and Hely.
1527. Prose Life St. Brandan (Percy), 52. He [saynt Poule] was olde and for-growen, so that no man myght se his body.
