Furious

a. Also 4 furyus, 5–6 Sc. -ius, 5 Sc. furiouss, -eous, 5–6 furyous, 6 furiouse. [a. OF. furieus (mod.F. furieux), ad. L. furiōsus, f. furia FURY.]

  1.  Of a person, an animal, etc.: Full of fury or fierce passion; mad with anger, zeal, or the like; raging, frantic. Also of actions, attributes, utterances: Proceeding from or exhibiting fury; fierce, raging, destructively or menacingly violent.

c. 1374.  Chaucer, Compl. Mars, 143. Now wol I speke of Mars, furious and wood.

c. 1430.  Lydg., Min. Poems, 157. Whan he [the lioun] is moost furious in his myhte, Ther comyth a quarteyn.

1535.  Coverdale, Ps. vii. 6. Lift vp thyself ouer the furious indignacion of myne enemies.

1582.  N. Lichefield, trans. Castanheda’s Conq. E. Ind., xxxvi. 87 a. Heerevppon, they began in a furious outrage, running out of their dores like madde men.

1611.  Bible, Ezek. v. 15. When I shall execute iudgments in thee in anger and in furie, and in furious rebukes.

1641.  in Hearne, Collect., 15 Aug. (1706) (O. H. S.), I. 285. Y^e furiousest Presbyterians.

1645.  Milton, Tetrach., To Parlt., Wks. (1847), 175/2. The furious incitements which have been us’d.

1697.  Dryden, Virg. Georg., III. 419. The furious Mare, Barr’d from the Male, is frantick with Despair.

1752.  Hume, Ess. & Treat. (1777), I. 62. Parties of religion are more furious.

a. 1853.  Robertson, Lect., ii. (1858), 58. Furious against every one whose words make them tremble at their own insecurity.

1855.  Motley, Dutch Rep., I. iii. (1866), 112. The King, already enraged, was furious at the presentation of this petition.

1863.  Fr. A. Kemble, Resid. in Georgia, 14. I can not help being astonished at the furious and ungoverned execration which all reference to the possibility of a fusion of the races draws down upon those who suggest it, because nobody pretends to deny that, throughout the South, a large proportion of the population is the offspring of white men and colored women.

  b.  transf. Of the elements: Moving with or as if moved by fury, violent, raging.

1585.  T. Washington, trans. Nicholay’s Voy. Turkie, III. vii. 80. If the water be too furious & deepe, they passe through it on horsebacke.

1611.  Shaks., Cymb., IV. ii. 258.

1700.  S. L., trans. C. Fryke’s Voy. E. Ind., 126. It got a head after so furious a manner, that it set fire on the Ship itself.

1774.  Pennant, Tour Scotl. in 1772, 119. From the top is a tremendous view of the furious stream.

1799.  Cowper, Castaway, iv. The furious blast.

1853.  Kane, Grinnell Exp., xxiv. (1856), 196. Running on deck, I found it blowing a furious gale, and the ice again in motion.

  † c.  Of pains, diseases, evil influences: Raging, cruel. Obs.

c. 1386.  Chaucer, Frankl. T., 373. In langour and in torment furyus.

1430–40.  Lydg., Bochas, I. viii. (1544), 14. Folkes were there blent w^t furious derknes.

c. 1470.  Henry the Minstrel, Wallace, II. 211. In fureous payne.

1597.  Gerarde, Herball, II. li. 270. It easeth the intollerable paines of the headach proceeding of heat in furious agues.

1627.  Abp. Abbot, Narr., in Rushw., Hist. Coll. (1659), I. 434. Some furious infirmities of Body.

  d.  Fast and furious: (of mirth) eager, uproarious, noisy.

1790.  [see FUN 3].

1820.  Scott, Ivanhoe, xviii. Fast and furious grew the mirth of the parties.

  2.  Hyperbolically (after Fr. use): Excessive, extravagant. rare.

1668.  Dryden, Evening’s Love, III. i. What a furious indigence of ribbons is here upon my head! Ibid., V. i. I will do my best to disingage my Heart from this furious Tender which I have for him.

1822–56.  De Quincey, Confess. (1862), 7. Without a suspicion of his own furious romancing.

  3.  Mad, insane. Obs. exc. in Scots Law.

1475.  Sc. Acts Jas. III. (1814), II. 112. The Inquest fyndis þat he was ouder fule or furiouss.

1564.  Child Marriages, etc. (1897), 135. She, beinge seruaunt with the testatrix, did neuer knowe that euer she was Lunatike or furiouse.

1597.  Hooker, Eccl. Pol., V. lxiv. § 4. Neither furious persons nor children may receive any ciuill stipulation.

1609.  Skene, Reg. Maj., Stat. Robt. I., 33. Fvrious men sould be taken, and keiped be their friends.

1642.  View Print. Book int. Observat., 10. Except the King be Captive, furious, or in his infancy.

1754.  Erskine, Princ. Sc. Law (1809), 66. Idiots … and furious persons cannot marry.

  † 4.  Foolish, absurd. Obs.

1526.  Pilgr. Perf. (W. de W., 1531), 253 b. In theyr moost furyous & false opinyon they iudged hym a dissembler and an ypocryte.

1608–11.  Bp. Hall, Medit. & Vowes, i. § 62. I have ever found, that to strive with my superiour is furious, with my equall doubtfull.

  5.  Comb., as furious-curious, -faced adjs.; furious-wise adv.

1598.  Sylvester, Du Bartas, II. i. iv. Handie-Craftes, 630. Dauncing, foaming, rowling furious-wise. Ibid. (1614), Little Bartas, 407. The furious-curious Spell Of those Black-Artists.

1636.  Rutherford, Lett., lxvi. (1863), I. 174. O the honour to be scourged and stoned with Christ, and to go through a furious-faced death to life eternal!