ppl. a. Obs. Forms: 3–7 astoned, 4 astuned, astouned, 5 astonyd, astownyd, 5–6 astooned, astoyned, 4–6 astonned, 6–7 astond, 7 astund, 7–8 astunned. [Pa. pple. of prec. vb., pronounced in ME. ăstu·nĕd, ăstu·nd; but sometimes, like other ME. words in -und, lengthened to ăstū·nd, and spelt astound, astownd; see ASTOUND ppl. a. Astoyned in 15–16th c. is an unexplained variant, perhaps mixing astoned and astonyed.]
1. Stunned, benumbed, stupefied, insensible.
c. 1300. St. Margar., 290. Þe folc … ful adoun for drede & leye þer as hi were astoned & as hi were dede.
c. 1330. Arth. & Merl., 6297. Hors and man astuned lay.
1485. Caxton, Chas. Gt., 76. So astoned that the eyen in hys heed were al troubled of the payne.
1578. Lyte, Dodoens, 383. The same … dissolueth the blood that is astonde or fixed.
1624. Quarles, Job Mil. (1717), 187. Astun’d with sorrows.
1735. Somerville, Chase, III. 253. Prostrate he lies Astunn’d and impotent.
2. Stupid.
c. 1374. Chaucer, Boeth., IV. iii. 122. Yif he be slowe and astoned … he lyueth as an asse.
3. Stricken with consternation or amazement, so as to lose presence of mind; amazed, overwhelmed, confounded; astonished.
1297. R. Glouc., 396. Her hors were al astoned, & nolde after wylle Sywe noþer spore ne brydel.
c. 1386. Chaucer, Clerks T., 281. No wonder is thogh that she were astoned [astoned–3 v.r. astonyd, -yed] … Sche neuere was to swiche gestis woned.
c. 1400. Destr. Troy, XXIII. 9488. All astonyt þai stode starond aboute.
c. 1500. Virgilius, in Thoms, E. E. Rom. (1858), II. 26. Virgilius was a stoned and merueyled greatly thereof.
1543. Grafton, Contn. Harding, 494. At whiche questyon all the lordes sat sore astonned, musynge muche.
c. 1550. Cheke, Matt. xiii. 54. In so much yt yei weer astooned.
1576. Gascoigne, Compl. Philom. (Arb.), 89. I stood astoynde.
a. 1677. Barrow, Serm. (1686), III. xxxii. 352. He will be astond, and will say, In truth great is the God of Christians.
