Forms: 1 Northumb. lysna, 3 lustnie, -in, pa. pple. i-lustned, 3–4 lustne(n, listne(n, 4 pa. t. and pple. lisnyt, lesnyt, 4–5 lesten, -yn, -in, li-, lystyn, -in, 4–6 lysten, 5 lystny, 7 lissen, 3– listen. [ONorthumb. lysna, *hlysna, corresp. to MHG. lüsenen:—OTeut. type *hlusinôjan, f. Teut. root *hlus-: see LIST sb.1 From the same root is OE. hlosnian (:—OTeut. type *hlos-, hlusnôjan) to listen. The forms with t are due to association with the synonymous LIST v.1]
1. trans. To hear attentively; to give ear to; to pay attention to (a person speaking or what is said). Now arch. and poet.
c. 950. Lindisf. Gosp., Matt. xiii. 18. Gie forðon ʓeheras vel lysnas bisena ðæs sauende.
c. 1205. Lay., 25128. Þa heo hafden longe i-lustned þan kinge.
c. 1220. Bestiary, 398. Listneð nu a wunder.
c. 1250. Gen. & Ex., 2137. King pharaon listnede hise red.
a. 1300–1400. Cursor M., 20590 (Gött.). Listnes þe bone þat scho him bad.
c. 1350. Will. Palerne, 4607. Ladis & oþer lordes lesteneþ now my sawe!
c. 1400. Destr. Troy, 8421. Lystyn my wordes.
c. 1476. J. Paston, in P. Lett., III. 159. If it lyke you to lystyn him.
1590. Greene, Orl. Fur. (1599), 25. What messenger hath Ate sent abroad With idle lookes to listen my laments?
1634. Milton, Comus, 551. At which I ceas’t, and listen’d them a while.
1795. Southey, Joan of Arc, V. 310. The tale of all the ills she hath endured I listen.
1823. Byron, Juan, XIII. xlviii. Listening debates not very wise or witty.
1830. Tennyson, Ode to Memory, iii. Listening the lordly music flowing from The illimitable years.
† b. With two objects: To hear (something) from (a person). Obs.
c. 1330. R. Brunne, Chron. (1810), 288. Þe chance listnes me.
2. intr. To give attention with the ear to some sound or utterance; to make an effort to hear something; to ‘give ear.’
c. 1205. Lay., 26357. He lustnede [later text luste] ȝeorne.
a. 1225. Leg. Kath., 785. We schulen lustnin hu þi lauerd & ti leof … wule werien to dei þine leasunges.
a. 1275. Prov. Ælfred, 212, in O. E. Misc., 115. Lustlike lustine [v.r. lustnie; earlier text Lysteþ] … lef dere.
c. 1315. Shoreham, I. 2091. Nou lestne.
c. 1350. Will. Palerne, 1929. Now listenes, lef lordes, þis lessoun þus i ginne.
1375. Barbour, Bruce, VI. 72. He … lisnyt full ententily Gif he oucht herd of thare cummyng.
c. 1400. Sowdone Bab., 20. Listinythe a while and ye shall see.
14[?]. Voc., in Wr.-Wülcker, 566/1. Asculto, to lystny.
1530. Palsgr., 612/2. Lysten at the crevysse if thou cannest here any by [sic] steryng.
1667. Milton, P. L., V. 627. And in their motions harmonie Divine So smooths her charming tones, that Gods own ear Listens delighted.
a. 1703. Burkitt, On N. T., Mark i. 45. Christ doth not stay in the crowd with his ear open to listen how men admire the preacher.
1781. Cowper, Retirement, 448. A man … Who … Speaks with reserve, and listens with applause.
1875. Dasent, Vikings, I. xii. 162. Every one listened what he would add to such a clever beginning.
1875. Jowett, Plato (ed. 2), I. 323. They will be sure to listen if they find that you are a good speaker.
fig. 1842. Tennyson, Godiva, 54. The deep air listen’d round her as she rode.
b. Const. to (unto): to give ear to (= sense 1); also, in extended sense, to give heed to, allow oneself to be persuaded by.
c. 1290. S. Eng. Leg., I. 462/2. Lustniez nouþe to mi speche.
a. 1300–1400. Cursor M., 6451, heading (Gött.). Listens nou vnto mi saw.
c. 1450. Merlin, 11. The holy man lestned well to all hir confession.
1595. Shaks., John, III. i. 198. King Philip, listen to the Cardinall.
1611. Bible, Isa. xlix. 1. Listen, O yles, vnto me, and hearken yee people from farre.
a. 1661. Fuller, Worthies, Durham (1662), I. 295. Lissen to Mr. Cambden his Character of him.
1667. Milton, P. L., VI. 908. List’n not to his Temptations.
1748. Anson’s Voy., I. i. 8. These officers … were much listened to by some considerable persons.
1856. Froude, Hist. Eng. (1858), I. v. 375. Henry must have been compelled to listen to many such invectives. Ibid. (1883), Short Stud., IV. I. xi. 139. Boys and girls found him always ready to listen to their small distresses.
c. † To listen of: to hear tell of. † To listen on = listen to. To listen for, † after: to be eager or make an effort to catch the sound of; to endeavor to hear or to hear of.
a. 1300–1400. Cursor M., 22431 (Gött.). If ȝe of þaim will listen a trau, I sal ȝu tell of þaim sothsau.
c. 1320. Sir Tristr., 402. Of a prince proude in play Listneþ, lordinges dere.
a. 1400[?]. Lydg., Chorle & Byrde (Roxb.), 14. To heere of wisedom thyn eeres ben half deef Lyke an asse that lystneth on an harpe.
1593. Shaks., 2 Hen. VI., I. iii. 152. I will … listen after Humfrey, how he proceedes. Ibid. (1597), 2 Hen. IV., I. i. 29. Heere comes my Seruant Trauers, whom I sent … to listen after Newes.
1642. R. Carpenter, Experience, Pref. 15. I beg … that they will so farre listen after me … as to take notice … what becomes of me.
1642. Fuller, Holy & Prof. St., III. iv. 160. Scholars listen after Libraries, Disputations, and Professours.
1749. Fielding, Tom Jones, X. vi. She pricks up her ears to listen after the voice of her pursuer.
1859. Tennyson, Elaine, 862. The sick man … Would listen for her coming. Ibid., Enid, 184. While they listen’d for the distant hunt.
1871. Farrar, Witn. Hist., i. 26. Then must science and civilisation listen for the voice of a new deliverer.
† d. To listen one’s ears (or an ear) to: = b. Obs.
a. 1533. Ld. Berners, Gold. Bk. M. Aurel. (1546), Y iv. I neuer … lystened myne eares to murmures.
1579. Tomson, Calvin’s Serm. Tim., 726/2. If we listen our eares to obey that that is shewed ys here.
a. 1656. Ussher, Ann. (1658), 559. The Citizens would by no means lissen an eare to the accusation.
† 3. (quasi-trans.) To listen forth, out: to obtain tidings of. (Cf. HEARKEN v. 8.) Obs.
a. 1592. Greene, Geo. a Greene (1599), A 3. Come, Bonfield, let ys goe, And listen out some bonny lasses here. Ibid., D 4 b. Ienkin,… goe to Bradford, And listen out your fellow Wily.
1602. Warner, Alb. Eng., XII. lxxiii. (1612), 300. For Mandeuil they seeke, and him at last did listen forth.
