Forms: 1–3 stund, 3 stunde, 3–5 stonde, 4–6 stond, (4 stunt, 4–5 stont), 3–6 stounde (4 stounte), 4–6 stownd(e, (5 stowndde, stouunde, stowunde), 4– stound; 6 stowne, 8–9 Sc. stoun. [Com. Teut. (wanting in Gothic): OE. stund fem. = OFris. stunde, OS. stunda (Du. stond), OHG. stunta space of time (MHG., mod.G. stunde hour), ON. stund (Sw., Da. stund):—OTeut. *stundō.]
1. A time, while; a short time, moment. Obs. exc. dial.
a. 1000. Andreas, 1210. Nis seo stund latu þat þe wælreowe witum belecgað.
a. 1225. Ancr. R., 190. A sicnesse of ane stunde.
a. 1275. Prov. Ælfred, 312. So his mani wimman … Scene under scete, and þoh hie is scondes ful in an stondes wile.
a. 1300. Cursor M., 24496. Quen i him had in armes fald,… þan bigan mi gle to gru,… And neud me mi stondes [Gött. stundis].
a. 1300. Fragm. Pop. Sci. (Wright), 13. That is evene above thin heved, aboute the nones stounde.
14[?]. Erthe upon Erthe, 34/75. God lytyd in erth, blyssed be that stounde!
c. 1440. Alphabet of Tales, 412. Evur he contynewid in syngyng, prayers-saying, and wurshippyng our Lady vnto þe stounde of dead.
1579. Spenser, Sheph. Cal., Sept., 56. Hobbin, ah hobbin, I curse the stounde, That euer I cast to haue lorne this grounde.
1602. Davison, Rhapsody (1611), 39. Wo worth the stund wherein I tooke delight To frame the shifting of my nimble feete.
1603. B. Jonson, Entert. Althrope, 2. Now they Print it on the Ground With their feete in figures round, Markes that will be euer found, To remember this glad stound.
1616. R. C., Times’ Whistle, etc. (1871), 129. Soe death is heer and yonder in one stound.
1819. W. Tennant, Papistry Storm’d (1827), 25. Scrimply there pass’t a stound o’ time.
1838. Holloway, Prov. Dict., Stound, a short period of time.
b. As advb. accus.
a. 1000. Boeth. Metr., xxv. 68. Ðæt is wyrse ʓet, þæt he winnan nyle Wið ðæm anwalde æniʓe stunde.
a. 1123. O. E. Chron., an. 1106. On þære forman længten wucan … ætywyde an unʓewunelic steorra, & lange stunde þæræfter wæs ælce æfen ʓesewen.
c. 1200. Ormin, 6576. Þatt sume off ure little flocc … Hemm wendenn oþerr stund fra Crist.
c. 1200. Moral Ode, 149 (Trin. Coll. MS.). Hadde he fonded sume stunde he wolde seggen oðer.
c. 1205. Lay., 3117. & þus ane stonde [c. 1275 stunde] hit stod æ ðon ilka.
a. 1300. X Commandm., 22, in E. E. P. (1862), 16. Alas wrecchis whi do we so hit mai noȝt hold vre lif a stunde.
a. 1300. Cursor M., 14557. In ephraim dueld he a stunde And þeþen-ward son can he funde.
13[?]. Bonaventura’s Medit., 878. Fro wepyng she ne myȝt stynte no stounde.
a. 1340. Hampole, Psalter li. 5. Þof he lat þe lif a stunt in welth.
c. 1400. Assump. Virg., 727 (Add. MS.). And euer þei cryede many a stounde, ‘Alas’! [etc.].
c. 1450. St. Cuthbert (Surtees), 7012. Þidir he went, and bade a stont.
1519. Horman, Vulg., 56. He was so abasshed, that he was almoste mad, and stoode styffe a stownde.
1557. Tottel’s Misc. (Arb.), 257. Elde … Will turne eche blysse into a blast, Which lasteth but a stounde.
1567. Turberv., Epit., etc. 91. Vlysses wiues renowne Unsitting is for hir whose loue endureth but a stowne.
1591. Sylvester, Du Bartas, I. ii. 609. So that this vapour, never resting stound, Stands never still, but makes his motion round.
1594. R. C[arew], Godfrey of Bulloigne (1881), 85. Like him that lookes ech stond with bared necke, When cruell axe shall his liues warrant checke.
1600. Fairfax, Tasso, XIX. xxviii. His legges could beare him but a little stound.
1895. E. Angl. Gloss., s.v., He stayed a long stound.
† c. In advb. phrases with preps., e.g., for, in, on a (little) stound, in many stounds, in that stound. By stounds: at intervals, from time to time, by turns. Umbe stound: see UMSTOUND. Obs.
c. 1205. Lay., 8815. Hærde bi-ðrungen i wel feole stunden.
a. 1225. Ancr. R., 310. A mon þet hefde al þene world awold, & hefde, uor his cweadschipe, uorloren al on one stunde.
a. 1225. Juliana, 7. Ant efter lutle stounde wið ute long steuene.
a. 1250. Prov. Ælfred, 395. Ac al he schal for-leten on a litel stunde.
13[?]. Gaw. & Gr. Knt., 1567. Bot ȝet þe styffest to start bi stoundez he made.
c. 1350. St. Christina, 179, in Horstm., Altengl. Leg. (1881), 95. He was so stonayd in þat stunt He strake him self fast in þe frunt.
c. 1374. Chaucer, Boeth., IV. met. vi. (1886), 111. The moyste thinges stryuynge with the drye thinges yeuen place by stowndes.
a. 1400. Pistill of Susan, 167. Alle hire seruauns þei shont And stelen a-wey in a stont.
1513. Douglas, Æneis, II. x. 80. I within ane litle stound, The clud of dirknes from thi sicht sall cleir.
a. 1529. Skelton, P. Sparowe, 34. Within that stounde,… in a sounde I fell downe to the grounde.
1575. Gammer Gurton, Prol. 7. He quyetly perswaded with her in that stound Dame Chat, her deare gossyp, this needle had found.
1591. Sylvester, Du Bartas, I. vi. 364. Abiding, for a stown, Pale, cold, and sense-less, in a deadly swown.
† d. Often-, oft-stounds: often. [Cf. OFTEN-sithes, -whiles, OFTENTIMES.] That stounds [? advb. genitive]: at that moment. Obs.
1303. R. Brunne, Handl. Synne, 3083. Ȝyf þou delyte þe oftyn stoundes, yn horsys, haukys, or yn houndes.
a. 1400. Octouian, 893. Men blamede the bochere oft stoundys For hys sone.
a. 1400. King & Hermit, 56. He blew thrys, vncoupuld hundes; They reysed þe dere vp þat stondes.
† e. ? An hour. Obs.
c. 1325. Lai le Freine, 207. To-day, right in the morning, Sone after the first stounde, A litel maiden-childe ich founde.
† f. The time for doing something; one’s ‘hour’ or opportunity. Obs.
a. 1225. Leg. Kath., 1263. Nu is ower stunde!
1297. R. Glouc. (Rolls), 10873. In þe kinges chaumbre … was A clerc ifounde … He made him as bi wit, so þat it was ifounde, Þat it was bi speke to sle þe king, wan he sei stounde.
c. 1330. R. Brunne, Chron. Wace (Rolls), 11332. Al þe nobleye couthe y nought telle, Ne y naue no stounde þer-on to dwelle.
2. † a. Contextually: A hard time, a time of trial or pain. Obs.
a. 1000. Riddles (Tupper), xciii. 19. No ic þa stunde bemearn ne for wunde weop.
c. 1250. Owl & Night., 706. Þe Nihtegale … hedde onswere god ifunde Among alle hire harde stunde.
c. 1300. Cursor M., 17152. I … sufferd her þis herd stondes, and ded on þis rode tre.
c. 1374. Chaucer, Anel. & Arc., 238. Alas! the harde stounde.
1590. Spenser, F. Q., I. viii. 25. Such percing griefe her stubborne hart did wound, That she could not endure that doleful stound.
b. Hence, a sharp pain, a pang; a fierce attack, a shock. Chiefly northern. Also (Sc.), a thrill (of delight).
c. 1300. Cursor M., 24541. In sterin stanging was i stadd, Sa war mi stundes store.
13[?]. E. E. Allit. P., B. 1540. Þe stronge strok of þe stonde strayned his ioyntes.
1375. Barbour, Bruce, III. 140. He rouschit doun off blud all rede, As he that stound feld off dede.
c. 1400. Rom. Rose, 4472. What avayleth hir good wille, Whan she ne may staunche my stounde ille?
1500–20. Dunbar, Poems, lxxii. 98. Than straik at me with mony ane stound.
c. 1550. Rolland, Crt. Venus, I. 641. As he that said, to his hart straik ane stound.
1567. Gude & Godlie Ball., 99. Lyke deidly dartis thow geuis stang & stound.
1579. Spenser, Sheph. Cal., May, 257. Iesus … keepe your corpse from the carefull stounds, That in my carrion carcas abounds. Ibid. (1596), F. Q., VI. vi. 5. Their wounds … had festred privily; And ranckling inward with unruly stounds, The inner parts now gan to putrify.
1659. H. More, Immort. Soul, III. xiv. 477. The stounds and agonies of Death.
1788. Burns, To the Weavers gin ye go, 16. But every shot and every knock, My heart it gae a stoun. Ibid. (1789), Blue-eyed Lassie, 11. And aye the stound, the deadly wound, Cam frae her een sae bonnie blue.
1825. Brockett, N. C. Gloss., Stound, the sensation or first impression of sudden pain, arising from a knock or blow.
1827. J. Wilson, Noctes Ambr., Wks. 1855, I. 355. My heart has gien a sudden stoun o’ uncommunicable delicht.
1834. Pringle, Afr. Sk., 17. Oft as he feels gaunt hunger’s stound.
1878. Sir T. Martin, trans. Heine, 18. Then I felt a stound through all my frame.
c. Roar, violent noise.
1627. Drayton, Nymphidia, liv. By the Thunders dreadfull stound.
1658. Burton, Comment. Itin. Antoninus, 150. After this storm and stound … it flourished again.
1837. Carlyle, Fr. Rev., I. V. iv. One can fancy with what dolorous stound the noon-tide cannon … went off there.
† 3. Station, position. Obs.
1557. Grimalde, in Tottel’s Misc. (Arb.), 104. What power haue you so great … To pluck, to draw, to rauish hartes, and stirre out of ther stownd?
1566. Drant, Horace, Sat., II. iii. F viij. Stande still in stounde, kepe whishte (I say) whilste I doe proue you mad. Ibid. (1567), Ep., xvi. To Quintius, E vij. Well might thou saye that freshe Tarent were brought into this stounde. Ibid., Fj. He hath forsoke of manlines the stounde [L. locum virtutis deseruit].
1570. Levins, Manip., 220/40. A stound, statio, terminus.
15[?]. Pater Sapientiæ, lxxx. in Ashm. (1652), 204. For when the Larke ys weary above in hys stound, Anon he falleth right downe to the ground.
† 4. Used for: STADIUM. Obs. rare–1.
[Perh. some error: cf. G. stunde (hour) as an itinerary measure.]
1656. W. Du Gard, trans. Comenius’ Gate Lat. Unl., § 524. 155. A hundred twenty five Geometrical paces, make a stound or furlong.
