Also 5–6 surpryse, 6–9 surprize, (7 -pryze, price). [f. AF., OF. surpris-e, pa. pple. of surprendre (= Pr. sobre-, sorprendre, It. sorprendere, Sp. sorprender, Pg. surprender):—med.L. superprendĕre, *-præhendĕre: see SUR- and PREHEND, and cf. the composition of overtake. See also the earlier SUPPRISE and SUSPRISE.]
1. trans. To ‘take hold of’ or affect suddenly or unexpectedly.
† a. Chiefly pass. To be seized with (or of) a desire, emotion, etc., a disease or illness. Obs.
1485. Caxton, Chas. Gt., 231. Thenne ganellon was surprysed wyth thys fals auaryce. Ibid. (1490), Eneydos, vi. 28. He shall be soo surprysed wyth angre and furyouse woodnes.
c. 1500. Melusine, i. 10. He was so surprysed of her loue that he coude nat holde contenaunce.
1570. Foxe, A. & M. (ed. 2), II. 995/2. The ruler … who surprised with lyke pride and disdaine … caused hys cappe to be hanged vp vpon a pole, chargyng … all … to do obeysance to the cappe.
1576. Fleming, Panopl. Epist., 315. My mynde being surprised with sorrow.
1594. Plat, Jewell-ho., III. 17. [They] were suddenly surprised with a great loosenesse.
1611. Bible, Isa. xxxiii. 14. The sinners in Zion are afraid, fearefulnesse hath surprised the hypocrites.
1617. Moryson, Itin., II. 296. He was surprised with a burning Feuer.
1667. Milton, P. L., II. 753. All on a sudden miserable pain Surpris’d thee. Ibid., VI. 774. Them unexpected joy surpriz’d.
a. 1700. Evelyn, Diary, 10 April 1666. Visited Sir William D’Oylie, surprized with a fit of apoplexie.
c. 1720. De Foe, Mem. Cavalier (1840), 39. Surprised with joy at the motion.
† b. To overcome, overpower (the mind, will, heart); to captivate. Obs.
1474. Caxton, Chesse, III. vi. (1883), 132. So that ye wyn or drynke surpryse hym and ouercome his brayn. Ibid. (1481), Myrrour, I. v. 26. The moneye hath so surprysed them that they may extende to none other thinge.
1611. Shaks., Wint. T., I. i. 10. The eare-deaff’ning Voyce o th’ Oracle,… so surpriz’d my Sence, That I was nothing.
1621. Elsing, Debates Ho. Lords (Camden), 84. I may be surprised with errour, but not corrupted.
1633. T. Adams, Exp. 2 Peter ii. 14. A fair skin surpriseth a fleshly heart.
1676. Dryden, Aurengz., IV. i. Pow’r, like new Wine, does your weak Brain surprize.
a. 1700. Evelyn, Diary (Chandos Classics), 17. So … temperate, that I have heard he had never been surprised by excesse.
c. absol. or intr.
a. 1700. Evelyn, Diary, 8 Feb. 1645. The vapours ascend so hot that entring with the body erect you will even faint with excessive perspiration, but stooping lower as suddaine a cold surprizes.
2. Mil., etc. To assail or attack suddenly and without warning; to make an unexpected assault upon (a place, body of troops, person, etc., that is unprepared); † to take or capture in this way.
a. 1548. Hall, Chron., Edw. IV., 222 b. By some gyle or engyne sodaynly to trap and surprise the erle.
1611. Bible, Jer. xlviii. 41. Kerioth is taken, and the strong holds are surprised.
1687. A. Lovell, trans. Thevenot’s Trav., III. 29. His march was secret enough, though he hastened it to surprise Surrat.
1688. R. Holme, Armoury, III. xv. (Roxb.), 27/1. Lowe built boates … which … will strike to the sides of great shippes, and with their guns … either suddenly surprice the same or sinke it.
1709. Steele, Tatler, No. 1, ¶ 8. The Enemy had formed a Design to surprize two Battalions of the Allies.
1803. Jane Porter, Thaddeus, ii. (1831), 16. A plan was laid for surprising and taking the royal person.
1808. Scott, Life Dryden, D.’s Wks. 1882, I. 173. A man, surprised in the dark and beaten by ruffians, loses no honour by such a misfortune.
1867. Freeman, Norm. Conq. (1877), I. vi. 459. Every effort to take or surprise the Norman outpost was rendered hopeless.
1888. J. F. Maurice, Milit. Hist. Camp., 1882, xii. 73. An army suddenly attacked within the lines which it had reckoned upon to ward off its enemy is in a military sense surprised.
† b. gen. To capture, seize; to take possession of by force; to take prisoner. Obs.
1588. Shaks., Tit. A., I. i. 284. Treason my Lord, Lauinia is surpris’d. Ibid. (1593), 2 Hen. VI., IV. ix. 8. Is the Traitor Cade surpris’d?
1606. G. W[oodcocke], Hist. Ivstine, IX. 41. Some he beheaded, others banisht, and all their goods were surprised. Ibid., XV. 65. Surprizing the kingdome to himself.
1632. Lithgow, Trav., III. 94. When Nigropont, and diuerse other Iles were surprised from the Venetians.
1661. Act 13 Chas. II., c. 9 § 6. Ships which shall be surprised or seized as prize.
1667. Milton, P. L., XII. 453. He [sc. Messiah] … there shall surprise The Serpent, Prince of aire, and drag in Chaines Through all his realme.
1799. Sheridan, Pizarro, II. i. A servant of mine, I hear is missing, whether surprised or treacherous I know not.
fig. 1592. Kyd, Sp. Trag., III. x. 90. Thy tresses, Ariadnes twines, Wherewith my libertie thou hast surprisde.
† c. To hold in one’s power, occupy. Obs.
1540. Act 32 Hen. VIII., c. 24. Consideryng … that the Isle of Rhoodes … is surprised by the Turke.
1607. Dekker & Webster, Sir T. Wyat, A 2 b. With me, that in my handes, Surprise the Soueraigntie.
† d. To rescue or deliver as by force, ‘snatch’ (from something). Obs. rare–1.
1687. Lond. Gaz., No. 2258/2. As also in your unparalell’d Clemency, by which you have surprized your distressed Subjects from the jaws of Ruine.
3. To come upon unexpectedly; to take unawares; to take or catch in the act; hence fig. to find or discover (something) suddenly, to detect.
1592. Soliman & Pers., II. ii. 264. If the Gouernour Surprise me heere, I die by marshall law.
1655. trans. Sorel’s Com. Hist. Francion, XII. 22. The Italian seeing himself surprized did … intreat him to give him leave to be gone.
1662. J. Davies, trans. Mandelslo’s Trav., 244. We were surprized by a calm, which kept us in the same place all that day.
1665. P. Henry, Diaries & Lett. (1882), 168. A meeting at Wrexham surprisd,… some payd 5lb some went to prison for 3 months accord. to the Act.
a. 1700. Evelyn, Diary, 2 Feb. 1665. I saw a masq perform’dat Court by 6 gentlemen and 6 ladys, surprizing his Majesty, it being Candlemas-day.
1726. Pope, Odyss., XIX. 686. Ulysses will surprize the unfinish’d game.
1803–6. Wordsw., Ode Intim. Immort., 148. High instincts before which our mortal Nature Did tremble like a guilty Thing surprised.
1879. J. Grant, in Cassell’s Techn. Educ., IV. 96/1. In order to surprise Nature in her wonders, he was wont to perambulate the garden … lantern in band.
1880. Grove, Dict. Mus., I. 202/1, note. In the Finale of this work we almost surprise the change of style in the act of being made.
1886. Ruskin, Præterita, II. vi. 193. I never travelled in bad weather unless surprised by it.
1890. Maartens, Sir J. Avelingh, xv. He had surprised an ugly secret about a Government tender.
† b. ? To ‘overtake,’ anticipate. Obs. rare–1.
1591. Nashe, Prognost., A 4. The effects cannot surprise the cause.
† c. causatively. To introduce unexpectedly, ‘spring’ upon some one. Obs. rare–1.
1769. Chron., in Ann. Reg., 75/1. To support the re-election, lest any candidate in the opposite interest should have been … attempted to be surprized upon the county.
† 4. To implicate or ensnare (a person) as by a sudden proposal or disclosure. Obs.
1642. Slingsby, Diary (1836), 91. Not willing to use his old friendship … in a way to surprize his judgments.
1667. Milton, P. L., IX. 354. Least by some faire appeering good surpris’d She [sc. Reason] dictate false, and missinforme the Will.
1702. Vanbrugh, False Friend, V. i. If I did not know he was in love with Leonora, I could be easily surprized with what he has told me.
b. To lead unawares, betray into doing something not intended.
1696. Phillips (ed. 5), To Surprise,… to lead a Man into an Error, by causing him to do a thing over hastily.
1711. Addison, Spect., No. 112, ¶ 3. If by chance he has been surprized into a short Nap at Sermon.
1742. Act 15 Geo. II., c. 30. Persons who have the Misfortune to become Lunaticks, may … be liable to be surprised into unsuitable Marriages.
1818. Scott, Hrt. Midl., ii. Many … whose feelings surprised them into a very natural interest in his behalf.
1873. Black, Pr. Thule, xvii. He had never yet met any woman who had so surprised him into admiration.
5. To affect with the characteristic emotion caused by something unexpected; to excite to wonder by being unlooked-for. † Formerly also in stronger sense (cf. SURPRISE sb. 4 a), to astonish or alarm; also, to excite to admiration. Often pass., const. at († with) or inf.; colloq. to be surprised at = to be scandalized or shocked at.
1655. Theophania, 103. Alexandro acquainted him with the occasion of their coming thither, with which he was exceedingly surprised at first.
1687. A. Lovell, trans. Thevenot’s Trav., I. 248. They … have Secrets which surprize the most knowing, many thinking them to be knacks of Magick.
1692. L’Estrange, Fables, lxxi. People were not so much Frighted, as they were Surpriz’d at the Bigness, and Uncouth Deformity of the Camel.
1719. De Foe, Crusoe, I. (Globe), 156. I was exceedingly surpriz’d with the Print of a Man’s naked Foot on the Shore.
1768. Goldsm., Good-n. Man, III. i. You’ll be surpriz’d, Sir, with this visit.
1794. Mrs. Radcliffe, Myst. Udolpho, xlvii. The apparition of the dead comes not … to terrify or to surprise the timid.
1816. Scott, Old Mort., xxx. Macbriar … was surprised at the degree of agitation which Balfour displayed.
1833. T. Hook, Parson’s Dau., III. vi. ‘You surprise me.’ ‘I tell you truth,’ said George.
1860. Tyndall, Glac., I. xii. 88. I was surprised … to find some veins of white ice.
1908. R. Bagot, A. Cuthbert, xxi. 256. And yet you talk our language well—really very well. I am agreeably surprised.
absol. 1684. Earl Roscom., Ess. Transl. Verse, 146. On sure Foundations let your Fabrick Rise, And with inviting Majesty surprise.
1781. Cowper, Charity, 544. The turns are quick, the polish’d points surprise.
1845. R. W. Hamilton, Pop. Educ., ii. (1846), 30. It is … to be doubted, whether any class of Society be so strictly moral [as the poor]. The statement may at first surprise.
† 6. Cookery. To dress or serve in the manner of a ‘surprise.’ Obs.
1769. Mrs. Raffald, Eng. Housekpr. (1778), 103. A Shoulder of Mutton surprized.
