confound, v.
(kənˈfaʊnd)
Forms: 3–7 confund(e, 4 -fonde, (counfound), 4–7 confounde, 5 -fownd(e, 4– confound. pa. pple. confounded; also 6 confounden, 6–7 confound.
[ME. a. OF. confond-re, confund-re, AF. confound-re (= Pr. confondre, It. confondere):—L. confund-ĕre to pour or mingle together, mix up, confuse, confound, f. con- + fundĕre to pour. Confuse, confused, were in early use passive participles of confound: for the historical relation, see note to confuse v.
(OF. un, on, regularly gave early ME. ūn, late ME. and mod. oun, own: cf. abound, round, astound, compound, redound, sound, noun, crown, renown, etc.)]
1. trans. To defeat utterly, discomfit, bring to ruin, destroy, overthrow, rout, bring to nought (an adversary). Obs. or arch.
| a 1300 Cursor M. 7982 (Cott.) [David] Thoght on his fas philistiens..Gladli walde he þam confund [later MSS. confounde]. c 1330 R. Brunne Chron. (1810) 170 Wilde fire þei kast, þe kyng to confound. ? a 1400 Morte Arth. 1153 Allas! we are lorne, my lorde es confundede, Over fallene with a fende! c 1475 Rauf Coilȝear 875 Thow art ane Sarazine..For to confound our Christin men, that counteris sa kene. 1570 Dee Math. Pref. 35 Archimedes..vtterly confounded the Romaine Nauye. 1631 J. Taylor (Water P.) Turn Fort. Wheel Wks. (1848) 22 Sloops, punts, and lighters seventy-eight confounded, Six thousand men ta'en prisoners, many wounded. 1650 Fuller Pisgah iii. vi. 331 [Sennacherib] having all his Army soon after confounded from heaven. 1795 Southey Joan of Arc i. 73 Lest He in wrath confound me. |
b. To overthrow, defeat, or bring to nought (a scheme, plan, hope, etc.).
| c 1315 Shoreham 112 Wanne love hys here preye, Al for to confundy. 1393 Gower Conf. I. 13 Every werke as it is founded Shall stonde, or elles be confounded. 1552 Bk. Com. Prayer, Litany, Confound theyr deuyses. c 1740 Carey God save the King ii, Confound their politicks, Frustrate their knavish tricks, On him our hopes are fix'd, O save us all! 1850 Maurice Mor. & Met. Philos. I. i. §1. 6 God confounded the rebellious scheme. 1890 Garnett Life of Milton ii. 42 The Civil War confounded his [Milton's] anticipations of leisurely composition. |
† c. To destroy the purity, beauty, or usefulness of; to spoil, corrupt. Obs.
| c 1420 Pallad. on Husb. iii. 815 Of peres wyne is made..Yit somer wol it soure and so confounde. 1548 Hall Chron. 124 By this mariage, the quenes bloud was confounded. 1681 Trial S. Colledge 71 You have confounded the Gospel. a 1734 North Lives (1826) III. 135 Their smoke and dust..confounded all his good furniture. |
† d. To demolish, smash. Obs. rare.
| 1523 Ld. Berners Froiss. I. cccxcvii. 687 Bearynge great malettes of yron and stele, to confounde helmes. |
† e. To waste, consume, spend. Obs.
| 1596 Shakes. 1 Hen. IV, i. iii. 100 He did confound the best part of an houre In changing hardiment with great Glendower. 1701 W. Wotton Hist. Rome 399 His very Prodigality alone would have confounded more Money in a few Years than the whole Roman Empire could have..supply'd. |
2. In curses or imprecations, used in the imperative 3rd pers. sing. as an equivalent or substitute for ‘bring to perdition’. Since 1700 considered a milder form of imprecation, and vaguely associated with other senses.
| c 1330 R. Brunne Chron. (1810) 265 Wales wo þe be! þe fende þe confound! c 1489 Caxton Sonnes of Aymon ix. 223 God confounde me, yf I sawe ever ony evyll doon by hym. a 1533 Ld. Berners Huon liii. 180 A, false faynted hert, Mahounde confounde the! 1591 Shakes. 1 Hen. VI, iv. i. 123 Confounded be your strife, And perish ye with your audacious prate. 1607 ― Timon i. i. 247 Traffickes thy God, and thy God confound thee! 1649 Cromwell Lett. 17 Sept. (Carlyle), One of them was heard to say..‘God damn me, God confound me; I burn, I burn.’ 1773 Goldsm. Stoops to Conq. II, Confound your made dishes..I'm for plain eating. Ibid. iv, Whether the next be an izzard, or an R, confound me, I cannot tell. 1836 Marryat Midsh. Easy xviii, Why, confound the fellow..so you were a pickpocket, were you? 1888 J. Payn Myst. Mirbridge I. x, ‘Confound her impudence’, muttered Sir Richard. 1890 Besant Demoniac vi, Humph! You are looking in very good health, at any rate. Confound you! |
3. To discomfit, abash, put to shame, ashame. (Almost always in pass.) Chiefly Scriptural.
| c 1290 S. Eng. Legendary I. 249/307 Ich habbe i-hoped þat ich i-confundet ne beo. a 1340 Hampole Psalter xv. 1 Here is þe vile pride of men confoundid. 1382 Wyclif 2 Sam. xix. 5 Thou hast confoundid to day the cheeris of alle thi servauntis. ― Ps. xxx[i]. 1 In thee, Lord, I hopide; I shal not be confoundid in to withouten ende [1611 let me neuer be ashamed]. a 1535 Fisher Wks. 402 O my god I am confounden and ashamed to lyft vp my face vnto thee. 1579 Spenser Sheph. Cal. June 63 They drewe abacke, as halfe with shame confound. 1609 Bible (Douay) 2 Sam. x. 5 The men were confounded very fowly, and David commanded them: Tary in Jericho, til your beard be growen. 1667 Milton P.L. ix. 1064 Silent, and in face Confounded long they sate, as struck'n mute. 1874 Kingsley Westm. Serm. vii. 71 What is this which the Psalmist and prophets call being confounded; being put to shame and confusion of face? |
† b. To discomfit in argument, silence, confute (a person, or a statement, opinion, etc.). Obs.
| 1382 Wyclif Acts ix. 22 Forsothe Saul..confoundide the Jewis that dwelliden at Damask, and affermyde that this is Crist. 1483 Caxton Gold. Leg. 276/2 Seynt Augustyn was..ryght appert in confundyng heretykes. a 1555 Ridley Wks. 16 The plain words of St. Paul, which doth manifestly confound this fantastical invention. 1726 Cavallier Mem. i. 10 She would dispute..with the Missionaries..and would often confound them. |
4. To throw into confusion of mind or feelings; so to surprise and confuse (a person) that he loses for the moment his presence of mind, and discernment what to do. (Expressed colloquially by dumfound, flabbergast, etc.)
| c 1374 Chaucer Boeth. v. iii. 154 Now am I confounded by a more harde doute þan I was. 1393 Gower Conf. I. 146 What straunge mater he might use The knightes wittes to confounde. a 1555 Ridley Wks. 5 Many things confound the weak memory. 1611 Bible Acts ii. 6 The multitude..were confounded, because that euery man heard them speake in his owne language. 1682 N. O. Boileau's Lutrin iv. 95 Pale and dumb he stood, like one confounded. 1752 Johnson Rambler No. 195 ¶3 He was..so confounded by incessant noise, and crowds, and hurry. 1848 Macaulay Hist. Eng. II. 593 The tidings of the flight reached London. The king's adherents were confounded. 1859 Darwin Orig. Spec. vi. (1873) 135 This difficulty for a long time quite confounded me. |
† b. To confuse in the brain with liquor. Obs.
| 1704 F. Fuller Med. Gymn. (1711) 55 Some strong People shall be confounded with a very few Glasses of Wine. |
5. To throw (things) into confusion or disorder; = confuse v. 3.
| 1553 Eden Treat. Newe Ind. (Arb.) 36 He found all thinges confounded & out of ordre. 1611 Bible Gen. xi. 7 Let vs go downe, and there confound their language. 1667 Milton P.L. ii. 996 With ruin upon ruin, rout on rout, Confusion worse confounded. 1712 Hearne Collect. III. 363 Wanley quite confounded the Library, and put all things into Disorder. 1883 Froude Short Stud. IV. ii. v. 230 He believed that Newman's methods of reasoning confounded his perceptions of truth. |
6. To mix up or mingle so that the elements become difficult to distinguish or impossible to separate; = confuse v. 4.
| 1538 Starkey England 111 You schal..confounde the nobyllys and the commynys togeddur..that ther schal be no dyfferens betwyx the one and the other. 1593 Shakes. Rich. II, iv. i. 141 Tumultuous Warres Shall Kinne with Kinne, and Kinde with Kinde confound. 1658 Rowland Moufet's Theat. Ins. 917 The fourth..is gathered and confounded from all these trees, so that it hath a mixt color..and consistence. 1779 Johnson Let. Mr. Thrale 23 June, I came by it [the money] in a very uncommon manner, and would not confound it with the rest. 1863 Lyell Antiq. Man 2 The remains..may have subsequently been mingled..and confounded together in one and the same deposit. |
7. To mix up in idea, erroneously regard or treat as identical, fail to distinguish; = confuse v. 5.
| 1581 Lambarde Eiren. ii. iii. (1588) 139 At an Affray, Assault, or Batterie (for now I will with other men confound those names). 1610 A. Cooke Pope Joan in Harl. Misc. (Malh.) IV. 46 This man seemeth to confound him with Benedict the Third. 1683 Robinson in Ray's Corr. (1848) 133 Saying that you confounded the two species together. 1807 G. Chalmers Caledonia I. i. i. 7 To confound the Celts with the Scythians. 1874 Green Short Hist. viii. §2 (1882) 467 He [James] chose to confound Puritanism with Presbyterianism. |