▪ I. win, n.1
(wɪn)
Forms: 1–3 winn, (3 pl. wunnen), 4–5 winne, wynne, wyn(e, 3– win.
[OE. win(n) labour, strife, conflict (cf. MG. win), more frequently ᵹewinn: see i-win n. The modern senses are from win v.1]
I. † 1. Strife, contention, conflict; tumult, disturbance, agitation. Obs.
| a 1000 Cædmon's Gen. 259 He..ongan him winn up ahebban wið þone hehstan heofnes wealdend. c 1200 Trin. Coll. Hom. 161 Hwile lat te deuel hem..& weccheð among hem flite & win. a 1250 Owl & Night. 670 He mot gon to al mid gynne Hwan þe horte beoþ on winne. c 1250 Gen. & Ex. 598 Ðo ðe tende moneð cam in, So wurð draȝen ðe watres win. c 1275 Lay. 9044 Þat heold fiht and win [earlier text iwin]. |
† 2. Gain, acquisition, profit; also, advantage, benefit. Obs.
| c 1200 Ormin 6118 Þe birrþ þin rihhte swinnkess winn Upponn ȝuw alle nittenn. a 1300 Floriz & Bl. 805 (Camb. MS.) Ac floriz nolde for no winne; Leuere him were wiþ his kinne. c 1440 Pallad. on Husb. iii. 5 Ek newer, gretter wynne Is to the gresse. 1495 Acta Dom. Conc. (1839) 409/1 Þe said tend penny of all wynnis pertenyn to our souerane lord. a 1500 Bernard. de cura rei fam. i. 180 Eftyr þi wyne with worschipe, clethyng wer. a 1500 Thrie Priests Peblis 619 Quhan thay ar full of sic wrang win. 1500–20 Dunbar Poems xvii. 16 Thir merchantis takis vnlesum win. 1535 Lyndesay Satyre 3507 In pryde, invy, in ire, and lecherie, In covetice, or ony extreme win. |
† b. Possessions, riches, wealth. Obs.
For the phr. worldes win(ne see win n.2 2.
| c 1205 Lay. 3099 Ic hem ȝeue al þa winne þe ich æm waldinge ouer. Ibid. 22668 Wif & mine weden and alle mine wunnen. a 1300 Cursor M. 7879 Bot oft þe weliest o win Riue-liest þai fal in sin. c 1460 Towneley Myst. i. 185 To walk here in this worthely wone, In all this welthly wyn. |
II. 3. A victory in a game or contest. colloq.
| 1862 Illustr. Lond. News 10 May 492/3 The opposition..gathered strength after this slovenly win. 1866 Daily Tel. 3 Nov., Pineapple..won the first race, it being his eighth win since he was sold. 1894 Sir J. D. Astley Fifty Yrs. Life II. 78, I was real pleased with the win, for lots of my pals had backed Actea. |
4. A gain; pl. gains, winnings. colloq.
| 1891 N. Gould Double Event ii, His gambling wins would have been enough for that. 1893 Kennel Gaz. Aug., Although the Shows might not be affected, their wins would be. 1897 T. R. Williams Serm. on ‘Just as I am’ 3 Every mental win on your part is a draw upon universal truth. |
▪ II. † win, n.2 Obs.
Forms: 1 wynn, (1 wunn, wenn), 3 wnne, wonne, (also 7) wun, 3–4 winne, (also 7) wunne, 3–5, 7 win, 4–5 wyn, wenne, 4–6 wynne, 5 wyne.
[OE. wyn(n, corresp. to OS. wunnia, OHG. wunnja, wunna str. f., wunnî f. and wunno wk. masc. (MHG. wünne, wunne, G. wonne); f. Teut. wun-, found also in OE. ᵹewun, wunian (see wont), w{yacu}scan (:—*wunskjan) to wish, and related to wen- (see ween n. and v.) and wine n.2, friend. Cf. winsome.]
1. Joy, pleasure, delight, bliss; a source of joy, a delight.
| Beowulf 2262 Hearpan wyn, gomen gleobeames. c 1205 Lay. 9071 Jesu Crist..alre worulde wunne. Ibid. 22732 Ne mihte nauere mon cunne nan swa muchel wunne. a 1225 Ancr. R. 192 Alle þeo ilke uondunges..þuncheð wouh, & nout wunne, auh heo wendeð efterward to weole and to eche blisse. a 1240 Ureisun in O.E. Hom. I. 183 Ihesu mi weole, mi wunne. c 1275 Lay. 25569 Louerd drihtene crist..middilerþes win. a 1310 in Wright Lyric P. xv. 47 Away is al my wunne. c 1330 R. Brunne Chron. Wace (Rolls) 14908 Fair folk ys þere-inne! Þer faces to se, hit ys gret wynne! c 1386 Chaucer Frankl. T. 54 Wyn, wo, or chaungynge of complexion. c 1425 Cast. Persev. 204 in Macro Plays 83 Belyal. In woo is al my wenne. c 1700 Kennett Lansd. MS. 1033 lf. 430 b, Wunsome, pleasant..a wunne gaudium, whence a wun to see, a pleasure or satisfaction to see. |
b. In vague commendatory sense, and often in phr. with (or mid) win, which, orig. intensive, freq. becomes a mere tag.
| c 1300 Havelok 660 Slep sone, with michel winne. Ibid. 2965 Hauelok bi-lefte wit ioie and gamen In engelond, and was þer-inne Sixti winter king with winne. 13.. Gaw. & Gr. Knt. 15 On mony bonkkes ful brode Bretayn he settez, wyth wynne. c 1330 R. Brunne Chron. Wace (Rolls) 9617 Þer com þey to þe toun wyþ wyn. a 1400 Sqr. lowe Degre 263 Wyth welth and wynne to were the crowne. c 1400 Destr. Troy 13346 Penolope,..Þat had keppit hir full cloise as a cleane lady, With myche worship & wyn. 14.. Poem to Virgin in Rel. Ant. II. 213 Swete lady, full of wynne, Full of grace and gode within. c 1440 Syr Gowghter 51 in Utterson E.P.P. I. 163 The worthi duk and ducheese They levid togeder with wenne. c 1460 Towneley Myst. xxiv. 153 For I may swere with mekill wyn I am the most shrew in all myn kyn. c 1475 Rauf Coilȝear 925 Wed ane worthie to wyfe, and weild her with win. |
c. In benedictory phrases.
| c 1400 Ywaine & Gaw. 1113 Sho said smertly, Do lat me her, Cumes he sone, als have thou wyn. Ibid. 2219 So have i wyn, Mi lyoun and i sal noght twyn. c 1425 Seven Sag. (P.) 1373 So God almyghty gyf me wyne, Thou ne schalt to come hyre-ine. a 1500 Sir Beues (Pynson) 2453 There was a wel, so haue I wynne, And Beuys stumbled ryght therin. 1553 Bradford Serm. Repentance F viij b, Thoughe a great whyle he laye a slepe (as many do now a dayes, god geue them wynne waking) [ed. 1574 G ij by a misunderstanding reads good waking]. 1640 M. Parker King & poore North. Man lxxx, Man, with thy money God give thee win. |
2. worldes winne (earlier woreld winne, OE. worolde wynn), also worldly winne: worldly delight or pleasure; later, by association with win n.1, worldly wealth or possessions.
| Beowulf 1080 Þær heo ær mæste heold worolde wynne. c 1175 Lamb. Hom. 147 On twa wise Mon mei forlete world winne. c 1200 Trin. Coll. Hom. 195 Erest he strepte of him his shep, þe waren his woreld winne. a 1225 Ancr. R. 196 Worldes weole, & wunne, & wurschipe. c 1230 Hali Meid. (MS. Titus) 90 For worldliche wunne þat tu wendes to biȝeten. c 1325 Metr. Hom. 15 For rifli gers werldes win Thir fair wimmen fal in sin. c 1375 Sc. Leg. Saints xvi. (Magdalena) 56 Þat mychty ware & of gret kyne, & mykil had of warldis wyne. a 1400 Minor Poems fr. Vernon MS. 337/341 Alle worldes winne He sendeþ, whon he wile. 1535 Lyndesay Satyre 3535 Covetice of warldlie win. |
▪ III. win, n.3 slang.
Also 6–7 wyn, 9 whinn, winn, wing.
[Origin obscure; quot. 1812 suggests that it may be short for Winchester.]
A penny.
| 1567 Harman Caveat 85 A flagge, a wyn, and a make. 1608 Dekker Lanth. & Candle Lt. i. C 2 b, If we..nip a boung that has but a win. 1618 [see make n.3]. a 1693 Urquhart's Rabelais iii. xli. 341 They had not a Win in their Fab. 1812 J. H. Vaux Flash Dict., Win or Winchester, a penny. 1823 ‘Jon Bee’ Dict. Turf, Scuddick,..‘not a scuddick’—not any brads, not a whinn, empty clies. 1859 Slang Dict., Winn, a penny. 1900 Flynt Tramping 241 Just go and get a shave now, Jim. I'll give you a wing (penny), if you will, for the doin' o' 't. |
▪ IV. † win, a. Obs.
Forms: 3 wn-, 4 wunne, wynne, 5 wyn.
[Only in ME. alliterative verse; adj. use of win n.2, derived from OE. poetical compounds such as wynbéam tree of joy, wynland pleasant land.]
Delightful, pleasant; goodly, fine; good.
| c 1205 Lay. 1385 Þer he mihte þurh-wunian mid his wnfolke [later text gode folke]. a 1310 Lenten ys come 35 This wunne weole y wole forgon, Ant wyht in wode be fleme. 13.. Gaw. & Gr. Knt. 1032 Þere he draȝez hym on-dryȝe, & derely hym þonkkez, Of þe wynne worschip þat [MS. &] he hym wayued hade. Ibid. 2430 Þat wyl I welde wyth good wylle, not for þe wynne golde. 13.. E.E. Allit. P. A. 154 Euer me þoȝt I schulde not wonde For wo, þer welez so wynne wore. c 1400 Destr. Troy 4265 A faire temple..With wallis vp wroght, wyn to beholde. |
▪ V. win, v.1
(wɪn)
Pa. tense and pple. won (wʌn). Forms: inf. α. 1–2 winnan, (1 wynnan), 3 winnen, (Orm.) -enn, 3–6 wynne, (3–5 -en), 3–7 winne, 3–8 winn, (4 whyn, Sc. vyn(e), 4–6 wine, wyne, wynn, wyn, (5 wenne), 4– win. β. (chiefly Sc.) 5, 7–8 wone, 6–9 won, 7 wonne, 9 wun. pa. tense. α. 1, 4 wann, 1–7 (8–9 dial. and arch.) wan, (4–5 whan(ne), 4–6 wane, (Sc. van), 4–7 wanne, (6 Sc. vane). β. 1. 2nd pers. sing. wunne; pl. 1 wunnon, 1, 5 wunnun, 3 (Orm.) -enn, 3–5 wonne(n, 4–5 -yn, 5 wonen, -yn; 4–6 wunne, 6–7 wun. γ. 1 wonn, 4–7 wonne, (5 whonne), 6–7 woon, 1– won. δ. 6 winned, 7 wined. pa. pple. α. 3–4 wunnen, (3 Orm. -enn), 4–5 wunne, 4 (6 Sc.) wun, (5 north. vun, 6 Sc. wvne); 4 (5 Sc.) woun, 5 Sc. wown, (woung). β.1. 4 wonnun, (Sc. wonone, vonnyn, vonyng), 4–5 wonnin, -ene, -yn(e, wonen(e, -yn(e, 4–6 wonnen, 5 wonun, (Sc. wonnyng). β.2. 3–4 iwonne, 3–5 ywonne, 4 ywon, 5 ywone, ywonnen, e-wonne. β.3. 4–7 wonne, (8 Sc.) wone, 5–7 wonn, 4– won; 6–7 woon(e, (6 woonne). γ. 4–7 wan, 6 wanne. δ. Sc. 5 winin, (wyn(n)ynge); 6 winn, wyn, wyne, 6–8 win, 7 winne, wynn. (Cf. win ppl. a.) ε. 7 wind.
[Com. Teut. str. vb.: OE. winnan, (wann, wunnen), also ᵹewinnan i-win v. = OFris. winna to obtain, OS. winnan to suffer, win, giwinnan to obtain, (MLG., MDu. winnen to till the ground, obtain, acquire), OHG. winnan (MHG. winnen) to be excited, rage, contend, exert oneself, also gawinnan to gain as by labour or exertion (MHG., G. gewinnen), ON. vinna to labour, bring about, gain (Sw. vinna, Da. vinde), Goth. (ga)winnan to suffer: ulterior relations are uncertain; forms of cognate meaning are Goth. winno, winna, wunns suffering, OHG. winna conflict, MHG. winne pain, ON. vinna labour; see also witherwin (OE. wiþerwinna, OHG. widarwinno).
The senses run parallel to a considerable extent with those of gain v.2 and get v.]
† 1. intr. To work, labour (OE.); to strive, contend, fight. Obs.
| Beowulf 506 Eart þu se Beowulf, se þe wið Brecan wunne? c 888 ælfred Boeth. xxxv. §4 Nis nan ᵹesceaft þe tiohhie þæt hio scyle winnan wið hire scippendes willan. c 900 tr. Baeda's Hist. iv. iii. (1890) 264 He þy ma mid his hondum wonn & worhte þa þing, þe nydþearfleco wæron. a 1000 in Wr.-Wülcker 202/41 Pugnaui, ic wan. a 1122 O.E. Chron. (Laud MS.) an. 685 Her ongan Ceadwala winnan æfter rice. c 1200 Ormin 3488 Forr þatt menn sholldenn..winnenn swa to cumenn upp till heofennrichess blisse. c 1200 Trin. Coll. Hom. 51 Ierusalem and babilonie beð two burȝes, and fliteð eure, and winneð bitwinen hem. Ibid. 187 Iob..wan wið þe þurse. c 1220 Bestiary 521 Til it cumeð ðe time Ðat storm stireð al ðe se, Ðanne sumer and winter winnen. |
† 2. trans. To conquer, subdue, overcome, defeat, vanquish, ‘beat’. Obs.
| 1297 R. Glouc. (Rolls) 136 Alle þes kinges were þo, ac bote on nov þer nis; Vor þe king of westsex alle þe oþere wan iwis. a 1300 Cursor M. 14832 He has vs wonnen [c 1375 Fairf. MS. wonnin] wit maistri. 13.. Guy Warw. (A.) 889 Wel mani kniȝtes Gij wan þat day. 1375 Barbour Bruce xii. 47 He thoucht that he suld weill lichtly Vyn hym, and haf hym at his will. c 1375 Sc. Leg. Saints vii. (Jacobus Minor) 752 Quhene þat tytus Ierusalem had wonone. c 1400 Ragman Roll 168 in Hazl. E.P.P. I. 76 Or that ye be conqueryd and e-wonne. c 1420 Avow. Arth. xxii, Thus hase he wonun Kay on werre. c 1470 Gol. & Gaw. 1198 Wourschipful Wavane had wonnin him on weir. 1470–85 Malory Arthur vii. xxiii. 250 He wanne me in playne bataille hande for hand. 1513 Life Hen. V. (1911) 108 He deliberated by proces of time to wynn them by hunger and thirst. 1535 Stewart Cron. Scot. (Rolls) I. 84 How that Reuthar..faucht with Cecelus..and wan him. 1577 T. Kendall Flowers Epigr. 38 b, Here sensuall pleasure doeth assault to winne me by her might. 1610 Heywood Gold. Age v. i, Creet thou hast wonne My thirty thousand Souldiers, and my Sonne. |
| fig. 1567 J. Maplet Gr. Forest 1 But whiles it [sc. the adamant] is inuincible or can not be woonne that way [sc. by fire]: yet..with the..freshe bloud of the Goate, it breaketh..in sunder. 1575 A. F. Virg. Bucol. vii. 22 Phillis loues the Hazils well,..The Myrtle shall them neuer wynne, nor Phoebus Bay trees tall. |
3. a. To be victorious in (a contest of any kind, as a battle, game, race, action at law, etc.). Also to win the day, win the field. (Cf. to win the victory, 6 b.)
Formerly used with a wider range of obj. (e.g. conquest, exploit).
| a 1300 Cursor M. 7793 Dauid had gin him batail kene; Wit godds grace þe feild he wan. 1338 R. Brunne Chron. (1810) 24 Tuo & tuenty batailes he wanne þe first ȝere. c 1400 Beryn 1747 The meyne [viz. chessmen] were I-set vp; they gon to pleye fast: Beryn wan the first, þe second, & þe þird. 1474 Caxton Chesse ii. iii. (1883) 38 The tonges of aduocates..must be had yf thou wylt wynne thy cause. 1489 Barbour's Bruce xi. title, The battale of Bannokburne, strykyne & vonyng be gud kyng Robert the Bruce. a 1533 Ld. Berners Huon liii. 177 How kynge Iuoryn caused his doughter play at the chesse with Huon,..and how Huon wan the game. c 1590 Marlowe Faustus 1029 Wks. (1910) 180 Howe they had wonne by prowesse such exploits. 1591 Shakes. 1 Hen. VI, i. vi. 17 'Tis Ioane, not we, by whom the day is wonne. 1594 R. Carew Tasso (1881) 15 Conquests he winned. 1600 Holland Livy i. ii. 3 The Aborigines and Trojanes wan indeed the field, but lost their Captaine Latinus. a 1650 Calderwood Hist. Kirk (1843) II. 263 ‘Prove that, and wonne the plea!’ said Lethington. 1653 Holcroft Procopius, Pers. Wars i. 22 He wanne this battell. 1728 Ramsay Monk & Miller's Wife 233 His courage wan the day. 1781 [see race n.1 10]. 1837 Dickens Pickw. vii, Won the toss—first innings—seven o'clock a.m. 1878 H. Gibbs Ombre (ed. 2) 26 If either of the adversaries win the game. 1908 [Eliz. Fowler] Betw. Trent & Ancholme 380 About that time, Waterloo was won. |
(b) transf. in catch-phr. to win the peace, to bring about the successful reconstruction of a country defeated in or severely damaged by a war; hence win-the-peace attrib.
| 1942 H. A. Wallace Century of Common Man (1944) 10 As part of the effort to win the peace, I am hoping that what might be called the ‘ever normal granary principle’ can be established for a number of commodities on a world-wide scale. 1945 Daily Herald 31 Aug. 2/1 The nation, girding itself for a supreme win-the-peace endeavour, will derive high encouragement from this enterprise by the mining community. 1950 A. Huxley Themes & Variations 243 That the Russians have been ‘winning the peace’ is due..to the fact that they profess and teach, as absolutely true, a clear-cut philosophy of man and nature. 1962 Listener 8 Mar. 402/2 They have also tried to agree that nobody was going to win the peace, but nobody was going to lose it either. |
b. Phrs. you can't win them all; you win some, you lose some, etc.
| 1954 R. Chandler Long Goodbye xxiv. 122 Take it easy, Doc. You can't win them all. 1966 P. O'Connell Sabre-Tooth xiv. 189 You win a few, you lose a few, and it's no good getting sore. 1976 Times 23 Nov. 14/1 You look like being saddled with the uninspiring Willy... On the other hand, you seem to have got your way over Mrs. Thatcher's nominee... You win some, you lose some. 1979 K. M. Peyton Marion's Angels ix. 151 ‘It'll be all right,’ she said. ‘I daresay. You can't win them all.’ 1984 Listener 1 Nov. 24/3 Academic friends..have found just one definite factual error... Ah, well; win some, lose some. |
4. a. absol. or intr. To overcome one's adversary, opponent, or competitor; to be victorious, gain the victory (now chiefly in sports or games of skill); fig. to prevail.
| 1297 R. Glouc. (Rolls) 4688 Hii worrede norþward & wonne ver & ner. 13.. Cursor M. 20004 (Edin.) Werande on þe wrang þai wan. 1375 Barbour Bruce xii. 373 In punȝeis is oft hapnyne Quhill for to vyne, and quhill to tyne. c 1400 26 Pol. Poems xxiv. 288 Haue mercie on me, let mercie wyn! 14.. Audelay Poems (Percy Soc.) Introd. p. ix, Oure faders in Frawns had won beforne. c 1440 Alphabet of Tales cxviii. 83 How..ij men played at þe dyce, and when þe tane of þaim began to lose, he began to..flite with God for þat he wan nott. 1546 J. Heywood Prov. (1867) 10 He laughth that wynth. 1551 Edw. VI Jrnl. in Lit. Rem. (Roxb.) II. 312, I lost..at roundes, and wane at rovers. 1597 Shakes. 2 Hen. IV, i. i. 132 The summe of all, Is, that the King hath wonne. 1607 Markham Cavel. vi. iv. 15 Nor haue I seene anye horse winne, but I haue seene many Horses loose, which haue beene kept with such dyett. 1697 Dryden Virg. Georg. iv. 127 Obstinately bent to win or dye. 1818 Byron Ch. Har. iv. cxl, He is gone, Ere ceased the inhuman shout which hail'd the wretch who won. 1837 Dickens Pickw. ii, That [advice] which bystanders invariably give to the smallest boy in a street fight, namely, ‘Go in and win’. 1842 Tennyson Godiva 35 The passions of her mind..Made war upon each other for an hour, Till pity won. 1871 Farrar Witn. Hist. iii. 100 Yet, unaided by any, opposed by all, Christianity won. 1880 W. Day Racehorse in Training xviii. 169 If an owner runs two horses in a race, he has a right to declare with which of the two he will win. 1884 Manch. Exam. 21 May 4/7 The M.C.C. winning by an innings and four runs. |
b. Phrs. you can't win, said (often in exasperation) to emphasize that whatever one does, it will be judged wrong or insufficient; you win, used to concede defeat in argument, etc.
| 1926 J. Black (title) You can't win. 1943 N. Marsh Colour Scheme vi. 99 All right... You win. I apologize. 1962 Redbook Mar. 44/2 She says I should always be dignified in front of him. Next she hands me the garbage pail and says, ‘Take this out.’ You can't win, no matter which way you turn! 1976 P. Lively Stitch in Time v. 55 ‘You can't win,’ said Martin with sudden gloom, ‘when you're the eldest. Whatever you do, you shouldn't have because you're old enough to know better.’ 1982 ‘S. Woods’ Enter a Gentlewoman ii. iii. 113 ‘It's hardly fair to judge other people by one's own principles.’ ‘All right, you win.’ |
5. a. trans. To subdue and take possession of; to seize, capture, take (a place). arch. (now associated with 6).
ME. phr. to win to or into one's hand or will.
| a 1122 O.E. Chron. an. 1070 (Laud MS.), Hi wendon þæt hi sceoldon winnon eall þæt land. c 1200 Trin. Coll. Hom. 51 Þe king..bilai þe burh forte þat hit [= he it] wan. 1297 R. Glouc. (Rolls) 1033 Engelond aþ ibe mid strengþe iwonne. Ibid. 3859 King howel wiþ is poer wan sone peyto Al to king arthures wille. Ibid. 7878 Ar is fader wonne engelond. a 1300 Leg. Rood ii. 219 He ouercom is fon And..al is lond won. a 1300 Cursor M. 9202 In his time was þe Iuen land Wonnen [Fairf. wonnyn] into þe sarzins hand. 13.. E.E. Allit. P. B. 1305 Nov he þe kyng has conquest & þe kyth wunnen. 13.. Coer de L. 1348 The toun of Acres he has wunne. 1387 Trevisa Higden (Rolls) IV. 9 Whanne Alisaundre hadde i-wonne alle þe est londes. c 1425 Wyntoun Cron. xx. 36 Sic assawtis þare he maid That neire þe tovne he wonyn [v.r. wonnynge] hade. Ibid. clxx. 4816 Quhen þe wardane..of þat land Had wonnyn gret part till his hand. c 1425 Engl. Conq. Irel. lvii. 136 He come ynto Irland, & whan the lond. 1430–40 Lydg. Bochas ix. 2134 Whan the saide cite was first wonne. c 1440 Gesta Rom. lvii. 240 (Harl. MS.) Þey entrid into þe citee, & whonne hit. c 1470 Henry Wallace vii. 1007 Ramsay and Graym the turat ȝet has wown. Ibid. x. 959 Schynnoun thai tuk, at Wallace fyrst had woun [ed. 1570 winin]. 1470–85 Malory Arthur i. vii. 44 Arthur wan alle the north scotland. a 1548 Hall Chron., Hen. V 39 b, He that will Fraunce wynne must with Scotlande firste begyn. 1556 Chron. Grey Friars (Camden) 21 Thys yere the towne dech was new cast... And the towne of Barwyke wanne. 1578 H. Wotton Courtlie Controv. 145 As men say, the Towne wonne, the Castell yeeldeth. 1603 G. Owen Pembrokeshire (1892) 47 A greate parte thereof was woon from them by the Englishmen. 1613 J. Saris Voy. Japan (Hakl. Soc.) 34 There land, which they had wone with there swordes. 1697 Dryden æneis x. 493 On either Hand, These fight to keep, and those to win the Land. 1791 Cowper Iliad iv. 495 Should the Greeks..win imperial Troy, The glory shall be his. 1836 Thirlwall Greece xxv. III. 387 He advised that they should.. endeavour first to win Messana. 1871 Freeman Norm. Conq. IV. xviii. 155 In the eyes of William it was a means by which Exeter might be won. |
b. To seize, capture, take as spoil; to catch (fish, a bird); to capture, take captive (a person). Obs. exc. in euphemistic slang, to steal.
| a 1300 K. Horn 1144 (Harl.) Ȝef eny fyssh is þer inne Þer of þou shalt wynne. 1375 Barbour Bruce vii. 88 Schir Thomas Randale than..the kyngis baner van. c 1400 Destr. Troy 4803 The souerain..deuidet Tho godes to his gomes..þat hom wan with woundes before And put hom in perell. 1481 Caxton Reynard iii. (Arb.) 6 That pudyng was myne ffor I hadde wonne it by nyghte in a mylle. a 1533 Ld. Berners Huon cxlii. 527 A ryche shyp, the whiche was wonne vpon the sowdans men. 1560 Rolland Seven Sages (Bann. Club) 1 Thay war sa repleit of all riches Win into weiris be martiall besynes. 1567 Gude & Godlie B. (S.T.S.) 112 Lyke to ane bird taine in ane net,..Sa is our lyfe weill win away. 1596 Dalrymple tr. Leslie's Hist. Scot. (S.T.S.) I. 42 Nocht sa mekle fishe thay with nettis, as with skepis, or long kreilis, win with wickeris in the forme of a hose sa round wouen. 1628 Feltham Resolves ii. [i.] lxxi. 205 The Spoyles he wanne from Cowards. a 1700 B. E. Dict. Cant. Crew, To Win, to Steal. 1785 Grose Dict. Vulgar T. 1919 Athenæum 8 Aug. 727/2 Everyone will have heard of ‘strafing’ and also ‘souvenir’, the latter usually meaning anything stolen, or ‘won’. |
† c. fig. To reclaim (land) as for cultivation.
| 1531–2 Act 23 Hen. VIII c. 5 §1 Marsshe groundes..wonne and made profitable for the greate common welthe of this Realme. 1541 Reg. Mag. Sig. Scot. 554/1 To win and rife out the saidis landis with the Eisly hillis of the samin. 1573–80 Tusser Husb. (1878) 114 The fen and the quamire, so marrish be kind, And are to be drained, now wine [later edd. win] to thy mind. |
† d. Of the sea: To gain on (the land): cf. 10 a.
| 1639 G. Plattes Discov. Subterr. Treas. xi. 52 The sea..perpetually winning land in one place, and losing in another. |
e. Cards. (a) (fig. from 2) To be of higher value than, to ‘beat’ (another card, hand, or suit); also intr. with of (cf. 10 a); (b) to gain possession of, take (a trick).
| 1680 Cotton Compl. Gamester vii. 71 He that can win five Tricks of the nine hath a sure Game. Ibid. x. 83 A Ten wins a Nine if not Trumps. 1778 Hoyle's Games Impr. 63 A..wins two Tricks... The first Hand wins of the second. 1892 ‘Cavendish’ Bézique 4 The highest card of the suit led wins the trick... Trumps win other suits. 1910 Dalton ‘Saturday’ Bridge 41 This is an undoubted No Trump call for the dealer, although in itself it will not win many tricks. |
6. To get, obtain, acquire; esp. to get as something profitable or desired; to gain, procure. a. with concrete (material) obj. Obs. or arch. exc. in specific uses: see 7.
| c 1200 Ormin 6111, & tuss þu mihht te weorelldþing Wiþþ Godess lefe winnenn. Ibid. 7890, & ȝiff ȝho wass summ wædle wif þatt lamb ne mihhte winnenn. c 1220 Bestiary 411 Ðe rauen is swiðe redi, Weneð ðat ȝe rotieð, And oðre fules hire fallen bi For to winnen fode. c 1290 Beket 1439 in S. Eng. Leg. 147 His men he broȝte In seruise heore mete to wynne þere. 13.. Cursor M. 4376 (Gött.) And leuere me es be pouer and lele, Þan falsli to winne catele. 1362 Langl. P. Pl. A. v. 237 Al þat I wikkedliche won seþþe I wit hade. c 1400 Gamelyn 283 (Corpus MS.) Thus wan Gamely þe Ram and þe Ryng. 1430 Reg. Mag. Sig. Scot. 38/2 The tanehalf of the sayd to be wonnyn fra the sayd Andro be the law. c 1449 Pecock Repr. iii. xix. 409 If y be riche and haue wunne more good than is necessarie to me. 1526 Tindale Luke ix. 25 For what shall itt avauntage a man, to wyn the whole worlde yff he loose hym silfe? 1549 Compl. Scot. xx. 172 The inglis men van neuyr na thing at ȝour handis. 1553 Becon Reliques of Rome (1563) 247 b, Euery winning lefully wonnen in merchaundise. 1563 Homilies ii. Matrimony ¶13 He tylleth it [sc. the ground], and so wynneth fruite thereof. 1616 T. Scot Philomythie I 3 b, Till th'one his topsaile fairely doth aduance To win the winde. 1670 W. Walker Idiomat. Anglo-Lat. 549, I will win the horse, or lose the saddle. 1813 Scott Rokeby i. xii, Right English all, they rush'd to blows, With nought to win, and all to lose. 1868 Morris Earthly Par. (1870) I. ii. 556 A certain man Who from being poor great riches wan. |
b. with abstract (immaterial) obj., or gen.
Still in regular current use in reference to something gained by merit or the like, as confidence, esteem, fame, favour, honour, love, praise, respect, etc.; also with consent, obedience, etc.; to win the (or a) victory, to be victorious (cf. 3); to win one's way, to make or find one's way, ‘get along’, succeed in getting somewhere (also fig.). In other connexions ordinarily replaced by gain or obtain.
| c 1000 Passio S. Marg. in Cockayne Narratiunculæ (1861) 49 Eadiᵹ eart þu..for þon þe þu wunne reste a oþ ende mid halᵹum fæmnum. c 1200 Ormin Ded. 313 To winnenn..Att Crist soþ sawle berrhless. a 1300 Cursor M. 17497 If we ne soth said, quat suld we win? For-soth nanoþer thing bot sin. Ibid. 20056 Þair beniscun þan bes not wan. 13.. Coer de L. 1884 The galyes came unto the citie, And had nigh won entrie. 1340 Hampole Pr. Consc. 2769 Na mede in heven to wyn. c 1375 Sc. Leg. Saints iii. (Andreas) 560 Þat þu mycht..of þi cristis lawis blyne, Þat þu mycht oure frendschepe vyne. ? a 1400 Morte Arth. 22 How they whanne..wyrchippis many. c 1400 Rom. Rose 2316 In armes also if thou konne, Pursue to thou a name hast wonne. 1470–85 Malory Arthur x. lix. 513 Whanne they wend best to haue wonne worship they loste hit. ? a 1500 Chester Pl. xii. 91 But ever he wynnes the victory. a 1548 Hall Chron., Edw. IV 203 b, To destroy the Realme, and wynne the hatred & malice of all the nacion. 1567 Gude & Godlie B. (S.T.S.) 59 He..spolȝeit Sathan, hell and sin, And heuinlie gloir to vs hes win. 1570 Dee Math. Pref. ☛ iv b, To wyn due and common credit. a 1586 Sidney Ps. xxxi. v, O Lord, of thee, lett me still mercy wynne. 1617 Moryson Itin. ii. 166 In defending this fort [they] woon great reputation by their valour. c 1620 A. Hume Brit. Tongue (1865) 18 He snapped me on this hand and he on that, that the doctour had mikle a doe to win me room for a syllogisme. 1754 Gray Progr. Poesy 39 In gliding state she wins her easy way. a 1796 Burns ‘As I stood by yon roofless tower’, Like fortune's favours, tint as win. 1853 Dickens Bleak Ho. xiii, I am glad to have won your confidence. 1866 Geo. Eliot F. Holt i, Winning small triumphs in bargains and personal economies. 1888 Bryce Amer. Commw. lxxiii. II. 596 They failed to win obedience. 1910 A. Lang in Encycl. Brit. X. 135/1 Fairies naturally won their way into the poetry of the middle ages. |
† c. absol. or intr.: in early use esp. to get gain, make profit; spec. in Sc. legal use, in such phrases as able to tine or win, i.e. having means sufficient to aim at profit or risk loss. Obs.
| a 1300 Cursor M. 19574 To win wit-all he wend it bij. 1340 Hampole Pr. Consc. 1457 Now we wyn, now we tyn. 1362 Langl. P. Pl. A. i. 153 Þauȝ ȝe ben trewe of tonge and treweliche winne, And eke as chast as a child. c 1386 Chaucer Pard. T. 133 A moral tale yet I yow telle kan Which I am wont to preche for to wynne. 1414 26 Pol. Poems xiii. 155 Wiþ fiȝt ȝe wynne, wiþ trete ȝe lese. 1421 Ibid. xviii. 138 Byȝe no thyng to selle and wynne. c 1450 Godstow Reg. 159 To wyn or to lese. 1476 Acta Audit. (1839) 47/1 To defend þe said causs of Errour..with ful powere to tyne and wynne. 1609 Skene Reg. Maj. 53 Be his procuratour constitute be him, in his place, to tine or to wone in the cause. 1699 in Rec. Convent. Burghs Scot. (1880) IV. 281 Ane person that..can tin and win in all ther affairs. |
7. In various specific uses. † a. To beget: = get v. 26. Obs.
| 13.. E.E. Allit. P. B. 112 Hit weren not alle on wyuez sunez, wonen with on fader. a 1400–50 Wars Alex. 587 Þe twa Þat I wan on myne oþire wyfe þat I wedd first. |
† b. To get for immediate use, procure; hence, contextually, to fetch, bring (cf. 14 c). Obs.
| c 1350 Will. Palerne 2852 Þe werwolf went wiȝtly & whan hem mete & drink. 13.. E.E. Allit. P. B. 617, I schal wynne yow, wyȝt, of water a lyttel. c 1470 Henry Wallace v. 865 The Scottis wan hors, becaus thair awne couth faill. |
c. To obtain (a woman) as a wife or ‘lady’ by action or effort of some kind: usually with implication of gaining her affection and consent (cf. 9).
to win and wear: see wear v.1 8 b.
| c 1320 Sir Tristr. 1913 Wiþ þine harp þou wonne hir þat tide. c 1374 Chaucer Anel. & Arc. 100 Ful mychell besynesse had he or þat he myght his lady wynne. 1470–85 Malory Arthur viii. xxvi. 312 Sythen I am ladyles I wil wyn thy lady. 1579 Lyly Euphues (Arb.) 91 After al his strife hee [sc. Menelaus] wan but a strumpet. 1639 J. Clarke Parœm. 40 Faint heart never won faire lady. 1668 Sedley Mulberry Gard. iv. i. 49 There had been More hope of winning a Widow at her Husbands Funeral, then of any favour for her now. 1789 Burns To Dr. Blacklock viii, And let us mind, faint heart ne'er wan A lady fair. 1847 Tennyson Princess Prol. 220 Take Lilia, then, for heroine..and be you The Prince to win her! 1885 ‘Mrs. Alexander’ Valerie's Fate v, Valerie, will you let me try to win you? |
d. To gain by effort or competition, as a prize or reward, or in gaming or betting, as a wager, etc. Also absol.
to win one's † shoes, spurs: see shoe n. 2 i, spur n.1 3 a.
| c 1320 Sir Tristr. 340 Tristrem wan þat day Of him an hundred pounde. c 1330 R. Brunne Chron. Wace (Rolls) 449 Iasan..Whan þe Ram wyþ gilden flees. c 1400 Destr. Troy 172 And wo this wethur shuld wyn bude wirke as I say. a 1400–50 Wars Alex. 818 Þis renke & his rounsy, þai reche vp a croune, As gome at has þe garland..Wonn. c 1489 Caxton Sonnes of Aymon vii. 169 For to assaye our horses for to wynne the pryce that the kyng hath set vpon. a 1533 [see wager n.2 2]. 1549 Compl. Scot. vi. 64 Iason van the goldin fleice. 1610 B. Jonson Alch. i. i, He would haue..a familiar To rifle with, at horses, and winne cups. 1621 T. Granger Expos. Eccles. vii. 7. 166 Our first Parents for an apple lost Paradise, and woon hell. 1645 Vane Lost Sheepe 35 Haueing woone the prize in the Pythian games. 1704 Norris Ideal World ii. xii. 484 A man would be ridiculous that should go to prove by mere reason, that such a one won the plate at a horse-race. 1835 Dickens Sk. Boz, Mr. Watkins Tottle i, Frank took dummy; and I won sixpence. 1848 Thackeray Van. Fair lxiv, The Rev. Mr. Muff,..of whom she won large sums at écarté. 1885 Law Rep. Weekly Notes 145/2 The defendant..having won on those bets received the winnings from the persons with whom he had betted. |
e. To get by labour, to earn (now dial.); † to get as profit, to gain (obs.). Also absol.
| c 1200 Ormin 10175 Þeȝȝ [sc. publicans]..wunnenn mikell to þe king, & mare till hemm sellfenn. 1340–70 Alex. & Dind. 450 Wiþ us schineþ euery schalk in schippus for to saile, For to winne on þe watur wordliche fode. c 1386 Chaucer Prol. 715 He moste preche and wel affile his tonge To wynne siluer. 1429 Rolls of Parlt. IV. 360/2 Yai wil..receive for paiement..nobles,..ye which..yai leede..into oyer straunge Cuntrees, where hit is chaunged to yair encresce, and forged into oyer coygnes, so yat yai wynne in ye alay of ech noble xx d. a 1500 Ratis Raving 520 The gudis þat he has with his trew labore wynynge. 1530 in Maitl. Club Misc. II. 103 Honest and laborius personis abill to wyne thar liffing. 1531 Dial. on Laws of Eng. ii. xxxix. 79 If a preest haue wonne moche by sayenge of masse. c 1620 Z. Boyd Zion's Flowers (1855) 54 Win little and win oft..Makes merchands rich. 1623 J. Taylor (Water P.) New Discov. A 5, I am a Fisherman Who many yeares my liuing thus haue wan. 1724 Ramsay Tea-t. Misc. (1733) I. 87 Wi' cauk and keel I'll win your bread. 1819 Scott Noble Moringer xxii, Of him I held the little mill which wins me living free. 1823 ― Quentin D. xiv, Every one wins his bread in this country. 1893 Snowden Tales Yorksh. Wolds 188 Then Aw can win summat, cannot Aw? |
f. To get, gather (crops or other produce); to gather in, harvest. Now dial.
| 1375 Barbour Bruce x. 189 Syndri cornys that thai bair Woxe rype to wyn to mannys fude. Ibid. 193 Thai of the peill had vonnyn hay. Ibid. 219 To vyn thair harvist. 1491 Acta Dom. Conc. (1839) 205/2 The cornez..sall be led and wonnyne..and stakkit. 15.. Battle of Otterburn i, Yt fell abowght the Lamasse tyde, Whan husbondes wynnes ther haye. 1549 D. Monro Descr. W. Isles (1773) 46 The place quhar he winnes his peitts this zier, ther he sawis his corne the next zeire. 1565 Reg. Privy Council Scot. I. 402 The cornis..ar nocht sa weill win as neid wer. a 1578 Lindesay (Pitscottie) Chron. Scot. (S.T.S.) I. 30 [They] micht nocht saw nor wine thair cornis. 1683 J. Reid Scots Gard'ner (1907) 137 Peas..When ripe, you may easily win some for seed. a 1791 Grose Olio (1792) 110 W. He is gone to the field to his workmen. C. Hey. W. Just so; to try to win his hay. 1834 Southey Doctor vi. (1848) 20 If they had fine weather for winning their hay or shearing their corn, they thanked God for it. 1891 A. Lang Angling Sk. 101 On a hillside..the countryfolk were winning their hay. |
g. To get or extract (coal, stone, or other mineral) from the mine, pit, or quarry; also, to sink a shaft or make an excavation so as to reach (a seam of coal or vein of ore) and prepare it for working, as by drainage, etc. (cf. 11). See also winning vbl. n. 5 a, 5 b.
| 1447 in Reg. Mag. Sig. Scot. 1451 106/1 With lefe..for to wyn colis and stanis within the saide landis. 1456–70 in Acts Parlt. Scot. (1875) XII. 27/2 Becaus of his colys and fuell..to be woung in tyme of ȝeir. 1497 Acc. Ld. High Treas. Scot. I. 380 The man that ȝeid to vesy to se gif he could wyn sclait. 1509 Reg. Privy Seal Scot. I. 284/1 Fredome to wyn and fyne lede ure within the ilis. 1614 in Cochran-Patrick Early Rec. Mining Scot. (1878) 163 The minerallis..to be wroght and wynn at the saidis mynes. 1630 Burgh Rec. Glasgow (1876) I. 374 To won alsmony lymstanes in the lyme craig at the Channown mos as he can. 1648 Ibid. II. 132 Alsmanie stones to be..win as may serve the building of the midwall. Ibid. 151 To the end alse manie staines may be wind furthe therof as [etc.]. 1708 J. C. Compl. Collier (1845) 10 You tell me you have hopes to win a Colliery in my grounds. 1725 Rep. MSS. Dk. Portland VI. (Hist. MSS. Comm. 1901) 106 When they have sunk it [sc. the pit] till they come at the bed of coals, they are then said to have won the colliery. 1789 J. Williams Min. Kingd. I. 168 Coals are so far wasted near water carriage in the neighbourhood of Newcastle, that they are become already very difficult and expensive to winn. 1839 Ure Dict. Arts 968 Of fitting or winning a coal-field. 1869 Law Rep., Ch. App. V. 111, I conceive that coal is won when it is put in a state in which continuous working can go forward in the ordinary way. 1885 Law Times LXXIX. 153/2 The trustees..had power to win the minerals lying under their land. 1886 J. Barrowman Sc. Mining Terms 73 A seam is said to be won when a pit is sunk, or a mine driven to it, and the pit or mine is said to win all to the rise of the level. |
† h. To gain (ground) upon (of); to gain (time).
| c 1400 Beryn 2384 Beryn..gan to turn a-side, on-to þe see stronde, And the cripill aftir, & wan oppon hym londe. c 1435 Torr. Portugal 656 Thus erthe on hym he wane. 1471 Caxton Recuyell (Sommer) 230 We muste nedes wynne vpon Amphitrion on this way a nyght and a day. 1577 Holinshed Chron. I. 131/1 They dayly wanne grounde vpon the Brytons. 1606 Shakes. Ant. & Cl. ii. iv. 9 Your way is shorter,..you'le win two dayes vpon me. 1611 ― Cymb. iii. iv. 112. 1717 Pope Iliad x. 409 Yet let him pass, and win a little Space. |
† 8. To regain, recover (something lost); hence, to make up for (loss, waste); to rescue, deliver; in religious use, to redeem: often with again. Obs.
| c 1220 Bestiary 768 Ful wel he taunede his luue to man Wan he ðurȝ holi spel him wan. 1362 Langl. P. Pl. A. v. 25 He bad wastors go worche what þei best couþe, And wynne þat þei wasteden [1377 B. v. 25 wynnen his wastyng]. 1375 Barbour Bruce ii. 111 Throw hym I trow my land to wyn, Magre the Clyffurd and his kyn. c 1380 in Pol. Poems (Rolls) I. 264 By God, that al this world wan. c 1400 Rule St. Benet (verse) 1306 How a hird-man A febil schepe warest & wane. c 1440 York Myst. xi. 405 Now ar we wonne fra waa, and saued oute of þe see. 1450–1530 Myrr. our Ladye ii. 253 Saye we endelesse thankes to god that hathe wonne vs ageyne. a 1533 Ld. Berners Gold. Bk. M. Aurel. (1546) F vij, The losse of the father by euyll children, is wonne by vertuouse sonnes in lawe. 1562 Child-Marriages 14 To wyne all the tenement together againe. 1567 Gude & Godlie B. (S.T.S.) 18 Giue thow thy self thy saull culd win, In vaine I deit for thy sin. Ibid. 39 He was loste, and now is win. 1633 P. Fletcher Purple Isl. v. lxi, Thus Orpheus wanne his lost Eurydice. |
9. a. To overcome the unwillingness or indifference of; with various shades of meaning: to attract, allure, entice; to prevail upon, persuade, induce; to gain the affection or allegiance of; to bring over to one's side, party, or cause, to convert. Also absol. or intr. (see also winning ppl. a. 3).
Some of the applications are now more usual with the constructions illustrated in b.
| a 1340 Hampole Psalter vii. 2 Þe deuel þat sekis how he myght wynn mennys saule. c 1400 Cursor M. 28000 (Cott. Galba) If þou..wowid hir with wordes sleghe,..And þarthurgh so has won hir will. 1474 Caxton Chesse ii. iv. (1883) 51 They wynne wyth yeftes the hertes of the goddes and of men. 1535 Coverdale Prov. xi. 30 A wyse man also wynneth mens soules. 1555 Eden Decades (Arb.) 141 Meanyng hereby too woonne the myndes of the other kynges. 1567 Jewel Def. Apol. 417 The Embassadoure of so Noble a Common Wealthe, was soone, and easily, and willingly woonne. 1576 T. Fortescue Forest of Hist. (ed. 2) 141 He wun the harts of the Citisens. a 1589 in Puttenham Engl. Poesie iii. xix. (Arb.) 217 His wealth wan many friends. 1591 Shakes. Two Gent. iii. i. 89 Win her with gifts, if she respect not words. 1629 Sir W. Mure True Crucif. 592 Hee..With this soft speech..Doth wound, not wonne, the traytor's heart of stone. 1653 Austen Fruit Trees i. (1657) 31 The worst temper of minds are wonne. 1698 Fryer Acc. E. India & P. 269 How far..a Graceful Mein, and Innocent Discourse, wins among more refined Christians. 1784 Cowper Task iv. 694 Slighted as it is,..the country wins me still. 1871 Tennyson Last Tourn. 703 For courtesy wins woman all as well As valour may. 1874 Longfellow Hanging of Crane iii, The ways that win, the arts that please. 1914 Tollinton Clem. Alex. I. vii. 236 The missionary goes to win and to save souls. |
b. with adv. or prep. (away, over; from, to, etc.).
| 1303 R. Brunne Handl. Synne 6606 Ȝyf þou to drunkenes wldest hym wynne. c 1375 Sc. Leg. Saints xv. (Barnabas) 128 Paule to þe treutht wonnyn was. c 1386 Chaucer Doctor's T. 132 Þat he by slyghte The mayden to his purpos wynne myghte. c 1450 in Aungier Syon (1840) 269 The presidente..in as moche as in her is..owethe to wynne al to God. 1542 Udall in Lett. Lit. Men (Camden) 5 Thei have thereby woonne to goodnes innumerable persons. 1594 in Maitl. Club Misc. I. 67 That the said ladie may be winn to God. 1603 Daniel Def. Ryme Pref. A 2, To hold him from being wonne from vs. 1632 Sanderson Serm., Ad Pop. iv. 407 If our Inclinations cannot be wonne over to that course. 1637 Gillespie Engl. Pop. Cerem. iii. viii. 187 He is already winne to repentance. 1646 Sir T. Browne Pseud. Ep. i. iii. 11 The Priests of Elder time..winning their credulities unto the literall and downe-right adorement of Cats, Lizards, and Beetles. 1662 Extr. St. Papers rel. Friends Ser. ii. (1911) 151 All the Acts of a most gracious Prince..can not winne them..from these..rebellious Courses. 1761 F. Sheridan Sidney Bidulph II. 336 She has won me to her party. 1796–7 Jane Austen Pride & Prej. xi, She could not win him, however, to any conversation. 1821 Scott Kenilw. xxiv, She can sing and play o' the lute, would win the fish out o' the stream. 1882 J. H. Blunt Ref. Ch. Eng. II. 205 To win her over to an ultramontane policy. |
c. with to and inf. arch.
| 1540 Palsgr. Acolastus ii. ii. I iv b, How moch Philautus..hath wonne me holely..to be his. 1591 Shakes. Two Gent. iii. i. 67. 1596 Dalrymple tr. Leslie's Hist. Scot. (S.T.S.) I. 323 Thay conspyre, and winnis him with money quyetlie to putt doune the king. 1640 T. Carew Poems, Disdain returned iii, No teares, Celia, now shall win, My resolv'd heart, to returne. 1664 in Verney Mem. (1907) II. 210 So much fre kindnes as wold winn any creture to admier it. 1725 Pope Odyss. xii. 53 Unblest the man, whom music wins to stay Nigh the curst shore. 1812 J. Wilson Isle of Palms ii. 17 Gleam'st thou, as if delighted with the strain, And won by it the pious bark to keep In joy for ever? |
10. intr. with upon, on, † of. † a. To gain an advantage over, get the better of; to gain or encroach upon; rarely, to overcome, subdue. Obs.
| c 1440 Pallad. on Husb. iii. 4 As Luna gynneth wexe & wynne Vppon the nyght. 1590 in Rep. Hist. MSS. Comm., Var. Coll. IV. 284 Where the sea dailie wynnethe of the land againste this Towne. c 1600 Shakes. Sonn. lxiv. 7 When I haue seene the hungry Ocean gaine Aduantage on the Kingdome of the shoare, And the firme soile win of the watry maine. 1607 ― Cor. i. i. 223 The rabble..will in time Win vpon power. 1611 ― Cymb. i. i. 121 So in our trifles I still winne of you. 1613 J. Hayward Lives 3 Normans 21 Henry..did many other times..inuade his Countrey; sometimes with purpose to winne vpon him, and sometimes to keepe him from winning vpon others. 1685 Dryden Thren. Aug. iv, Thus, at half Ebb, a rowling Sea Returns, and wins upon the shoar. 1754 J. Shebbeare Matrimony (1766) II. 33 This young Gentleman used every Art..to win on the Resentment which the Baronet had entertained against him. 1791 Mrs. Radcliffe Rom. Forest (1820) I. 121 So much did passion win upon her judgement, by time and indulgence. |
b. To gain influence over, to prevail with (often implying ‘to gain increasing influence over, to prevail more and more with’); to gain the favour or engage the affections of (esp. gradually or increasingly). Also with affection, esteem, regard, or the like as obj.
| 1601 B. Jonson Poetaster To Rdr. 87, I at last..Thought, I would try, if shame could winne vpon 'hem. a 1616 Beaum. & Fletcher Cust. Country ii. i, The courage they exprest..And their contempt of death wan more upon me Than all they did. a 1665 Digby Priv. Mem. (1827) 205 Her excessive beauty and gracefulness did so win upon his senses. 1749 Fielding Tom Jones xiv. viii, By the Force of the true Catholic Faith, St. Anthony won upon the Fishes. 1755 J. Shebbeare Lydia (1769) I. 438 The pleasing countenance of Lydia won on this woman's opinion. 1796 Coleridge Let. to T. Poole 24 Sept., Charles Lloyd wins upon me hourly. 1842 Dickens Amer. Notes xviii, I never was so won upon, as by this class. 1884 Church Bacon vi. 124 He had won greatly on the confidence of the King. |
† c. To prevail upon (to do something). Obs.
| 1674 N. Fairfax Bulk & Selv. 183 As some of the uppermost seat of Philosophers..have themselves thought, and wonne upon others to think so too. 1698 Fryer Acc. E. India & P. 217, I was easily won upon to embark on the Scipio African. 1802 H. Martin Helen of Glenross II. 217 Who shall I win upon to aid me in my future views? |
11. a. trans. To reach, attain, arrive at: = gain v.2 7; occas. to get at, get hold of (an object); to overtake (a person); to be in time for, ‘catch’. arch.
| 1471 Caxton Recuyell (Sommer) 211 Yf he had not wonne a roche vpon whiche he gate vp with grete payne. c 1480 Henryson Fox, Wolf & Cadger 137 Bot all for nocht, he wan his hoill that day. 1517 R. Torkington Pilgr. (1884) 61 The wynde enforcyd So myche.., that our governor Saw it was not possible for to wyne the porte. 1596 Spenser F.Q. vi. i. 23 But Calidore did follow him so fast, That euen in the Porch he him did win. 1697 Dryden Virg. Past. viii. 56 Then scarce the bending Branches I cou'd win [orig. Iam fragilis poteram ab terra contingere ramos]. 1768 Ross Helenore i. 58 Yet wi' what pith she had, she takes the gate, An' wan the burn. 1808 Scott Marm. iii. i, The stony path..By which the naked peak they wan. 1821 Hodgson in Raine Mem. (1857) I. 339 Having got your letter late in the day, I am compelled to be brief to win the post. 1842 Macaulay Lays, Horatius xxvi, And if they once may win the bridge, What hope to save the town? 1848 Rossetti Poems, Last Confess. 253 As when a bird flies low Between the water and the willow-leaves, And the shade quivers till he wins the light. 1892 Rider Haggard Nada xxv, The Halakazi were worsted in the field, but many lived to win the great cave. |
† b. To get across, to cross; to get through, accomplish. Obs. rare.
| 1426 Lydg. De Guil. Pilgr. 903 To chyldre that be yonge of age, And offter han thys ryver wonne Than folk that ben on age ronne. 1573–80 Tusser Husb. (1878) 124 Thry fallowing won, Get compassing don. a 1585 Montgomerie Cherrie & Slae 645 Fra we get our voyage wun. |
12. a. (a) intr. To make or find one's way; also in weakened sense, to arrive at or come to some place, etc.; in early use often a mere synonym of ‘come’ or ‘go’: = get v. 31. With various preps. and advs., sometimes in specialized senses: cf. corresponding uses of get s.v. get v. VI, VII. Formerly chiefly Sc. and north. dial.
This use depends on that of ON. vinna.
| a 1300 Cursor M. 996 A firin wall þar es a-bute, Mai nan win in þat es wit-oute. Ibid. 2499 Þe fiue gaue bak to wine a-way. Ibid. 10592 Quils þai locked þam biside, Sco was won to þe heist stride. c 1330 R. Brunne Chron. Wace (Rolls) 8457 Vneþes to Gloucestre y wan. 13.. E.E. Allit. P. B. 1777 Þay..Lyfte laddres..& vpon lofte wonen. 13.. Gaw. & Gr. Knt. 461 Neuermore þen þay wyste fram queþen he was wonnen. 1375 Barbour Bruce xv. 221 [Thai] slow all that thai mycht to vyn. a 1400–50 Wars Alex. 3438 Sen I wan in-to þe werld. c 1400 Destr. Troy 649 Bes wakond and warly; wyn to my chamber. c 1420 Liber Cocorum (1862) 19 And cover hit þat no hete oute wynne. c 1450 Cov. Myst., Purification 43 To jherusalem ffast now wynne. c 1475 Rauf Coilȝear 625 Say thow art not worthy to Wymond to win. 1508 Kennedie Flyting w. Dunbar 433 Thou may not pas Mount Barnard for wild bestis, Nor wyn throw Mount Scarpre for the snawe. 1541 Wyatt Declar. Wks. 1816 II. 281 This, me-thought, was so gladsome unto me to win to the King..that all my policy..was clean forgotten with me. 1585 Reg. Privy Council Scot. Ser. i. III. 743 He at last wan to his said hous. 1643 in Boyd Zion's Flowers (1855) App. 41/2 That none win to the Sessions loft till the Sessioners be placed. 1652 Earl of Monmouth tr. Bentivoglio's Hist. Relat. 10 Full of channels and rivers, and very hard to be wonn into. 1717 Wodrow Corr. (1843) II. 262, I hope to win off beginning of next week. 1724 E. Erskine Serm. Wks. (1791) 120 Christ is in heaven, how shall I win at him? 1813 Byron Br. Abydos ii. xxv, Had Selim won..To where the strand and billows met. 1816 Scott Antiq. xv, And how am I to win hame? 1816 ― Old Mort. xl, Whiles the tear wan into my e'e. c 1830 Hogg Tales & Sk. (1837) III. 205, I canna won sae weel through the snaw. 1865 G. Macdonald Alec Forbes xii, Whan I was na bigger than you, Annie, I could win oot at a less hole than that. 1892 Kipling Barrack-room Ballads, East & West 23 The Colonel's son to the Fort has won. 1893 Stevenson Catriona xv, When we won in by the pier. 1923 Edith Thompson Hist. Eng. xlvi. 437 The Germans never won through to the Channel ports. |
(b) to win up: to get up; to get up on one's feet, to rise; to get on horseback, mount. So to win upon.
| a 1300 Cursor M. 15760 Þai fell þaim don vn-to þe grund,..all vp þai siþen wan. 1375 Barbour Bruce x. 435 His menȝhe all War wonnyn vp apon the wall. c 1400 Destr. Troy 1165 Iason..and Ioly knightes moo,..Wonen vp wynly vppon wale horses. Ibid. 13938 Whan he wackont of wo, he wan vpo fote. c 1460 Towneley Myst. xxiii. 114 And wyn apon youre palfray sone. c 1802 Jellen Grame in Child Ballads II. 303/2 ‘Win up, my bonny boy,’ he says, ‘As quick as e'er you may.’ 1868 Morris Earthly Par. (1870) I. i. 41 And now we set ourselves in haste to win Up to that mountain's top. 1893 Stevenson Catriona xxx, Just let me win upon my horse! |
b. absol. without prep. or adv.: To get to the place implied (Sc. and dial.); to come, go.
| c 1430 Syr Tryam. 216 Bettyr hyt ys..Owt of yowre londe sche be flemyd..And faste ye schalle hur comawnde to wynne. a 1670 Spalding Troub. Chas. I (Bann. Club) I. 99 The marquess wrote back his excuse, saying, he could not win. 1894 P. H. Hunter James Inwick v. 70 There was a by-ordinar congregation that day; a'body that could win was there. |
† c. In static sense: To ‘come’, reach. Obs.
| a 1578 Lindesay (Pitscottie) Chron. Scot. (S.T.S.) I. 258 Reid ȝallow hair..quhilk wan doune to his schoulderis. |
d. In reference to a desired end, a condition, experience, proceeding, etc.: with various preps. and advs., often in specialized senses: = get v. 31 b and various uses in VI and VII (see also below). Formerly chiefly Sc. and north. dial.
win by{ddd} (by prep. 16 b), to escape, avoid. † win of eld, to ‘come of age’. win out, to come out successfully, succeed in attaining one's end; (without of, orig. U.S.; cf. to lose out s.v. lose v.1 4 d). win through, to come out successfully. win to, to begin eating, ‘set to’, ‘fall to’ (= get v. 77).
| a 1300 Cursor M. 25363 Oft þe men þat er rightwis Thoru faanding win þai to þair pris. c 1300 Havelok 174 Til þat she mowe winan of helde. 13.. Northern Passion (1913) I. 153/330* He hopid forto win fra wogh. c 1400 Destr. Troy 9212 He his wit cast, For to wyn to his will. a 1400–50 Wars Alex. 3986 Quen he wan to wax.., Thre cubettis fra þe croune doun his cors had a lenghte. c 1440 Pallad. on Husb. v. 67 The growyng of hem into oon heed wole wynne. a 1585 Montgomerie Cherrie & Slae 280 Ay houping, throu louping, To win to liberty. c 1635 Rutherford Lett., to Marion M{supc}Knaught iii. xxiv. (1675) 190, I look not to win away to my home, without wounds and blood. 1644 Baillie Lett. (1841) II. 211 There is so much matter yet before us, as we cannot winn through for a long time after our common pace. 1709 M. Bruce Soul Confirm. 15 Soul-confirmation..is not easilie wone at,..you that keeps only your old Job-troot,..you will not wone at Soul-confirmation. 1721 Ramsay Horace to Virgil 21 The Man wha cou'd sic Rubs win o'er. 1816 Scott Old Mort. xiv, We got some water-broo and bannocks; and mony a weary grace they said,..or they wad let me win to. Ibid. xxxv, The job is how we are to win by hanging. a 1850 Rossetti Dante & Circle i. (1874) 94 The anguish..that we must bow Beneath, until we win out of this life. 1868 J. C. Atkinson Gloss. Cleveland Dial. 575 He's sair an' badly. But t'doctor thinks he'll win thruff. 1896 Voice 9 Apr. 4/5 McKinley will lead on the first ballot, but ‘who will win out’ is a different question. 1902 Kipling Traffics & Discov. (1904) 7 But on delusions—as to their winning out next Tuesday week at 9 a.m.—they are—if I may say so—quite British. 1919 Beerbohm Seven Men 103, I wish he could have won out, as I did, into a great and lasting felicity. 1924 Galsworthy Forest iii. 78 You, Lockyer—a soldier! One spurt and we'll win out. Come! 1927 Daily Express 14 Dec. 13/5 It is good to know that Wodehouse's clever humour has won through. 1931 A. L. Rowse Politics & Younger Generation i. 262 If the League can manage to win through the divisions of the post-war world,..it will have established itself. 1947 ‘G. Orwell’ Eng. People 38 The American tendency is to burden every verb with a preposition that adds nothing to its meaning (win out, lose out, face up to, etc.). 1959 Listener 28 May 958/1 He made many enemies, but finally won through opposition to become one of the most controversial commanders of the last war. 1969 A. J. Meadows High Firmament vii. 160 Eventually, the uniformitarian concept won out in both astronomy and geology. 1974 ‘M. Innes’ Appleby's Other Story i. 7 Victorian bankers who won out when all the little local concerns began to be bundled up together. 1977 ‘E. Crispin’ Glimpses of Moon ii. 28, I won through, though... I survived. 1984 Times Educ. Suppl. 30 Nov. 28/1 The book has a brisk story and impeccable moral attitudes: gypsies, orphans, teachers and policemen are all good, ordinary people who win out in the end. |
e. with adj. as compl.: = get v. 33.
| 1886 R. F. Burton Arab. Nts. (abr. ed.) I. 82 note, He labours to win free from every form and observance. 1902 London Mag. June 452/2 Smiling to see him struggle when he thought he could win clear. |
13. intr. with to and inf.: To succeed in doing (what is denoted by the vb.); to contrive, manage to do something. Now only Sc. and dial.
| a 1300 Cursor M. 26816 For mai naman wit quem to winn To serue at ans lauerds tuin. c 1300 K. Horn 1112 (Laud) Myȝte he nowt wynne For to come þer inne. c 1400 Destr. Troy 3145 O nowise may we wyn þat woman to gete. 1483 Caxton Gold. Leg. 121 b/2 That y{supu} mayst..wynne to spare the tormentes that ben yet to come. a 1600 Montgomerie Misc. Poems xxvii. 32 Thee to imbrace once, God ! if I micht win! c 1655 Roxb. Ball. (1886) VI. 209 The Repulsive Maid, Who Once took a young-man, but now cannot win To open the door, and let him come in. 1730 T. Boston in Morrison Mem. (1899) 137, I am habitually cast down, and cannot win to get my heart lifted up in the ways of the Lord. 1893 Stevenson Catriona xv, As sune as I can win to stand on my twa feet we'll be aff this craig o' Sawtan. |
14. trans. with prep. or adv. of place: a. To succeed in bringing, putting, etc.: = get v. 27 a. Obs. or arch.
| a 1300 Cursor M. 8219 Sua depe þair rote þai samen kest, Þat moght þam naman þeþen win. c 1350 Will. Palerne 94 Þere walked he a-boute þe walles to winne in siȝt. c 1374 Chaucer Anel. & Arc. 20 And do that I my shippe to haven wynne. c 1400 Destr. Troy xi. 4772 Þai..Robbit the Riches..And wonnyn it wightly the wallis withoute. c 1400 Ywaine & Gaw. 1803 Bot yit his clathes on he wan. 14.. Tundale's Vis. 939 Whan the vermyn wold have owt crepon At the holys that thei made opon Thei myght not wyn owt hor taylys. 1604 E. G[rimstone] tr. D'Acosta's Hist. Indies iii. x. 152 They gave over the enterprize to win the red sea into Nile. a 1636 Marmion Antiquary iii. i, That I should owe my life to her! which way, I wonder? something depends on this, I must win out. 1825 Scott Betrothed ix, Her kind attendant..tried softly to win the spear from her lady's grasp. 1904 Daily Chron. 3 Nov. 3/3 His sweet and level-headed wife wins him through his difficulties. |
† b. To put, set, take (expressing merely the act, without implication, as in sense a, of overcoming difficulty or hindrance). win out, to take or draw out, extract. win up, (a) to open (a door or gate); (b) to take up, pick up, lift. Obs.
| 13.. Sir Beues (A.) 4364 In haste þe dore he gan vp winne. 1362 Langl. P. Pl. A. vi. 92 To wynne vp þe wiket-ȝat þat þe wey schutte. a 1400–50 Wars Alex. 837 Þan Alexander at þis knyȝt angirs vnfaire, Wynnes him vp a wardrere. c 1400 Rowland & O. 463 Rowlande owte his swerde wanne. 1515 Acc. Ld. High Treas. Scot. V. 24 To ane masone of the lard of Sefeildis quhilk wan the alloring to the said place of Inchegarvy, xxs. |
† c. To bring, take, move (a person somewhere).
| 13.. Gaw. & Gr. Knt. 831 Alle hasped in his heȝ wede to halle þay hym wonnen. c 1420 Avow. Arth. xxxviii, Ȝe wynnun him noȝte owte of his way. |
† d. refl. To betake oneself: = 12. (Cf. get v. 27 b.) Obs.
| 13.. Gaw. & Gr. Knt. 402, I schal ware alle my wyt to wynne me þeder. c 1400 Destr. Troy 1138 [We] Wyn vs to the wallis, wacche þere vndur. |
15. Comb. in sense ‘one who or that which wins{ddd}’, as win-all, win-penny.
| 1580 Hollyband Treas. Fr. Tong, Gaigne-denier, a porter, a winne-penny. 1639 Fuller Holy War ii. xlvi. 107 One the winne-all, another the lose-all. |
▪ VI. † win, v.2 Sc. and north. dial. Obs.
Forms: 4 vyn, wine, 5–6 wynn(e, 6 wyn(e, winne, 6–9 win, 8 winn.
[Variant of won, wonn(e: see won v.]
intr. To dwell, reside.
| c 1375 Sc. Leg. Saints i. (Petrus) 690 Þat I ma ga To ihesu criste,..With hym to wine in-to his blise. Ibid. xvi. (Magdalena) 816 Fra þe place, Quhare þe magdelane vynnand vas. c 1425 Wyntoun Cron. xxvii. 789 Þe Yrischery, That wynnis in Irland to þis day. c 1480 Henryson Two Mice 4 The eldest dwelt in ane Borrous toun, The vther wynnit Upon⁓land [v. rr. vp on land, apon land]. 1513 Douglas æneis vii. xii. 138 Thai that in Flavynia feyldis duell, Or that wynnis besyd the laik or well Of Cymynus. 1560 Rolland Seven Sages (Bann. Club) 52 Into ane Realme thair wynnit ane vailȝeant knicht. 1721 Ramsay Prospect of Plenty 81 Alake we winn o'er far frae King and Court! a 1824 G. Beattie John o' Arnha' etc. (1826) 88 An ancient town..where, tradition says, A housekeeper winned in other days. 1846 Brockett N.C. Gloss. (ed. 3). |
▪ VII. win, v.3 Sc. and north. dial.
Also 6 wyn, 7 wind, 8 winn, (9 won). Pa. pple. 8 winned, Sc. win(n), 6, 9 won, 8 wun.
[? win v.1 with specialized development from sense 7 f, but associated also with wind v.2 2.]
trans. To dry (hay, seed, turf, wood, etc.) by exposure to the air, or to the heat of the sun or a fire. Also intr. for pass.
| 1557 Reg. Mag. Sig. Scot. 271/2 Tertiam partem 24 dietarum feni lie won hay. 1588 Exch. Rolls Scot. XXI. 412 For making of 36 dawarkis of hay..and for wynning and putting of the samyn in tramp ruckis. 1641 Peebles Burgh Charters (1872) 107 To cast and wind peites, turres, fewall [etc.]. 1733 P. Lindsay Interest Scot. 154 So much of his Lint as he intends for his best Seed, he builds up in a Stack like Corn, after it is thoroughly win. 1765 Museum Rust. IV. cvi. 455 Scots seed, when well winned and kept. 1794 Statist. Acc. Scot. XI. 268 Cutting, winning, and carrying home their peats, however, consumes a great deal of time. 1812 Sir J. Sinclair Syst. Husb. Scot. i. 396 The sun and air gradually win it [sc. hay]. 1844 H. Stephens Bk. Farm II. 259 Feathers may be hung up in bags against the wall behind the fire, and there they will soon win. Ibid. III. 909 [The skin for rennet] is then hung stretched over a stick near the fire to dry and won. Ibid. 978 By the afternoon the hay is so dry and won as to be fit to be stacked. 1884 Whitby Gaz. 9 Aug. 1/2 A Stack of well won Hay. |
▪ VIII. † win, ppl. a. Sc. Obs.
Also 5 wyn, wynnynge.
[Sc. pa. pple. of win v.1, q.v. (Forms, pa. pple. δ.)]
= won ppl. a.; evil win, ill-gotten. Of stone, etc.: Worked, quarried.
| c 1425 Wyntoun Cron. iv. xviii. 1712 Eftyr..syndry wynnynge wictoryis. c 1475 Rauf Coilȝear 921 That is full euill wyn land To haue quhill thow ar leuand, Sine at thine end hell. 1583 Leg. Bp. St. Androis 372 Ane carling of the Quene of Phareis, That ewill win geir to elphyne careis. 1609 Burgh Rec. Glasgow (1876) I. 307 That the tirrit quarrell and craig thairof and the win werk lyand in the same can nocht be wrocht. |
▪ IX. win
obs. f. ween v., whin1, wine.