▪ I. † abound, a. Obs.
[a. Fr. abonde:—L. abund-um abundant; f. same elements as vb. abundā-re: see abound v.]
Overflowing; plentiful; abundant.
| c 1400 Tundale Circumcision 92 The streme of sapience Of whyche the flod most joly is habownd. c 1430 Syr Generides (1865) 311 Of plentie thus he was abound To hem al that he his frendes found. |
▪ II. abound, v.1
(əˈbaʊnd)
Forms: 4–5 habunde, 4–6 habound(e, 4– abound(e. pres. pple.: 4 abundende, 5 abowndand.
[a. OFr. abunde-r, abonde-r, habonde-r:—L. abundā-re to overflow; f. ab from + undā-re to flow in waves; f. unda a wave. Afterwards erroneously connected with habē-re to have, and spelt with an initial h both in Fr. and Eng.]
To overflow as water does from a vessel; or as a vessel does with water.
1. To be present in overflowing measure; to be plentiful; to prevail widely.
| 1382 Wyclif 2 Cor. ix. 8 Forsoþe god is myȝty for to make al grace abounde in ȝou. 1481 Caxton Myrrour i. v. 22 By the helpe of our Lorde of whom all science groweth and haboundeth. 1523 Ld. Berners Froissart I. cccxci. 672 Bycause of the great plenty and welthe that haboundeth in those parties, the people are all ydell. 1590 Shakes. Mids. N. ii. i. 105 Rheumaticke diseases doe abound. 1611 Bible Phil. iv. 17, I desire fruit that may abound to your account. 1667 Milton P.L. iii. 312 In thee Love hath abounded more than glory abounds. 1845 Ford Handbk. of Spain i. 48 The trial becomes greater in proportion as hardships abound. 1850 McCosh Div. Govt. (1874) iii. ii. 395 The discontent which abounds in the world. |
† 2. To be full, to be rich or wealthy; to have to overflowing. (Of persons.) Obs.
| 1382 Wyclif 1 Mac. iii. 30 And he aboundide [1388 was riche] ouer kyngus that weren bifore hym. c 1400 Apol. for Lollards 51 Þat he life lustili, or habunde after hienes of the world. 1611 Bible Phil. iv. 18 But I have all and abound. 1613 Shakes. Hen. VIII, i. i. 83 Kinsmen of mine..that haue By this, so sicken'd their Estates, that neuer They shall abound as formerly. 1713 Steele Englishm. No. 21. 137 He cannot bear to see any man want whilst he abounds. 1765 Harris Three Treat. iii. i. 153 Each supply where he is deficient by exchanging where he abounds. |
3. To abound in: To be plentiful, wealthy, or copious in; to possess to a marked extent, so as to be characterized by; to have wealth of. (Used of persons and things, in reference to inherent qualities, characteristic attributes, or things whereby the subject is made wealthy, eminent, or distinguished.)
| 1382 Wyclif 2 Cor. vii. 4, I abounde (or am plenteuous) in ioye in al oure tribulacioun. c 1449 Pecock Repr. iii. x. 337 These haboundiden in greet doctrine. 1535 Coverdale Jer. vi. 6 Like as a condyte aboundeth in water, euen so this cite aboundeth in wickednesse. 1611 Shakes. Wint. T. ii. i. 120 When you shall know your Mistris Has deseru'd Prison, then abound in Teares. 1676 Clarendon Surv. Leviathan 21 In which kind of Illustrations..his whole Book abounds. 1798 Ferriar Illustr. of Sterne iv. 101 Some languages..abound in figurative expressions. 1869 Buckle Civil. III. iv. 259 At the christening..the Scotch were accustomed to assemble their relations,..in whom, then as now, they much abounded. |
4. To abound with (of obs., cf. Fr. abonder de): To be filled with, teem or swarm with, to be rife with, to possess in great numbers. (Used chiefly of things, in reference to accidental or unessential properties, or such as do not essentially add to the ‘abundance’ of the subject. ‘The ship abounds in conveniences, but it abounds with rats.’)
¶ A place abounds with all those things, which abound in it; it abounds in those things only which by their abundance give it a character, or add to its resources.
| c 1374 Chaucer Boeth. (1868) 82 Whiche water habundeþ most of rede purpre. Þat is to seyen of a maner shelfisshe. 1375 Barbour Bruce xiii. 716 Hys cuntre Haboundyt weill off corne. c 1425 Wyntoun Cron. viii. xxii. 34 Elizabeth Qwene of England Of gret Tresore abowndand. 1513 Douglas Virgil's æneis (1710) vii. 46 Hir figure sa grisly grete haboundis, Wyth glourand ene. 1583 Stanyhurst æneis (1880) ii. 62 Thee shoars of Dardan for her oft with bloodshed abounded. 1611 Bible Prov. xxviii. 20 A faithfull man shall abound with blessings. 1705 Addison Rem. on Italy (pref.) It abounds with Cabinets of Curiosities. 1756 Burke Vind. Nat. Soc. Wks. I. 38 The palaces of all princes abound with such courtly philosophers. 1846 T. Wright Mid. Ages II. xix. 256 Warton's history is very incomplete, and abounds with inaccuracies. |
† 5. To go at large, be at liberty, revel, expatiate: in the phr. to abound in one's own sense (late L. abundare in suo sensu, Fr. abonder dans son sens): to follow one's own opinion, use one's liberty of judgment.
| 1382 Wyclif Rom. xiv. 5 Ech man habunde or be plenteuous in his witt (Vulg. Unusquisque in suo sensu abundet). 1552 Tauerner Proverbes 14 For the excludynge of contencyon we suffre euery man to abounde in his owne sence. 1601 Holland Pliny (1634) I. 145, I wil not greatly busie my head thereabout, but suffer euery man to abound in his own sence. 1642 Rogers Naaman, to Reader 4 How abounding in their owne sense, and stiffe in their owne conceit. 1651 Cartwright Cert. Relig. i. 42 In those points..the Church leaves every man to abound in his own sense. 1775 Burke Sp. Concil. with Am. Wks. III. 95, I was resolved..to let others abound in their own sense, and carefully to abstain from all expressions of my own. |
† 6. trans. To overflow with, to pour forth.
| 1591 Troubles. Raigne of K. John 62 [He] foretelleth famine, aboundeth plentie forth. 1631 A. Craig Pilgrime and Heremite An hoarse hoarie Heremite..Whose boyling Breast nought but blacke baile abounded. |
¶ In the following, abaundon = devote, is the true reading:
| c 1386 Chaucer Pars. T. 639 He that lovith God, wol..abounde himself, with alle his might, wel for to doon. [3 MSS. abunden, habunden; 2 abaundone, abawndone; 1 enforce.] |
▪ III. † abound, v.2 Obs.
[? f. a- prefix 11 + bound v.; but only known in pa. pple., so that the a- may be for i-, y-. See a particle.]
To set limits to, to restrain.
| 1398 Trevisa Barth. De P.R. (1495) iv. iii. 81 A fletynge thynge..dryeth · puttyth itselfe as it were abounded, and to lette the fletynge. 1627 Speed England descr. & abridged i. §9 The old names of whose Nations as also the knowledge of their seuerall abodes..haue of late with infinite labours..beene probably restored and abounded. |
▪ IV. abound
obs. past pple. of bind v.