weasand Now chiefly dial.
(ˈwiːzənd)
Forms: α. 1 wásend, 4 wosen, 7 wozen. β. 4–8 wesand, 5 Sc. vassand, 5 waysande, 5–6 wesande, weysand(e, 6 wessande, wezzand, 7 wezand, weazond, 7–9 weazand, 9 weezand, 6– weasand; 4–6 wesaunt, 5–6 -aunnt, -awnt, -ant, 6 -ante, weasaunte, 6–7 weasant; 6 weasan, 6–7 -en, 7 wezon, -en, weeson, -zon, 7–8 weazon, 7–9 weason; 5 wesing, -yng, 7 weasin. γ. (Sc. and north.) 8–9 wyson, wizen, 8 wyzen, (whizzen), 9 wizzen, -on, wezzon. (See also Eng. Dial. Dict.)
[OE. wásend masc. (? and fem.) corresp. to OFris. wâsande, -ende, throat, OS. wâsend ruminant stomach, OHG. weisant, -ont, -unt, throat, windpipe, gullet (MHG. weisen, early mod.G. waisen, waise, mod. dial. wäs etc.). The word has the form of a pres. pple. or ppl. agent-noun (for the formation cf. ON. vélindi neut., gullet). The etymology has not been determined; for various conjectures see K. v. Bahder in Grimm s.v. Waisen. A parallel synonymous formation from the same root with different suffix appears in weezle (= G. dial. waisel).
The forms wosen (14th c.), wozen (17th c.), and the mod. dial. oosen, hoosen, are normal descendants of the OE. wásend; and possibly the Sc. form vassand comes from wásend with shortening of the vowel. The remaining ME. and mod.E. forms (including weasand) are anomalous; etymologists have generally attempted to account for them by the assumption of an OE. parallel form *wǽsend. This is not impossible, but Sweet (Ags. Dict.) appears to be in error in giving wǽsend as an actually recorded variant of wásend.]
1. The œsophagus or gullet.
| a 1000 in Napier O.E. Glosses i. 2447 Ingluuie, ᵹyfernesse, wasende. c 1000 Sax. Leechd. II. 44 Læcedomas..wið ᵹealhswile & þrotan & wasende. c 1050 Gloss. in Wr.-Wülcker 264/19 Rumen, wasend. c 1050 Voc., Ibid. 421/37 Ingluuiem, in þane wasend. 13.. Gaw. & Gr. Knt. 1336 Þay gryped to þe gargulun, & grayþely departed Þe wesaunt fro þe wynt-hole. 1375 [see thropple]. c 1400 Lanfranc's Cirurg. 148 And betwene þe necke & gula wiþinneforþ þere is ordeyned mary [see meri1], that is to seie þe wesant. 14.. Nom. in Wr.-Wülcker 676/24 Hic ysophagus, a wesande. c 1440 Promp. Parv. 523/1 Wesaunnt, of a beestys throte, ysofagus. c 1450 Two Cookery-bks. 80 Pulle him [a snipe], late his necke be hole, save the wesing. 1548–77 Vicary Anat. v. (1888) 44 Also in the mouth is ended the vppermoste extremitie of the Wesande, which is called Myre or Isofagus. 1578 Lyte Dodoens ii. ccii. 305 It will cause the Horseleaches..to fall of, which happen to cleaue fast in the throote or wesande of any man. 1593 Nashe Christs Teares H 4, Their watry wesands were like to leape out of theyr mouthes for meate. 1601 Holland Pliny xi. xxxvii. I. 339 The other is more inward, called properly the Gullet, or the Wezand, by which we swallow downe both meat and drinke. 1634 Bp. Hall Contempl., N.T. iv. Loaves & Fishes 123 As if the soules of these men lay in their weasand, in their gutt. 1669 Phil. Trans. IV. 1021 Its Wind-pipe; which..together with the Oesophagus or Weasand..reaches down to the Sternum. 1715 Ramsay Christ's Kirk Gr. iii. 83 Now what the Friends wad fain been at,..Was e'en to get their Wysons wat. 1785 Burns Scotch Drink xiv, But monie daily weet their weason Wi' liquors nice. 1819 Scott Ivanhoe xlii, By Heaven,..better food hath not passed my weasand for three livelong days. 1915 G. Sinclair Poems 58 May their wysons never want A drop o' dew tae weet them. |
2. The trachea or windpipe:
= artery 1.
| 1398 Trevisa Barth. De P.R. v. xxiii. (Bodl. MS.), And somme of þese fonge the voice as þe lunges with þe receptacles wosen and pipes þereof. a 1529 Skelton Col. Cloute 1156 Herke, howe the losell prates, With a wyde wesaunt! 1541 R. Copland Guydon's Quest. Chirurg. F ij b, The wesaunt..is a cartylagynous grystled partycle created and fourmed for to be instrument of y⊇ voyce. 1547 Boorde Brev. Health 80 Trachea arteria... In Englyshe it is named the wesande, or the throte bol. 1609 J. Davies (Heref.) Hum. Heaven on Earth i. cxx, His wozen whez'd when his breath it did fill. 1646 Sir T. Browne Pseud. Ep. iv. viii. 198 The weazon, rough artery, or winde-pipe. 1672 Wiseman Wounds i. viii. 68 The Aspera Arteria or Weazond. 1697 Dryden æneis ix. 592 Th' unerring Steel descended while he spoke; Pierc'd his wide Mouth, and thro' his Weazon broke. 1798 E. Inchbald Lovers' Vows iii. ii, They..held so strongly by his throat, They almost stopt his whizzen. |
¶ b. Erroneously used for
artery 2.
| 1398 Trevisa Barth. De P.R. iii. xii. (1495) 55 Of the herte spryngyth the wosen, as the veynes sprynge out of the lyuer. Ibid. iii. xii. (Tollemache MS.), The vertu þat hat vitalis, þe vertu of lyf, haþ meuynge by þe wosen and smale weyis [L. per arterias]. |
3. The throat generally.
| c 1450 Mankind 803 in Macro Plays 30 A-lasse, my wesant! ȝe wer sumwhat to nere [the rope]. 1550 Latimer Last Serm. bef. Edw. VI (1562) 121 Should I haue named hym? nay they should as sone haue this wesaunt of mine. 1570 Foxe A. & M. (ed. 2) II. 1405/1 But God of his mercye so directed his wicked purpose, that the backe of his knife was towarde hys wesand. 1610 Shakes. Temp. iii. ii. 99 There thou maist braine him,..Or cut his wezand with thy knife. 1630 J. Taylor (Water P.) Epigr. xxxviii. Wks. ii. 266/1 See'st thou a villaine hang vp by the weason? 1668 Dryden Even. Love v. i, Give me a Razor there, that I may scrape his weeson, that the bristles may not hinder me when I come to cut it. 1684 J. S. Profit & Pleas. United 162 A perfect Greyhound..a long Neck..with a loos hanging wezand. 1720 Ramsay Rise & Fall of Stocks 77 The Miser..Syne shores to grip him by the Wyson. 1724 Swift Verses upright Judge Misc. 1735 V. 147 The Church I hate, and have good Reason: For there my Grandsire cut his Weazon. 1819 Scott Leg. Montrose xiii, Clap your hand thus on the weasand of this high and mighty prince, under his ruff. 1833 M. Scott Tom Cringle xviii, He..drew his knife across the Leopard's weasand. 1837 Carlyle Fr. Rev. I. vii. ii, They are parted and no weasands slit. 1841 Borrow Zincali II. 47 I'd straight unsheath my dudgeon knife And cut his weasand through. |
4. Comb., as
weasand muscle;
weasand-stopping adj.;
weasand-pipe = senses 1–3 above.
| c 1720 W. Gibson Farrier's Guide i. v. (1722) 60 The..Bronchium, or the *Weasand Muscles. |
| 1544 T. Phaer Regim. Lyfe (1560) S viij b, Somtyme it lyeth..upon the *wesaunt pype, and than..it stoppeth the breath & strangleth the pacient anone. 1596 Spenser F.Q. iv. iii. 12 His weasand pipe it through his gorget cleft. 1620 I. C. Two Merry Milk-maids iv. i. L 1 b, Ray. Cut my throate! Fre. I, your Weason pipe, your Gullet. a 1656 R. Cox Actæon & Diana 31 He will come armed with nothing but a Razor, with which if he does slit your wezand-pipe, it will not be amiss to take it patiently. |
| 1872 O. W. Holmes Poet Breakf.-t. viii. 267 Poor, yelling, scalping Indians,..*weasand-stopping Thugs. |