thereon, adv. formal or arch.
(ðɛərˈɒn, ˈðɛərɒn)
Forms: see there and on; also 3 þron, 4 þran.
[OE. þǽron, f. þǽr, there 17 + on prep.]
1. Of position, lit. or fig.: On or upon that or it.
| 971 Blickl. Hom. 71 His þeᵹnas..læddon him to þone eosol, & ᵹedydon þæt he þær on ᵹesittan mihte. c 1220 Bestiary 83 Ðanne goð he to a ston, and he billeð ðer on. a 1300 Cursor M. 2472 (Cott.) Quar-for þar on [T. þeron] godd tok his wrac. c 1400 Lanfranc's Cirurg. 181 If þe place be whijt & neische and miche moisture þeron. a 1533 Ld. Berners Huon lxxxiii. 259 He toke his cuppe and made theron .iii. crosses. 1606 Shakes. Ant. & Cl. v. ii. 133 If thereon you relye. I'll take my leaue. 1786 Jefferson Wks. (1859) I. 570 To confer with him thereon. 1809–10 Coleridge Friend i. iv. (1865) 125 All our notion of right and wrong is built thereon. 1896 Law Times C. 358/2 After payment of all charges thereon. |
† b. as
rel. adv. On which:
= whereon.
| c 1330 Assump. Virg. (B.M. MS.) 600 Foure of þe apostles schal bere þe beere Ther on schal ligge me modre deere. |
2. Of motion or direction: On or upon that or it; onto that.
| a 1300 Cursor M. 10776 A duu..þare lighted dun, and þar on lend. c 1315 Shoreham iii. 158 Þenche þou most wel bysyly, And þy wyȝt þran by-stowe. c 1400 Mandeville (Roxb.) ii. 7 Þe Iews..sett a coroun on his heued and thrast it þeron so fast þat þe blude ran doune. c 1475 Rauf Coilȝear 374 Thairun my lyfe dar I layd [= lay it]. 1593 Shakes. Lucr. 1139 Who, if it winke, shall thereon fall and die. 1728 Chambers Cycl. s.v. Glass, By reason of the Sand strew'd thereon. 1887 Morris Odyss. xi. 591 When up reached the elder his hands thereon to lay. |
3. As soon as that happened, was done, or was said; immediately after that;
= thereupon 2 b.
| a 1300 Cursor M. 5871 (Cott.) And taron [v.rr. þar on, þer on] sett he men at ask Of ilk dai to yeild þair task. 1618 Wither Motto, Nec Curo Wks. (1633) 545, I care not greatly what succeed thereon. 1783 in Cruise Digest (1818) V. 319 Any non-claim which had ensued thereon. 1870 Morris Earthly Par. II. iii. 243 Slowly thereon he gat unto his feet. |
† 4. From some obsolete uses of
on:
a. In that, therein.
b. Into that, thereinto.
c. About that, thereof.
d. At that, thereat.
Obs.| a. c 897 K. ælfred Gregory's Past. C. li. 399 Hio is an lytel [burᵹ], & ðeah ic mæᵹ ðæron libban. c 1000 ælfric Hom. II. 410 Aplanta þæron þa soðan lufe. c 1205 Lay. 7275 Þer Bruttus bi-com and to his liue he wunede þer an. c 1290 St. Michael 453 in S. Eng. Leg. I. 312 Men seoth þar on liȝt. 1513 Douglas æneis i. iii. 82 Bid Eolus..clois the presoun of wyndis, and thairon ring. 1525 Ld. Berners Froiss. II. xxvi. 71, I had brought with me a boke... And euery night after supper I reed theron to hym. |
| b. c 1000 ælfric Deut. xxxii. 52 Þu scealt ᵹeseon þæt land and þu ne cymst þær on. c 1275 Lay. 7274 Þar on Brutus bicom. |
| c. c 1000 ælfric Gen. xxxix. 23 He ne cuðe nan þing þar on. |
| d. c 1400 Brut lxviii. 64 He wondrede þeron gretly, what it myȝt bitoken. |
Hence
† thereˈonne (
þerone, also 3
þronne)
Obs. [after
þærinne, etc.; in later use sometimes only a variant spelling of
thereon]
= thereon.
| c 1200 Ormin 957 Þa twellfe namess ec þatt wærenn don þæronne. c 1200 Trin. Coll. Hom. 89 Ure helende rod þerone. Ibid. 217 Ich wille ew segge þat ich þronne under⁓stonde. c 1400 Rowland & O. 416 Ther-one was sett a Sercle of golde. c 1420 Anturs of Arth. 171 Þere one hertly take hede. a 1425 Cursor M. 1938 (Trin.) Noe..let reise an autere swiþe, Þeronne [C. þar-on] made he sacrifise. |
Also
thereˈonto adv., onto or upon that.
rare.
| 1898 Blackw. Mag. Mar. 406 Thereonto throw nine hairs from the head. |