▪ I. † fand, fond, n. Obs.
[f. next vb.]
a. The action of trying; trial, proof, experience. b. The state of being tried; a trial, a temptation.
| a. c 1250 Gen. & Ex. 336 Of ðis fruit wile ic hauen fond. a 1300 Cursor M. 4333 (Cott.) Sco broght him [Joseph] to þe fand. Ibid. 24364 (Cott.) Hard faand i þar-of fand. |
| b. a 1300 Cursor M. 25175 (Cott.) Þat thoru ouer cuming o þat faand He mai þe mede haf ai last[and]. 1451 Pol. Poems (Rolls) II. 230 Yef the commyns of Englonde Helpe the kynge in his fonde. |
▪ II. † fand, fond, v. Obs.
Forms: α. 1 fandian, -iᵹan, 2–3 fandien, 2–4 fondien, 3–5 fond(e(n, south. dial. vonden, -ien, (3 feonden), 3–4 faand, (faunde), 4–5 fand(e, Sc. faynd, 4–5 found(e, (5 foond, fownd(e). β. 1 ᵹefan-, ᵹefondian, 3 i(y)vonden, ifonden.
[OE. fandian, ᵹefandian = OFris. fandia, OS. fandôn to tempt, visit (Du. vanden to visit a woman after her confinement), OHG. fantôn to visit (the mod.G. fahnden, to raise hue and cry, is commonly believed to be identical in spite of unsolved phonetic difficulties).
The pa. tense and pa. pple. occas. appear in contracted forms fond (16th c.), fonte (14th c.).]
1. trans. To put to the proof, try, test (a person or thing); to make trial of (one's strength, skill); to taste (food, etc.); in early use with gen.
| c 893 K. ælfred Oros. i. xii. §4 Þæt þæm weorce nanum men ær ne ᵹerise bet to fandianne þonne þæm wyrhtan þe hit worhte. c 1000 Ags. Gosp. Mark viii. 11 And þa ferdon ða pharisei..and his fandedon. c 1205 Lay. 25842 Þat he fehten mihte and fondien [c 1275 fondie] hine seolue. Ibid. 30092 Heore maines heo uondeden wel ueole siðen. c 1230 Hali Meid. 29 To fonde þe hweðer þu beo treowe. a 1300 Cursor M. 2902 (Cott.) Mani man..þam-self can noþer faand [Gött. fonde] ne feil. 1340–70 Alisaunder 107 Now fares Philip þe free too fonden his myght. 1375 Barbour Bruce vi. 618, I will..se quhat fors that thai can faynd. ? a 1400 Morte Arth. 3372 Fonde of the fyneste, thow freliche byerne. a 1400–50 Alexander 681 Quod Alexander to þis athill as he his arte fandis. c 1460 Towneley Myst. 36 My servand I will found and frast. |
| absol. a 1300 Cursor M. 542 Þe erth [gis man] þe tast, to fele and faand. |
b. With sentence as obj.: To prove, try to find out, see.
| a 1000 Runic Poem 25 (Gr.) Garsecᵹ fandað, hwæðer ac hæbbe æðele treowe. a 1000 Cædmon's Gen. 2410 (Gr.) Ic wille fandiᵹan nu..hwæt þa men don. c 1205 Lay. 2949 Ic wille fondien whulchere beo mi beste freond. c 1250 Gen. & Ex. 5946 Ic sal fonden and sen Quat tiding so it cam on ðe niȝt. c 1300 Harrow. Hell 68 Forte..fonden how we pleyen here. c 1440 York Myst. xx. 264, I schall thynke on þam wele to ffonde what is folowand. |
c. To examine, scan.
| 13.. Pearl xv. (Gollancz) Her figure fyn quen I had fonte. |
d. To ‘tempt’, ‘prove’ (God). In early use const. gen. after OE.
| c 1175 Lamb. Hom. 93 Hwi iwearð hinc swa þet ȝit dursten fondian godes. a 1300 E.E. Psalter cv[i]. 14 Þai fanded God in drines. 1375 Barbour Bruce xii. 364 Thai faynd god all too gretumly. |
2. To endeavor to lead into evil; to tempt.
| c 1175 Lamb. Hom. 67 He fondede god solf mid his wrenche. c 1200 Ormin 5945 He þurrh þe laþe gast Wass siþþenn fandedd þriȝȝess. c 1275 Passion 28 in O.E. Misc. (1872) 38 For to beon yuonded of sathanas þen olde. 1340 Ayenb. 15 Zuo heþ þe dyeuel diuerse maneres..to uondi þe uolk. c 1375 Sc. Leg. Saints, Andreas 167 Scho me fandyt besily To syne with hyr in lichory. 1393 Langl. P. Pl. C. xv. 120 In whiche flood þe feend fondeþ man. |
b. In good or neutral sense: To try to induce (to do something).
| c 1425 Wyntoun Cron. vi. xviii. 276 He hym fandyde..of Scotland to tak þe crowne. |
3. a. To have experience of, deal with (a person); to have (carnal) acquaintance with. b. To make experiment with (a thing); to prove, try. c. absol. To have experience (of something implied).
| a 1175 Cott. Hom. 239 God þurh his mucele milce ne letes us nefer fandie. c 1200 Trin. Coll. Hom. 224 Hadde he fonded sume stunde, he wolde seggen oðer. c 1320 Sir Tristr. 860 Ȝongling..Foles thou wendest to fand. a 1330 Roland & V. 470 So hard he was to fond. 1340–70 Alisaunder 740 Hee..fonded hur fleshlych or hee fare wolde. c 1420 Pallad. on Husb. i. 1137 But malthes colde in other crafte thou founde. Ibid. iii. 551 Cannetes nowe with craftes may be fande. c 1450 Mirour Saluacioun 741 Marie fande first the avowe of gloriouse maydenhede. |
4. To enquire; to seek, look for; to enquire into (a matter); to search (a place), explore (a track). Also const. of, to enquire about, hence, to care for.
| a 1225 Ancr. R. 104 Of smelles..ne uond ich nout mucheles. c 1340 Cursor M. 6441 (Trin.) Þis ille folk was wantoun to fonde þat moyses hadde vndir honde. Ibid. 10840 (Trin.) Þis aungel sende þe trinite..Nazareth þe toun to fond. a 1400–1450 Alexander 4871 Þat þan fonde all þe flote fiftene dayis. c 1420 Chron. Vilod. 640 Þey..vondeden þ' place, and made hit ryde Tyll [etc.]. c 1425 Wyntoun Cron. vii. ix. 369 Þai fayndyd of þis þe kyngis wille. |
b. absol. To ask.
| 1340–70 Alisaunder 1054 Leeue fader..fonde I, mee tell The sterre þat yee staren on sticketh it in heuin. |
5. To attempt, try. Const. to with inf.
| a 1225 St. Marher. 10 Þene acursede gast þæt feondeð to fordo me. 1297 R. Glouc. (1724) 455 Ȝe stallewardes knyȝtes, þat..þes kyng vondeþ bryng to noȝte. c 1300 Cursor M. 21224 (Cott.) Mani oiþer men in strijf Fanded for to folu his lijf. 1375 Barbour Bruce i. 42 The barnage..fayndyt fast To cheyss a king. 1387 Trevisa Higden (Rolls) VII. 7 Elsynus bisshop of Wynchestre..fondede to have þe see. c 1450 St. Cuthbert (Surtees) 1750 Let vs fande som helpe to gett. 1494 Fabyan Chron. vii. 304 He fondyd to put y⊇ prerogatyue..from y munkys. 1590 Spenser F.Q. iii. vii. 26 For in the sea to drowne herselfe she fond, Rather then of the tyrant to be caught. |
| absol. c 1340 Gaw. & Gr. Knt. 565 What may mon do bot Fonde? |
b. To busy oneself.
| c 1350 Will. Palerne 1682 In þe kechene..arn crafti men..þat fast fonden alday to flen wilde bestes. |
6. To attempt, undertake (a deed). Also with sentence as obj.: To take care, see (that).
| Beowulf 2454 Þonne se an hafað þurh deaðes nyd dæda ᵹefondad. a 1300 Beket 676 He wende him..into the see passage forto fonde. 1307 Elegy Edw. I, v, Thou hevedest sunne, That thou the counsail woldest fonde, To latte the wille of kyng Edward To wend to the holy londe. ? a 1400 Morte Arth. 656 Ffaunde my fforestez be ffrythede. c 1400 Melayne 1401 Thou fayles of that thou fande. a 1440 Sir Degrev. 120 He was in the holy lond, Dede of armes for to ffond. a 1455 Holland Houlate xlvii, Ȝaipe, thocht he ȝong was, to faynd his offens. |
7. To acquit oneself (well); also with refl. pron.
| c 1470 Henry Wallace ix. 1273 Thai had..fayndyt thaim rycht weill. Ibid. x. 1026 A..knycht..fayndyt weill amang his enemys keyn. |
8. To go, proceed; also with refl. pron. = found v.1
| a 1340 Cursor M. 12978 (Cott.) Apon þe heist fell he faand. a 1400–50 Alexander 2671 Þan fandis he furth in-to þe fild. c 1440 York Myst. xviii. 149 Fande þe furthe faste for to flee. c 1650 Sir Lambewell 517 in Furniv. Percy Folio I. 160 A softly pace her palfray fand. |
▪ III. fand
obs. pa. tense of find.