Obs. exc. Sc. Forms: 4–5 wilsom, wylsom(e, -sum, 4–7 wilsome, -sum, 5 wyld-, wel(d)som(e, whylsum, 6 weilsum, wildsome, wolsome, volsum, (6–7 wilesome), 9 wullsome, wullsum. [a. ON. villusamr erroneous, false (Sw. villsam perplexing, embarrassing, in MSw. also, gone astray, Da. vildsom perplexed, intricate), f. villr wild, WILL a. + -samr -SOME. Sometimes assimilated in spelling to wild.]
1. Chiefly of a way or path: Leading astray as through wild and desolate regions; hence, desert, lonely and wild; dreary. (A conventional epithet of ME. poetry.)
13[?]. Evang. Nicod., 1604, in Herrig’s Archiv, LIII. 421. Þai wend no wilsom way.
13[?]. Gaw. & Gr. Knt., 689. Mony wylsum way he rode.
a. 1400–50. Wars Alex., 5565. A wilson wast & a wild.
1470–85. Malory, Arthur, VII. xxii. 247. Lynet the damoysel that had ryden with hym many wylsome wayes.
c. 1480. Henryson, Two Mice, 143. Till hir hart straike mony wilsome stound. Ibid. (c. 1480), Orpheus, 128. To seke his wyf … our mony wilsum wane Wyth outyn gyde.
1513. Douglas, Æneis, XI. xi. 26. He … socht onto the wilsum holtis hair.
1562. Winȝet, Cert. Tractatis, i. Wks. (S.T.S.), I. 9. In the wyldsum way of this daingerous lyfe.
1578. H. Wotton, Courtlie Controv., 129. Nor wildsome wood or deserts.
1584–7. Greene, Carde of Fancie, Wks. (Grosart), IV. 139. The wildsome woods were his wished walkes.
1632. Lithgow, Trav., VI. 294. We imbraced our wilsome and fastidious Way.
1806. R. Jamieson, Pop. Ballads, I. 244. He blew, till a’ the wullsome waste Rebellowin’ echoed round.
2. Erring, wandering, straying; bewildered, perplexed; doubtful, uncertain (of).
Phr. wilsome of wane = WILL a. 3 a.
c. 1350. Will. Palerne, 5394. Þus was þe kowherd out of kare kindeli holpen, He & his wilsum wif wel to liuen for euer.
1387. Trevisa, Higden (Rolls), VII. 95. Hym self in þe mene tyme ful wilsom [orig. naviter oberrans] at þe Ile of Wight halowede Cristemasse.
a. 1440. Sir Eglam., 867. They namyd the chylde syr Degrabelle, That welsome was of wone [read wane].
c. 1440. York Myst., xxvii. 92. So wilsom wightis as we, Was neuere in worlde walkand in wede.
c. 1440. Promp. Parv., 528/2. Wylsome, or dowtefulle, dubius, fluctuans.
c. 1450. Holland, Howlat, 43. Wa is me, wretche in this warld, wilsome of wane!
c. 1460. Towneley Myst., xxvii. 204. Wilsom of hart, ye ar vnabyll, And outt of the right way.
1500–20. Dunbar, Poems, ix. 29. To hungre meit, nor drynk to thristy gaif,… Harbreit the wolsome, nor naikit cled att all.
1513. Douglas, Æneis, III. iii. 105. Wncertanlie we went Thre dais wilsum throu the mysty streme.
1535. Stewart, Cron. Scot. (Rolls), III. 44. Werie forwrocht, and richt weilsum of wane.
c. 1550. Rolland, Crt. Venus, III. 526. Wilsum of ane gude reid.
1554. Knox, Lett., in Answ. Jesuit Tyrie, F iv b. God shall guyde the footesteppes of him that is wilsome.
c. 1590. J. Stewart, Poems (S.T.S.), II. 35. Vandring as ane volsum vagabound.
1614. Lithgow, Trav., L 2. If it had not been for a Christian Amaronite, who accidently encountred with vs, in our wilsum [1632, 199 wilesome] wandring, wee had beene miserably lost.
1808. Jamieson, Wilsum, in a wandering state, implying the ideas of dreariness, and of ignorance of one’s course, S. pron. wullsum.
Hence Wilsomely adv.1, erringly, perversely; wanderingly, at random; Wilsomeness1, error, perverseness; doubt, uncertainty.
13[?]. Evang. Nicod., 1365, in Herrig’s Archiv, LIII. 417. Fro wayes of wilsomnes … he has þam taken.
c. 1420. Sir Amadace (Camden), xxxv. To somun alle tho, That wilsumly ar wente me fro.
c. 1440. Promp. Parv., 528/2. Wylsomenesse, or dowtefulnesse.
c. 1460. J. Russell, Bk. Nurture, 17. As y wandered weldsomly in-to þe lawnd þat was so grene.
