Obs. exc. Sc. and north., and arch. Forms: 1 wunian, (1–2 uni-), 2–3 wnien, wunen, 3 wunie(n, wunye(n, wune, Ormin wunenn, 3–4 wne; 2–4 wonien, 3 wonin, 4 wonen, woniȝe(n, wonȝe, wonie, -y, 4–5 -ye; 4–8 wonne, 4–9 won(n, wone, 5 wonon, -yn, (5–7 woon, 7 woone); Sc. and north. 4 vone, vonne, 5–9 wun, 9 woan(e, woon, wonne, wunn. Pa. t. 1 wunode, 2 wnede, 3 wunede; 4 wonid, wonyed, wonde, Sc. wonnyt, 4–8 wond, 5 wonyd, vonnyt, 6 woond, (pseudo-arch. wonne), Sc. wonnit, 4– wonned, wonn’d, woned, won’d. Pa. pple.: see WONT pa. pple.; also 5 wunte. See also WIN v.2 [OE. wunian, corresp. to OFris. wunia, wonia to dwell, OS. wunón, wonôn, (M)LG., (M)Du. wonen, OHG. wonên (MHG. wonen, G. wohnen) to be accustomed, remain, dwell, ON. una to rejoice, Goth. *wunan in unwunands troubled:—*wunōjan, -ǣjan, f. Teut. wun-, for further relations of which see WEAN v., WIN sb.2, etc.]
I. 1. intr. To stay habitually, dwell, live (in a place or with some one).
Beowulf, 1128. Hengest … wunode mid Finn.
c. 725. Corpus Gloss., 1140. Inmoratur, wunat.
971. Blickl. Hom., 57. Seo fæʓernes þære saule þe on ecnesse wunaþ on heofena rices ʓefean. Ibid., 105. Ac þær wunian mot [he] … mid engla sibbe on ecean wuldre.
c. 1000. Ags. Gosp., John i. 39. Hiʓ comon & ʓesawon hwar he wunode, & mid him wunodon on ðam dæʓe.
a. 1175. Cott. Hom., 231. His under-þeoden … on his cyne rice wuneden.
c. 1175. Lamb. Hom., 51. Þer wunieð fower cunnes wurmes inne þet fordoð nuðe al þeos midelerd.
c. 1205. Lay., 17681. Þene bezste læche þe wunede an æi londe.
c. 1220. Bestiary, 517. Ðis fis [sc. whale] wunwð wið ðe se grund.
c. 1250. Gen. & Ex., 2742. Raguel Ietro ðat riche man, Was wuniende in madian.
a. 1300. Cursor M., 2678. Þou and þi childer it sal bigin And þat wons þi house wit in.
1338. R. Brunne, Chron. (1810), 17. He com his eam to socour fro fer þer he gan wonne.
1377. Langl., P. Pl., B. II. 232. He … is welcome whan he wil and woneth wyth hem oft.
c. 1440. Alphabet of Tales, 54. I hafe wunte with þis knyght þis xiiij yere.
1513. Douglas, Æneis, XI. xi. 82. In maner of hyrdis in pasturage, On wild montanis he wonnit all his age.
1557. Phaër, Æneid., VII. (1558), S iv. What people dwells hereby, what townes they keepe, and where they wonne.
1610. Holland, Camden’s Brit., I. 88. Wheresoever the Romane winneth … there he woneth, and inhabiteth.
1614. Gorges, Lucan, VI. 240. Dis that woonneth still below.
1621. Brathwait, Nat. Emb., etc. N 2. Simple and meane’s the cottage where I won.
1667. Milton, P. L., VII. 457. Out of the ground up rose As from his Laire the wilde Beast where he wonns In Forrest wilde.
1728. Ramsay, Monk & Miller’s Wife, 5. An honest Miller wond in Fife.
c. 1746. J. Collier (Tim Bobbin), View Lanc. Dial., Wks. (1862), 46. There’s o Gentlemon ot wooans abeawt three Mile off.
1810. Scott, Lady of L., IV. xiii. Up spoke the moody Elfin king, Who won’d within the hill.
1827. Hood, Mids. Fairies, lii. Neither in forest haunts love I to won.
1848. H. Miller, First Impr. Eng., v. (1857), 85. There wons a barber in Dudley … of whom I purchased several fine trilobites.
1867. Jean Ingelow, Gladys, 563. The wizard that wonned … underground.
b. transf. and fig.
Beowulf, 2242. Beorh ealʓearo wunode on wonge.
971. Blickl. Hom., 111. We sceolan … þone rihtan ʓeleafan fæste staðelian on urum heortum þæt he ðær wunian mæʓe.
c. 1000. Phœnix, 82. Þær se halʓa stenc wunaþ ʓeond wynlond.
c. 1175. Lamb. Hom., 7. Ȝif we þis doð þenne wunet god almihti in us.
c. 1250. Prov. Alfred, 391, in O. E. Misc., 126. Þeyh o mon wolde al þe worlde And al þe wunne þe þar-inne wunyeþ.
a. 1300. Cursor M., 9666. For pes mai nourquar abide Þar hate wons, or werr, or pride.
c. 1400. Rule S. Benet (prose), 2. He dos all to noht þe sinne þat wnis in his þoht.
a. 1529. Skelton, Col. Cloute, 141. They haue … ryght sklender connyng Within theyr heedes wonnyng.
1590. Spenser, F. Q., III. i. 3. Wastefull wayes, Where daungers dwelt, and perils most did wonne.
a. 1592. Greene, Jas. IV., I. iii. Thy sight hath cleerd my thoughts of many banefull troubles that there woond.
1622. Drayton, Poly-olb., xix. 17. For in that happy soil, doth pleasure ever wonne.
a. 1641. Bp. Mountagu, Acts & Mon., i. (1642), 56. And if it be blasphemy or Heresie, let them looke unto it, where it wonneth so familiarly with so many men.
1828. Hood, ‘Oh! well may poets make a fuss,’ 81. Where are ye, London meads … And gardens redolent of flow’rs Wherein the Zephyr wons?
a. 1839. Lady Flora Hastings, Poems, Lay of Bell, 222. Ever within those sashless walls Sorrow woneth.
1852. Bailey, Festus (ed. 5), 504. That Wisdom yet might wonn with them again.
† 2. To continue to be, remain (in a certain state, condition, or way of life); to have existence, live.
Beowulf, 1735. Wunað he on wiste, no hine wiht dweleð adl ne yldo.
971. Blickl. Hom., 155. & heo wæs fæmne ær hire beorþre & heo wunaþ fæmne æfter hire beorþre.
c. 1000. Ælfric, Saints’ Lives, iii. 595. Se læce … cwæð þæt he ʓelyfan wolde … ʓif he wunode of[er] mid-dæʓ.
c. 1175. Lamb. Hom., 63. Ȝife us … þet he … mid his halie gast us lihte and in cherite to wnien inne.
c. 1200. Trin. Coll. Hom., 3. Men þe waren wunende on elche of þese þrie times. Ibid., 179. Viuimus in labore,… on swunche we here wunien.
1340. Ayenb., 54. Þo þet libbeþ be þe goste byeþ þo þet ine þe loue of god wonyeþ.
a. 1375. Lay Folks Mass Bk., App. IV. 205. Ȝif þou wol wone in weole, Prey for þe prest.
c. 1450. Holland, Howlat, 963. I couth nocht won in to welth wretch wast, I was so wantoun of will.
1590. Spenser, F. Q., I. vi. 39. How might that bee, And he the stoutest knight, that euer wonne? Ibid. (1595), Col. Clout, 307. Like as in this same world where we do wone.
1633. P. Fletcher, Purple Isl., VII. xxvii. Fancie, a lad that all in feathers wons.
† 3. To remain (in a place); to stay. Obs.
c. 1000. Ælfric, Saints’ Lives, ix. 146. Seo eadiʓa lucia on þære ylcan stowe wunode Þe heo ofslaʓen wæs oðþæt sacerdas coman.
c. 1430. How Gd. Wijf tauȝte hir Douȝtir, 83, in Babees Bk. (1868), 40. Wone at hom, douȝtir.
† 4. trans. To dwell in, inhabit. Obs.
Beowulf, 1260. Grendles modor … se þe wætereʓesan wunian scolde, cealde streamas.
a. 1000. Phœnix, 172. Ðær he heanne beam on holtwuda wunað.
1565. Golding, Ovid’s Met., II. (1593), 39. The fire he ay doth shon, And chooseth him the contrary continually to won.
a. 1586. Sidney, Arcadia, III. (1922), 75. When all this Earth … Was onely won’d with such as beastes begot.
1600. Fairfax, Tasso, XII. xxv. The toure wherein she lay enclos’d, Was with her damsels onely wond and mee.
II. † 5. intr. To be accustomed or used to do something. Obs. To be wont: see WONT pa. pple.
The regular form in this sense in OE. was ʓewunian.
c. 1000. Ælfric, Gram., xli. (Z.), 247. Soleo ic ʓewuniʓe [v.rr. iwunie, wuniʓe], solens wuniʓende.
c. 1440. Promp. Parv., 532/1. Wonon’, or vse custummably, usito.
1579. Spenser, Sheph. Cal., Feb., 119. And thereto aye wonned to repayre The shepheards daughters. Ibid. (1590), F. Q., III. ix. 21. Her well plighted frock, which she did won To tucke about her short, when she did ryde.
1642. H. More, Song of Soul, I. I. xxxii. These parts that won To drag in dirty earth.
† 6. trans. To accustom (a person to something); refl. to accustom oneself, become or be accustomed.
c. 1200. Ormin, 19541. He wass sennd to fullhtnenn, To wunenn swa þe follc þærto, forr þatt teȝȝ sholldenn ȝernenn Affterr þe Laferrd Jesu Crist.
a. 1300. Cursor M., 12088. If þou … wald luue þi sun, Til oþer thues þou suld him won.
c. 1440. Promp. Parv., 532/1. Wonon’, or make to be custummyd or vsyd…, assuefacio.
1483. Cath. Angl., 423/1. To Wonne, assuefacere.
c. 1200. Trin. Coll. Hom., 85. Seint Nicholas þe on his chilhode wunede him to fasten.
a. 1225. Ancr. R., 412. Wunieð ou to lutel drunch.
a. 1250. Prov. Alfred, 367, in O. E. Misc., 124. From lesynge þu þe wune.
1340. Ayenb., 7. Þe ilke þet mest him woneþ to zuerie mest zeneȝeþ.
1387. Trevisa, Higden (Rolls), II. 167. Þey woneþ hem to glotonye.
c. 1400. Rule St. Benet (prose), 10. Ye sal wne yu til strate gate.
c. 1449. Pecock, Repr., V. xiv. 559. For to sette thee and wone thee to not loue money.
