Woodness

Obs. exc. dial. or arch. Forms: see WOOD a. [OE. wódnes: see WOOD a. and -NESS.]

  1.  Mental derangement, insanity, mania, frenzy, lunacy, craziness: = MADNESS 1.

c. 1000.  Ælfric, Hom., I. 458. Þa ʓeaxode se cyning Polimius be ðam witseocum menn, hu se apostol hine fram ðære wodnysse ahredde.

1382.  Wyclif, Acts xxvi. 24. Poul, thou maddist…; manye lettris turnen thee to woodnesse.

1493.  H. Parker, Dives & Pauper, V. xviii. (W. de W., 1496), 220/1. Yf a man in his woodness & rauynge slee man & woman or childe.

1565.  Golding, Ovid’s Met., III. (1593), 72. Drunken woodnes wrought by wine.

1605.  Verstegan, Dec. Intell. (1634), 238. Wee yet retayne in some parts of England the word wodnes for furiousnesse or madnesse.

1657.  Thornley, trans. Longus’ Daphnis & Chloe, 60. Their minds were struck with a kind of Woodnesse.

1803.  W. S. Rose, Amadis de Gaul, 128.

  2.  Extravagant folly or recklessness; vehemence of passion or desire; wildness, infatuation. Cf. MADNESS 2.

c. 1000.  in Assmann, Hom. (1889), 60/212. Þa sæt he … tælende þone hælend … His wodnys wearð ʓewrecen swa þurh god.

c. 1374.  Chaucer, Troylus, III. 1382. They callen loue a woodnesse or folye.

1387.  [see WOOD a. 2 b].

c. 1430.  Lydg., Min. Poems (Percy Soc.), 76. A woode wisdom, and a wise woodenesse.

1435.  Misyn, Fire of Love, II. viii. 90. Here is lufe with-outen meyknes, wodnes ful likynge.

1484.  Caxton, Fables of Auian, vi. Now perceyue I wel thy foly and grete wodenesse.

1588.  A. King, trans. Canisius’ Catech., II. i viij. It is extreme vodnes to doubt quhither thay ar to be kept haly or nocht.

1615.  Crooke, Body of Man, 284. When their genitalles are full of seede they grow into woodnesse and rage of lust.

  3.  Violent anger, wrath, fury, rage; extreme fierceness, ferocity, savageness, cruelty. Cf. MADNESS 3.

c. 1000.  Ælfric, Hom., II. 30. Þæt earme wif ʓelyfde his waelhreowum ʓeðeahte, and wearð mid maran wodnysse astyrod.

a. 1340.  Hampole, Psalter, vi. 1. Lord in thi wodnes argu me noght. Ibid. Wodness or ire is a stirynge of mannys will, excitand to vengaunce.

c. 1375.  Sc. Leg. Saints, ii. (Paulus), 704. Nero wes brocht In sa mekill wodnes of thocht, Þat he his awne modir gert sla.

c. 1400.  St. Alexius (Vernon), 474. Heo ter hir cloþus al in sunder, in a gret woodnesse.

1460.  Capgrave, Chron. (Rolls), 237. In her wodnes thei kyllid the bischop of Cauntirbiry.

c. 1533.  Ld. Berners, Gold. Bk. M. Aurel. (1546), R viij. You haue chased the bulle, and scaped his woodnes.

1550.  Bale, Engl. Votaries, II. Q j. He fretted for wodenes, and was angry with himselfe.

1577.  Hanmer, Anc. Eccl. Hist. (1663), 166. He proceeding in cruelty, and daily increasing his savage woodness against the Saints of God.

1600.  Holland, Livy, XXVI. xiii. 593. Wild and savage beasts … madded … with blind rage and woodnesse against one.

1825.  J. Wilson, Noct. Ambr., Wks. 1856, I. 12. Whiles I just girn out-by yonner, wi’ perfect wudness when I think o’ you … rinning down me, and ither men of genius.

1906.  C. M. Doughty, Dawn in Britain, xiii. IV. 36.

  b.  fig. Excessive violence or severity, ‘fury’ (of pain, or of inanimate things, as wind, fire, etc.).

a. 1400.  Stockholm Med. MS., II. 704, in Anglia, XVIII. 324. It doth noth awey all þe pyne, But all þe wodnesse for þe tyme.

c. 1400.  Destr. Troy, 2008. Þe fuerse wyndes, And the wodenes of waghes.

c. 1425.  Found. St. Bartholomew’s (E.E.T.S.), 21. His kechyn was a-fyre sodenly, and likly to perissh with wooddenes of fyre.

1450–1530.  Myrr. our Ladye, II. 189. Fayre flowres wherof the nynte parte faded by the wodnesse of the northe.

1508.  Dunbar, Gold. Targe, 229. The Lord of Wyndis, wyth wodenes, God Eolus, his bugill blew.

1557.  Tottel’s Misc. (Arb.), 127. No rage of drenching sea, nor woodenesse of the winde.