v. Forms: 3–7 confund(e, 4 -fonde, (counfound), 4–7 confounde, 5 -fownd(e, 4– confound. Pa. pple. confounded; also 6 confounden, 6–7 confound. [ME. a. OF. confond-re, confund-re, AF. confound-re (= Pr. confondre, It. confondere):—L. confund-ĕre to pour or mingle together, mix up, confuse, confound, f. con- + fundĕre to pour. Confuse, confused, were in early use passive participles of confound: for the historical relation, see note to CONFUSE v.
(OF. un, on, regularly gave early ME. ūn, late ME. and mod. oun, own: cf. abound, round, astound, compound, redound, sound, noun, crown, renown, etc.)]
1. trans. To defeat utterly, discomfit, bring to ruin, destroy, overthrow, rout, bring to nought (an adversary). Obs. or arch.
a. 1300. Cursor M., 7982 (Cott.). [David] Thoght on his fas philistiens … Gladli walde he þam confund [later MSS. confounde].
c. 1330. R. Brunne, Chron. (1810), 170. Wilde fire þei kast, þe kyng to confound.
a. 1400[?]. Morte Arth., 1153. Allas! we are lorne, my lorde es confundede, Over fallene with a fende!
c. 1475. Rauf Coilȝear, 875. Thow art ane Sarazine … For to confound our Christin men, that counteris sa kene.
1570. Dee, Math. Pref., 35. Archimedes … vtterly confounded the Romaine Nauye.
1631. J. Taylor (Water P.), Turn Fort. Wheel, Wks. (1848), 22. Sloops, punts, and lighters seventy-eight confounded, Six thousand men ta’en prisoners, many wounded.
1650. Fuller, Pisgah, III. vi. 331. [Sennacherib] having all his Army soon after confounded from heaven.
1795. Southey, Joan of Arc, I. 73. Lest He in wrath confound me.
b. To overthrow, defeat, or bring to nought (a scheme, plan, hope, etc.).
c. 1315. Shoreham, 112. Wanne love hys here preye, Al for to confundy.
1393. Gower, Conf., I. 13. Every werke as it is founded Shall stonde, or elles be confounded.
1552. Bk. Com. Prayer, Litany. Confound theyr deuyses.
c. 1740. Carey, God save the King, ii. Confound their politicks, Frustrate their knavish tricks, On him our hopes are fix’d, O save us all!
1850. Maurice, Mor. & Met. Philos., I. i. § 1. 6. God confounded the rebellious scheme.
1890. Garnett, Life of Milton, ii. 42. The Civil War confounded his [Milton’s] anticipations of leisurely composition.
† c. To destroy the purity, beauty, or usefulness of; to spoil, corrupt. Obs.
c. 1420. Pallad. on Husb., III. 815. Of peres wyne is made … Yit somer wol it soure and so confounde.
1548. Hall, Chron., 124. By this mariage, the quenes bloud was confounded.
1681. Trial S. Colledge, 71. You have confounded the Gospel.
a. 1734. North, Lives (1826), III. 135. Their smoke and dust … confounded all his good furniture.
† d. To demolish, smash. Obs. rare.
1523. Ld. Berners, Froiss., I. cccxcvii. 687. Bearynge great malettes of yron and stele, to confounde helmes.
† e. To waste, consume, spend. Obs.
1596. Shaks., 1 Hen. IV., I. iii. 100. He did confound the best part of an houre In changing hardiment with great Glendower.
1701. W. Wotton, Hist. Rome, 399. His very Prodigality alone would have confounded more Money in a few Years than the whole Roman Empire could have … supply’d.
2. In curses or imprecations, used in the imperative 3rd pers. sing. as an equivalent or substitute for ‘bring to perdition.’ Since 1700 considered a milder form of imprecation, and vaguely associated with other senses.
c. 1330. R. Brunne, Chron. (1810), 265. Wales wo þe be! þe fende þe confound!
c. 1489. Caxton, Sonnes of Aymon, ix. 223. God confounde me, yf I sawe ever ony evyll doon by hym.
a. 1533. Ld. Berners, Huon, liii. 180. A, false faynted hert, Mahounde confounde the!
1591. Shaks., 1 Hen. VI., IV. i. 123. Confounded be your strife, And perish ye with your audacious prate. Ibid. (1607), Timon, I. i. 247. Traffickes thy God, and thy God confound thee!
1649. Cromwell, Lett., 17 Sept. (Carlyle). One of them was heard to say … ‘God damn me, God confound me; I burn, I burn.’
1773. Goldsm., Stoops to Conq., II. Confound your made dishes … I’m for plain eating. Ibid., IV. Whether the next be an izzard, or an R, confound me, I cannot tell.
1836. Marryat, Midsh. Easy, xviii. Why, confound the fellow … so you were a pickpocket, were you?
1888. J. Payn, Myst. Mirbridge, I. x. ‘Confound her impudence,’ muttered Sir Richard.
1890. Besant, Demoniac, vi. Humph! You are looking in very good health, at any rate. Confound you!
1898. G. B. Shaw, Candida, I. Confound your impudence!
3. To discomfit, abash, put to shame, ashame. (Almost always in passive.) Chiefly Scriptural.
c. 1290. S. Eng. Legendary, I. 249/397. Ich habbe i-hoped þat ich i-confundet ne beo.
a. 1340. Hampole, Psalter, xv. 1. Here is þe vile pride of men confoundid.
1382. Wyclif, 2 Sam. xix. 5. Thou hast confoundid to day the cheeris of alle thi servauntis. Ibid., Ps. xxx[i]. 1. In thee, Lord, I hopide; I shal not be confoundid in to withouten ende [1611 let me neuer be ashamed].
a. 1535. Fisher, Wks., 402. O my god I am confounden and ashamed to lyft vp my face vnto thee.
1579. Spenser, Sheph. Cal., June, 63. They drewe abacke, as halfe with shame confound.
1609. Bible (Douay), 2 Sam. x. 5. The men were confounded very fowly, and David commanded them: Tary in Jericho, til your beard be growen.
1667. Milton, P. L., IX. 1064. Silent, and in face Confounded long they sate, as struck’n mute.
1874. Kingsley, Westm. Serm., vii. 7. What is this which the Psalmist and prophets call being confounded; being put to shame and confusion of face?
† b. To discomfit in argument, silence, confute (a person, or a statement, opinion, etc.). Obs.
1382. Wyclif, Acts ix. 22. Forsothe Saul … confoundide the Jewis that dwelliden at Damask, and affermyde that this is Crist.
1483. Caxton, Gold. Leg., 276/2. Seynt Augustyn was … ryght appert in confundyng heretykes.
a. 1555. Ridley, Wks., 16. The plain words of St. Paul, which doth manifestly confound this fantastical invention.
1726. Cavallier, Mem., I. 10. She would dispute … with the Missionaries … and would often confound them.
4. To throw into confusion of mind or feelings; so to surprise and confuse (a person) that he loses for the moment his presence of mind, and discernment what to do. (Expressed colloquially by dumfound, flabbergast, etc.)
c. 1374. Chaucer, Boeth., V. iii. 154. Now am I confounded by a more harde doute þan I was.
1393. Gower, Conf., I. 146. What straunge mater he might use The knightes wittes to confounde.
a. 1555. Ridley, Wks., 5. Many things confound the weak memory.
1611. Bible, Acts ii. 6. The multitude … were confounded, because that euery man heard them speake in his owne language.
1682. N. O., Boileau’s Lutrin, IV. 95. Pale and dumb he stood, like one confounded.
1752. Johnson, Rambler, No. 195, ¶ 3. He was … so confounded by incessant noise, and crowds, and hurry.
1848. Macaulay, Hist. Eng., II. 593. The tidings of the flight reached London. The king’s adherents were confounded.
1859. Darwin, Orig. Spec., vi. (1873), 135. This difficulty for a long time quite confounded me.
† b. To confuse in the brain with liquor. Obs.
1704. F. Fuller, Med. Gymn. (1711), 55. Some strong People shall be confounded with a very few Glasses of Wine.
5. To throw (things) into confusion or disorder; = CONFUSE v. 3.
1553. Eden, Treat. Newe Ind. (Arb.), 36. He found all thinges confounded & out of ordre.
1611. Bible, Gen. xi. 7. Let vs go downe, and there confound their language.
1667. Milton, P. L., II. 996. With ruin upon ruin, rout on rout, Confusion worse confounded.
1712. Hearne, Collect., III. 363. Wanley quite confounded the Library, and put all things into Disorder.
1883. Froude, Short Stud., IV. II. v. 230. He believed that Newman’s methods of reasoning confounded his perceptions of truth.
6. To mix up or mingle so that the elements become difficult to distinguish or impossible to separate; = CONFUSE v. 4.
1538. Starkey, England, 111. You schal … confounde the nobyllys and the commynys togeddur … that ther schal be no dyfferens betwyx the one and the other.
1593. Shaks., Rich. II., IV. i. 141. Tumultuous Warres Shall Kinne with Kinne, and Kinde with Kinde confound.
1658. Rowland, Moufet’s Theat. Ins., 917. The fourth … is gathered and confounded from all these trees, so that it hath a mixt color … and consistence.
1779. Johnson, Lett. Mr. Thrale, 23 June. I came by it [the money] in a very uncommon manner, and would not confound it with the rest.
1863. Lyell, Antiq. Man, 2. The remains … may have subsequently been mingled … and confounded together in one and the same deposit.
7. To mix up in idea, erroneously regard or treat as identical, fail to distinguish: = CONFUSE v. 5.
1581. Lambarde, Eiren., II. iii. (1588), 139. At an Affray, Assault, or Batterie (for now I will with other men confound those names).
1610. A. Cooke, Pope Joan, in Harl. Misc. (Malh.), IV. 46. This man seemeth to confound him with Benedict the Third.
1683. Robinson, in Ray’s Corr. (1748), 133. Saying that you confounded the two species together.
1807. G. Chalmers, Caledonia, I. I. i. 7. To confound the Celts with the Scythians.
1874. Green, Short Hist., viii. § 2 (1882), 467. He [James] chose to confound Puritanism with Presbyterianism.
