1. trans. To cause to bear in the womb; to make pregnant. Also fig.
1590. Spenser, F. Q., II. i. 50. Me then he left enwombed of this childe.
1633. P. Fletcher, Purple Isl., X. xxxvii. 144. Her daintie breasts … may seem to sight To be enwombed both of pleasure and delight.
2. To hold or to place in the womb. ? Obs.
1601. Shaks., All’s Well, I. iii. 150. I am your mother, And put you in the Catalogue of those That were enwombed mine.
a. 1625. Boys, Wks. (1629), 144. Mary did inwombe the father of mercies.
1647. H. More, Song of Soul, III. App. li. Him whose chaste soul enwombd in Virgin chast [etc.].
a. 1711. Ken, Hymns Evang., Wks. 1721, I. 205. God inwomb’d.
3. transf. a. To contain as in the womb; in quots. fig. b. To plunge into, bury in, the womb or bowels of (something); to enclose, shut up as in the womb.
a. 1591. Spenser, Ruins of Rome, 67. Her great spirite rejoyned to the spirite Of thir great masse, is in the same enwombed.
a. 1625. Boys, Wks. (1629), 10. The heauen of heauens cannot containe him [God], much lesse any barren braine inwombe him.
1621. Donne, Funeral Elegies, 49 (R.). The Affrique Niger streame enwombs It selfe into the earth.
1633. P. Fletcher, Elisa, xxx. 125. Why is he living then in earth enwombed?
1840. Browning, Sordello, V. 418. I enwomb Some wretched Friedrich with his red-hot tomb.
1855. Singleton, Virgil, II. 442. If thou Enwombest such high courage in thy breast.
1859. Miss Mulock, Romant. T., 40. The dull dead metals that lie enwombed there.
Hence Enwombed ppl. a., pregnant.
1820. Shelley, Witch Atl., x. Wondering how the enwombed rocks Could have brought forth so beautiful a birth.
