[f. FOND a. + -NESS.]
1. Foolishness, folly; ‘weakness; want of sense or judgement’ (J.); an instance of this. Obs. exc. dial.
c. 1380. Wyclif, Wks. (1880), 266. Þet seyn þat þe speche of holy writt is fals þat reuersiþ here owene fonnydnesse.
1433. Misyn, Mending of Life, 116. Slike lufe truly in þe begynnyng is labyr & fondnes.
1460. Capgrave, Chron., 6 Hen. III. (Rolls), 151. In his fonnednesse he wold sey that he was so arayed for savacion of the world.
1533. Frith, Answ. More, G j. It were fondenes to fayne that the soule did other wise eate then do the angellys in heuen.
1609. C. Butler, Fem. Mon., iv. (1623), H j. Others seeing the fondnesse of this opinion, haue thought and taught that the Drone is a different species, and that as Bees breed Bees, so Drones breed Drones.
a. 1797. Walpole, Mem. Geo. II. (1847), I. iv. 85. Lord Lincoln … was … the mimic of his fulsome fondnesses and follies.
1855. Robinson, Whitby Gloss., Fondness, foolishness. ‘All sorts o’ fondness,’ all kinds of frivolity.
2. Foolish affection; unreasoning tenderness.
1579–80. North, Plutarch (1676), 76. Womanish persons and faint-hearted, which suffer themselves to be overcome with such passions and fondness in their mourning.
1678. Cudworth, Intell. Syst., 889. Goodness and Justice in God, are alwayes Complicated together; neither his goodness being Fondness, nor his Justice Cruelty; but he being both Good in Punishing, and Just in Rewarding and Dispensing Benefits.
1702. The English Theophrastus, 4. The Play is writ, the Players upon the Recommendation of those that lick’d it over, like their Parts to a Fondness.
1727. Gay, Fables, I. iii. 30.
| Besides, by partial fondness shown, | |
| Like you we doat upon our own. |
a. 1859. Macaulay, Hist. Eng., V. 236. The object of her fondness was Spencer Cowper, who was already married.
3. Affectionateness, tenderness.
1603. Shaks., Meas. for M., II. iv. 28.
| The generall subiect to a wel-wisht King | |
| Quit their owne part, and in obsequious fondnesse | |
| Crowd to his presence, where their vn-taught loue | |
| Must needs appear offence. |
1685. Rules of Civility, 36. It is not discreet for a man to express too much fondness of his Wife before Company, no more than it is commendable in her to say only Monsieur to her Husband at every turn.
1727. Swift, To very Yng. Lady, Wks. 1755, II. II. 41. I must likewise warn you strictly against the least degree of fondness to your husband before any witness whatsoever, even before your nearest relations, or the very maids of your chamber. This proceeding is so exceeding odious and disgustful to all, who have either good breeding or good sense, that they assign two very unamiabie reasons for it; the one is gross hypocrisy, and the other has too bad a name to mention.
1782. Han. More, Moses, I. 5.
| A mother’s fondness reigns | |
| Without a rival, and without an end. |
1838. Lytton, Alice, I. iii. The curate, who was childless and a bachelor, was not insensible to the fondness of his beautiful pupil.
1868. Helps, Realmah, xv. (1876), 400. And Realmah sighed, for the fondness of her words did not console him for the absence of her sympathy with him in this his dearest project.
4. Instinctive or unreasoning liking or partiality; strong inclination, propensity or desire. Const. for, † of, † to, also † to with inf.
1654. Hammond, Fundamentals, xviii. 209. Through indulgence to others, or fondness to any sinne in themselves.
1665. Boyle, Occas. Refl., V. x. (1845), 335. So conspicuous is this Creatures fondness of Light, that Fowlers have devis’d a way to catch her by it, and pervert it to her Ruine.
1713. Steele, Guardian, No. 1, 12 March, ¶ 1. There is no passion so universal, however diversified or disguised under different forms and appearances, as the vanity of being known to the rest of mankind, and communicating a man’s parts, virtues, or qualifications, to the world: this is so strong upon men of great genius, that they have a restless fondness for satisfying the world in the mistakes they might possibly be under, with relation even to their physiognomy.
1735. Mrs. Whiteway, Swift’s Lett. (1768), IV. 141. Mr. ——’s great fondness to get his wife home, was to stop a prosecution she had begun against him in the bishop’s court, for cruel usage; and if he had prevailed on her to have gone with him, the affair must have dropped.
1754. Richardson, Grandison, I. viii. 40. Will he not attribute all I shall repeat of this sort, to that pride, to that vanity, to that fondness of admiration, which he, as well as Mr. Greville, is continually charging upon all our Sex?
1841. M. Elphinstone, The History of India, II. 314. Yet he showed no fondness for war: he was always ready to take the field and to remain there, exerting all his talents and energy, while his presence was required.
1885. Clodd, Myths & Dr., 1. v. 94. The fondness of the negro races, whose traditions are not limited to South and Central Africa, for such fables is well known, as witness the tales of which ‘Uncle Remus’ is a type.
