Now dial. Forms: α. 5–7 sown(e, 7 soune, sounn. β. 6 sounde, soonde, 6–7 sownd, 5– sound. [var. swoun(d SWOON sb.]
1. A swoon or fainting-fit. Usually with preps. in or into. Very common c. 1530–1650, esp. in to fall in a sound.
α. c. 1400. Laud Troy Bk., 10254. By-fore his feet fel sche doun For sorwe & care In a ded sowne.
1480. Robt. Devyll, 139, in Hazl., E. P. P., I. 225. So for dreade thys lady laye in a sowne.
1525. Ld. Berners, Froiss., II. cxcii. [clxxxviii.] 590. She fell in a sowne, and knightes and ladyes came and comforted her.
1591. Greene, Conny Catching, II. Wks. (Grosart), X. 115. Alas honest man helpe me, I am not well: and with that [he] suncke downe suddenly in a sowne.
1621. Burton, Anat. Mel., I. ii. IV. iii. 195. Augusta … fell down dead in a sown.
1678. Wood, Life (O.H.S.), II. 424. She fell in a soune and there layd.
fig. 1655. Fuller, Ch. Hist., V. 178. For they beheld him, rather in a Sown, then as yet Dead in the Kings favour.
β. 1471. Ripley, Comp. Alch., V. vi. in Ashm. (1652), 149. The Woman … Which oftyn for fayntnes wyll fall in a sound.
1509. Hawes, Past. Pleas., XXXVI. (Percy Soc.), 187. Prostrate we fell … And sodaynly we were cast in a sounde.
1559. Mirr. Mag. (1563), V iij. From a sigh he falles into a sounde, And from a sounde lyeth ragyng on the grounde.
1596. H. Clapham, Briefe Bible, I. 77. A man in a foming sounde, is not fit for our Table.
a. 1629. Hinde, J. Bruen, xlvii. (1641), 151. All his men were affraid, and one of them fell into a sownd.
1698. M. Lister, in Phil. Trans., XX. 247. And so [they] came out of the Convulsive-like Motions, lying as it had been in a Sound.
1766. Goldsm., Vicar, xi. My Lady fell into a sound, but Sir Tomkyn drawing his sword, swore he was hers to the last drop of his blood.
1828–. in Sc., Yks., Leic., and Cornw. glossaries.
fig. a. 1569. Kingesmyll, Man’s Est., ix. (1574), C vij. Lying still in the sounde of sinne and buried vp in death.
1610. Holland, Camden’s Brit., I. 413. When England … bereft … of vitall breath was readie through civill warre to sinke downe and fall in a sound.
b. Without article.
1513. Douglas, Æneid, VII. vi. heading, Juno, persavand the Troianis byg ane town, For greif and dolour lik to suelt in sown.
1590. Spenser, F. Q., III. v. Argt. Belphebe finds him almost dead, and reareth out of sownd.
1621. Quarles, Div. Poems, Esther (1717), 28. Tymissa (new awak’d from sound) replies, Our Castle is begirt with enemies.
1661. Wood, Life (O.H.S.), I. 379. He, striving too much that his voice might be heard, fell in sounn.
2. dial. A deep or sound sleep.
1867. P. Kennedy, Banks Boro, xix. 108. We got into a heavy sound towards morning, when we ought to be thinking about getting up.
