Forms: α. [3 suowene], 4 swowene, swoȝene, -y, swouȝne. β. 4–6 swoune, swowne, (4 suoun, squoen ?, swoune, 5 sqwowne), 7 swoun, 7, 9 swown. γ. 4–5 swone, (5 suone, swoyne), 5–7 swoone, 7– swoon. [ME. swoȝene, swoȝeny, swowene, possibly a back-formation from swoȝning, swowening, SWOONING, q.v. Three types were developed: (1) swoune, swowne, which would have given mod. swown; (2) swōne, arising from loss of ȝ or w, whence the mod. swoon; cf. ME. woe for woȝe (OE. wóʓian), and wooe by the side of wowe in Spenser; (3) sounye, soune, whence SOUND v.2]
1. intr. To fall into a fainting-fit; to faint.
α. [c. 1290: see SWOONING vbl. sb. 1.]
13[?]. K. Alis., 5841 (Laud MS.). Þe kyng swoȝened for þt wounde.
c. 1330. R. Brunne, Chron. Wace (Rolls), 1841. Þe geaunt … in his armes so hym wente Þat Gogmagog gan to swowene.
a. 1375. Joseph Arim., 513. Mony swouȝninge lay þorw schindringe of scharpe.
c. 1400. St. Alexius, 222 (Trin. MS.). To swoȝeny he be-gan.
β. 13[?]. Guy Warw. (A.), 468. Adoun he fel and swoune bigan.
1377. Langl., P. Pl., B. XX. 104. Many a louely lady … Swouned and swelted for sorwe of dethes dyntes.
c. 1385. Chaucer, L. G. W., 872, Thisbe. And how sche lyth & swounnyth [v.rr. swowneth, souneth, suowneth, swouneth, swonyth, sowneth] on the grounde.
1426. Lydg., De Guil. Pilgr., 4816. Wych shal … Maken hyre in Terys drowne, And offte sythes for to swowne.
1448–9. Metham, Amoryus & Cleopes, 399. As offtyn sqwowny[n]g, as I remembyr her bryght face.
a. 1508. Dunbar, Tua Mariit Wemen, 225. With that I seme for to swoune, thought I na swerf tak.
1598. B. Jonson, Ev. Man in Hum., V. ii. Take my armour of quickly, ’twill make him swoune, I feare. Ibid. (1601), Poetaster, II. ii. 192. Sometimes froward, and then frowning, Sometimes sickish, and then swowning.
1633. P. Fletcher, Pisc. Ecl., III. xx. So down he swowning sinks.
a. 1656. Bp. Hall, Mourner in Sion, Rem. Wks. (1660), 164. Those faint hearts that are ready to swoun away for the scratch of a finger.
1865. Dickens, Mut. Fr., I. xvi. You pray that your Granny may have strength enough left her at the last … to get up from her bed and run and hide herself, and swown to death in a hole, sooner than [etc.].
γ. 13[?]. Cursor M., 14287 (Gött.). Till hir broþer graue scho gas, Þar forto suoun [Fairf. squoen, Trin. swowne].
c. 1374. Chaucer, Anel. & Arc., 169 (Shirley MS.). Sheo weopeþe wayleþe swooneþe [v.rr. swoneth, swouneth, swowneth] pytously.
1375. Barbour, Bruce, XVII. 648 (Edin. MS.). Sum ded, sum hurt, and sum swonand.
c. 1400. Destr. Troy, 8046. [Bresaid] ay swonit in swyme, as ho swelt wold.
c. 1480. Henryson, Mor. Fab., Fox, Wolf & Cadger, xxxiii. He … hit him with sic will vpoun the heid, Quhill neir he swonit and swalt in to that steid.
c. 1489. Caxton, Sonnes of Aymon, xxi. 466. Reynawde … was swoninge for sorowe.
1595. R. Johnson, 7 Champions (1608), 60. His joy so exceeded that he swooned in his daughters bosome.
1600. Shaks., A. Y. L., IV. iii. 159. Many will swoon when they do look on bloud.
1697. Dryden, Æneid, VIII. 774. He said, and, swooning, sunk upon the ground.
1748. Anson’s Voy., I. x. 101. This lassitude at last degenerates into a proneness to swoon.
1859. Dickens, T. Two Cities, II. v. If a girl … swoons within a yard or two of a man’s nose, he can see it without a perspective-glass.
1865. Tennyson, Princess, V. 533. Home they brought her warrior dead; She nor swoon’d, nor utter’d cry.
b. fig. said of natural phenomena.
1818. Keats, Endym., I. 286. Strange ministrant of undescribed sounds, That come a swooning over hollow grounds.
1833. Tennyson, Lotos-Eaters, 5. All round the coast the languid air did swoon.
1875. Longf., Birds of Passage, IV. Amalfi, 80. All the landscape seems to swoon In the happy afternoon.
1876. B. Harte, Gabriel Conroy, III. viii. A sudden sense of some strange, subtle perfume … came swooning over him.
c. To sink to or into a less active condition or a state of rest.
1821. Clare, Vill. Minstr., II. 75. Till morn’s long streaking shadows lose their tails, And cooling winds swoon into faultering gales.
1871. Rossetti, Poems, Card-dealer, i. Though its splendour swoon Into the silence languidly As a tune into a tune.
1887. Hall Caine, Deemster, xxxix. The light was gone and another day had swooned to another night.
2. pass. To fall into a swoon; chiefly pa. pple. or ppl. a.: In a swoon.
c. 1450. Mirk’s Festial, 206. Scho nys not dede, but swownyd [v.r. sownyd] for drede.
1795. Jemima, II. 175. Rosina … was swooned away in Levet’s arms.
1820. Keats, Lamia, I. 132. He … lighting on the printless verdure, turn’d To the swoon’d serpent.
1837. Carlyle, Fr. Rev., I. V. vi. She lies swooned on a paillasse.
