Dictionaries of the Scots Language
Dictionars o the Scots Leid

A Dictionary of the Older Scottish Tongue (up to 1700)

Hide Quotations Hide Etymology

Abbreviations Cite this entry

Sound, Soun, n.² Also: sounde, sownd(e, sowund, sond, soune, sown(e, son(e. [ME and e.m.E. soun (1297), sun(e, sown (Cursor M.), son (Rolle), sownde (Prompt. Parv.), sounde (1530), AF soun (OED), suen (c1120 in Larousse), OF son (12th c. in Greimas), L. sonus, OE són, ON sónn.]

1. Sound, noise generally.(a) 1375 Barb. x 411.
He maid na noys, [na] cry na sowne [: doune] c1400 Troy-bk. ii 1939.
Syne to thare tentes gan thai faire … but noyis or sone 1513 Doug. i ii 4.
Tyll Eolus cuntre, that wyndy regioune, A brudy land of furyus stormy sowne 1513 Doug. iv x 6.
All feildis still, but othir noys or sown(b) c1500-c1512 Dunb. Flyt. 160.
Quhen thow heiris ane guse cry in the glenis Thow thinkis it swetar than sacrand bell of sound

b. specif. Music; melodious or harmonious sound. Also const. of.(1) c1409-1436 Kingis Quair § 152.
The cristall water … in myn ere maid contynualy A maner soun, mellit with armony a1500 Henr. Orph. 60.
Wranya … Is callit armony celestiall Reiosing men with melody and sound a1500 Henr. Fab. 1653 (H).
And euerie planet … In moving makand harmonie and sound 1501 Doug. Pal. Hon. 862.
Terpsichore … with humbill soun Makis on psalteris modulatioun 1501 Doug. Pal. Hon. 1155.
The ladyis fair on diuers instrumentis Went playand … Full angellike … was thair soun c1500-c1512 Dunb. (STS) xlviii 163.
The birdis song with voce on hicht, Quhois mirthfull soun wes mervelus to heir 15.. Clariodus v 1844.
Up gois the joyous sound instrumentall 1560 Rolland Seven Sages 8387.
At the windo … sang with heuinlie soun, Ane nichtingail 1585 James VI Ess. 25.
Her nynevoced mouth resembled into sound The daunce harmonious making heauen resound(2) c1500-c1512 Dunb. (STS) vii 22.
Wyth sowne of clarioun, organe, song and sence c1500-c1512 Dunb. (OUP) 142/57.
As the blisfull soune of cherarchy 1537 Lynd. Depl. Magd. 88.
I neuer did se … Sic banketting, sic sound of instrumentis 15.. Clariodus ii 1184.
With joyous sound of hevinlie menstrellie 1560 Rolland Seven Sages 1585.
With mortall sound … Of trumpet, schawme & als of blawing horne

2. The auditory effect produced by a particular source. a1400 Legends of the Saints xxxvii 324.
He sang with thame in melody, & the son wes hard in hy 1460 Hay Alex. 946.
Quhan thai passit throw Macedon vale The sound redoundit fra the hevin thocht me c1460 Regimine Principum 4 (Marchm.).
Rycht as stringis ar reulit in a harp … The sang is sueyt quhen that the sound is suth a1500 Henr. Orph. 257. 1513 Doug. vii vii 124.
Quhen that the ingill of stikkis dry With blesand sownd is layd to by and by 1549 Complaynte of Scotland 40/34.
Than ane of the marynalis began to hail and to cry, and al the marynalis ansuert of that samyn sound 1549 Complaynte of Scotland 59/32.
That terribil sound is the thyng that ve cal the thondir 15.. Clariodus iv 2576.
Kingis … Ascendit on thair horse with trumpit soun [: renowne]

b. Const. of, or with possessives. Also without def. art. 1494 Loutfut MS 130b.
It is oft in batell that errour, rasing of noyis & sowund of hors armour & strakis giffin, at wordis & commandis ar nocht hard c1500-c1512 Dunb. G. Targe 47 (B).
Throw the mirry fowlis armony And throw the reveris sound that ran me by c1500-c1512 Dunb. (OUP) 144/113.
With noyis and soun of joy All kynd of beistis … At onis cryit lawd [etc.] 1513 Doug. iv i 50.
Or than almychty Jove with thundris sovn [L. fulmine] Me smyte ful deip [etc.] 1513 Doug. iv ii 66.
Scho hir laid adoun, And of hym absent thinkis scho heris the sown 1513 Doug. vi vi 70.
Cerberus, … barkand with thre mowthis sown 1513 Doug. vi xv 46.
How gret brute, noys and sovn Of confluens that walkyng him about 1513 Doug. x v 122.
As thocht men hard the sovn Of crannys crowplyng, fleand in the ayr 1530 Lynd. Test. Pap. 776.
The sound of thair excellent Sanctitude Was hard ouer all the warld 1531 Bell. Boece I 75.
Sa huge nois rais be reird and sowne of bellis, … that the ennimes war affrait a1568 Bannatyne MS 28a/5.
With glorius sound of angell gle a1585 Maitland Quarto MS 219/80.
To heir the buning of the air & plesand evenis soune 1596 Dalr. I 59/29.
The sownde of thair voce

c. Const. of: Used of trumpets, etc. used to give a signal. 1490 Irland Mir. II 57/12.
The woce and sovnd of the trumpet, that sall call thame to the iugement c1500-c1512 Dunb. (OUP) 162/50.
Unto no mes pressit this prelat For sound of sacring bell nor skellat 1531 Bell. Boece I 127.
The Albianis … be sound of trumpet gaif signe to june 1555 Edinb. Hammermen 200b.
The … preuelegis wes solempnitlie proclamit with sond of trumpettis 1562 Cart. S. Nich. Aberd. II 376.
The haill toun being convenit for the maist part … be sound of the hand [pr. band] bell 1572-5 Diurnal of Occurrents 180.
The proclamatioun … wes maid at the mercat croce of Edinburgh … be sound of trumpet 1590 Rec. Convention of Royal Burghs I 312.
Thay ar na wayes chosin be sound of bell … nor ony publicatioun preceiding thair pretendit electioun 1600 Criminal Trials II 201.
Johne Gaw … deponit, he com thair at the sound of the bell 1639 Glasgow B. Rec. I 397.
This to be intimat be sound of drum 1661 Aberd. B. Rec. IV 198.
That the haill inhabitants of this brughe be warnit … be sound of trumpet and beat of drum

3. An instance of a particular sound, noise, melody, etc. Also const. of.(1) ?1438 Alex. ii 5017.
Quhen … foulis singis of soundis seir c1400 Troy-bk. ii 143.
A ferlyfull sowne sodeynly Among hem maid was hydwisly a1500 Peblis to Play 3.
Quhen ilk bodie bownis To Peblis to the play To heir the singin and the soundis a1500 Henr. Orph. 220.
In his passage amang the planetis all, He herd a hevynly melody and sound a1500 Lancelot of the Laik 3434.
Hornys, bugillis, blawing furth thar sownis c1475 Acts of Schir William Wallace vi 346.
Quhar claryowns blew full mony mychty sonis 1501 Doug. Pal. Hon. 102.
My desie heid quhome laik of brane gart vary And not sustene so amiabill a soun 1513 Doug. v viii 57.
The mekil kosch fyr tre … with a sownd Vp by the rutis rent, ruschis to grond 1562-3 Winȝet I 37/17.
We blew the samyn trompet againe … and that verray schortlie as it had bene be thre sindry soundis blawin almast at ane tyme(b) 1513 Doug. vii vii 91.
This hellis monstre … Hyssyt and quhislyt with sa feill eddir sondisproverb. 1584-9 Maxwall Commonpl. Bk. Prov. No. 209.
The emptye wessell gifeth a gretar sounde than the fwlle(2) 1456 Hay II 97/3.
Syk melodious soundis of musik gerris the mankynde tak delectacioun naturale 1558-66 Knox I 133.
An indigest sound as it war of prayeris

b. specif. A poetic or liturgical composition, esp. as heard in performance. c1500-c1512 Dunb. (STS) xxv 22.
Off Edinburgh the mirry toun We sall begyn ane cairfull soun; Ane dergy devoit and meik

4. Of the human voice, in specific aspects: a. Outcry; lamentation. b. With (a) hie (michty) soun, in swet soun, in a loud (mighty, melodious) voice. c. In or with a soun, with one voice; unanimously. d. ? Accent; ? mode of pronunciation; quality of voice.a. 15.. Clariodus iii 577.
No wofuller in Troy raise up the soun For Hectoris daithb. a1400 Legends of the Saints vi 644.
With that the apostil knelit done, & sad thir wordis with hey sone a1400 Legends of the Saints xx 325.
Thane ane angel lichtit done Fra hewine, & sad in swet sone c1500 Crying of Play 28.
A bauld bustuos bellamy At ȝour cors [sc. market cross] to mak a cry With a hie sowne [Interl. Droich With ane michty soun]c. 1375 Barb. xii 328.
Than ansuerd thai all with a sowne, ‘As ȝhe deuis, sa sall be done!' a1400 Legends of the Saints viii 33.
Thane cryit thai in a sone: ‘The fygure of Marte cast we downe’ ?1438 Alex. ii 3310. c1400 Troy-bk. ii 962.
All has consented in o sowned. 1513 Doug. iv x 70.
Onto Mercuryus lyke in al fasson, Baith cullour of vissage and of vocis sown 1533 Bell. Livy II 199/2.
Thay haue tynt all the langage of Ethruschis, & has na thing thareof bot the sound of thare toung, and that is alanerlie corruppit

e. A particular phonetic realisation of a sound corresponding to a particular letter or letters of the alphabet. Also, a particular speech-sound or phone.(1) c1616 Hume Orthog. 8.
We geve it [sc. the Latin A] alwaies ane sound beath befoer and behind the consonant c1616 Hume Orthog. 10.
Ad to them au, howbeit of a distinct sound; as knaulege with us, in the south knowlege c1616 Hume Orthog. 11.
For these be diphthong soundes, and the sound of a voual sould be simple c1616 Hume Orthog. 14.
The sound of it [sc. hard ‘c’] we … also keepe befoer a, o, and u; as canker, conduit, cumber c1616 Hume Orthog. 15.
If I had bene at the first counsel, my vote wald have bene to have geven ch the awn sound c1616 Hume Orthog. 16.
Thus have I breeflie handled the letteres and their soundes c1616 Hume Orthog. 17.
Behynd the voual thei make noe consonant sound, nor sould be written(2) c1616 Hume Orthog. 13.
Ther sould be for everie sound that can occur one symbol c1616 Hume Orthog. 18.
But w is a labial letter, quho a guttural sound