Middle English Dictionary Entry
foisǒun n.
Entry Info
| Forms | foisǒun n. Also fuisoun, fusoun, fisoun, faisoun, foisen. |
| Etymology | OF foison, fuison. |
Definitions (Senses and Subsenses)
1.
(a) Abundance (of food or drink); gret ~, plenty, profusion; litel (smal) ~, scarcity of food; (b) abundance (of clothes, gifts; of kindness, inspiration, etc.); (c) godes ~, the bounty of God, God's blessing; (d) used attrib.
Associated quotations
a
- c1330 KTars (Auch)561 : Wiþ mete & drink anouȝ..Plente & gret fousoun.
- c1330 SMChron.(Auch)1724 : While he liues..was gret fousoun Of mete & dring in euerich toun.
- c1390(c1350) NHom.(2) Corp.Chr.(Vrn)170/38 : God dude lete reyne adoun, As hit were flour, gret foysun.
- c1400(?a1300) *KAlex.(LdMisc 622)1029 : Alle þe innes of þe toun hadden litel foysoun.
- c1400(?c1390) Gawain (Nero A.10)122 : Dayntes dryuen þerwyth of ful dere metes, Foysoun of þe fresche.
- c1425(a1420) Lydg.TB (Aug A.4)1.1297 : Ceres, goddesse of largesse and foysoun.
- a1425-a1500(?c1350) Libeaus (Kaluza)112 : Of all manere fusoun..Ynouȝ þey hadde to ete.
- ?a1425 Mandev.(2) (Eg 1982)43/6 : Moyses smate on þe drie roche, and þan water come oute rynnand at grete fuysoun.
- c1475(a1449) Lydg.OFools (LdMisc 683)156 : Whan þe belle-weder pastureth at his ese, Though al þe flok haue but smal ffoysoun.
- c1450(a1375) Octav.(2) (Clg A.2)78 : Ther ne was noon so symple a gest..That hy ne hadde..Greet foyson.
- a1500(?a1390) Mirk Fest.(GoughETop 4)13/22 : [The wheat] was of suche fuson..þat hit fond all þe pepull to ete and to sowe þe ȝerthe aftyr.
- a1475(?a1430) Lydg.Pilgr.(Vit C.13)2594 : Yt bar cheryes gret Foyson.
- a1500(a1449) Lydg.Haste (Cmb Kk.1.6)116 : Maade sche was turned to a philbert tree, And bare philbertis passyng grete ffuson.
- a1500(?c1450) Merlin (Cmb Ff.3.11)150 : It yaf so gret foyson of water that the brooke ran down the launde.
b
- c1425(a1420) Lydg.TB (Aug A.4)1.1361 : Þat whatsoeuer may to hem don ese..Þat þei it haue in foysoun and plente.
- (?a1439) Lydg.FP (Bod 263)6.167 : Somer afftir of flouris hath foisoun.
- (?a1439) Lydg.FP (Bod 263)4.2609 : Wher mercy regneth, of grace ther is foisoun.
- a1450-1509 Rich.(Brunner)3342 : He gaff hem cloþis gret ffoysoun.
- a1475(?a1430) Lydg.Pilgr.(Vit C.13)174 : Nor she..Calliope..Gaff to my penne plente nor fusoun Of hyr licovr.
- a1500(a1450) Parton.(1) (Add 35288)269 : Anchyses..wente wyth grette ffoysone Off golde and seluer.
c
- c1330(?c1300) Spec.Guy (Auch)994 : Anon god putte his fuisoun Vp-on hire mele in hire picher And on hire oyle.
- (c1390) Chaucer CT.Mil.(Manly-Rickert)A.3165 : He may fynde goddes foyson there.
- (c1390) Chaucer CT.ML.(Manly-Rickert)B.504 : God sente his foyson at hir grete nede.
- a1400(c1303) Mannyng HS (Hrl 1701)5806 : God shal ȝyue þe hys blessyng And foysyn yn alle þyng.
- a1400(a1325) Cursor (Vsp A.3)13499 : He blisced als þe fisches tuin And sett his fusun [Göt: fuisum; Trin-C: foisoun] þam wit-in.
- ?a1475 Ludus C.(Vsp D.8)81/267 : Goddys foyson is evyr to his servauntys hendyr þan we wende.
- c1475 Mankind (Folg V.a.354)323 : Thys erth..I xall assay to delffe..I prey Gode sende yt hys fusyon!
d
- c1400(?c1380) Pearl (Nero A.10)1058 : Sunne ne mone schon neuer so swete A[s] þat foysoun flode out of þat flet.
2.
(a) A large number (of people or of animals); gret ~, a multitude; (b) a large number (of things); a large quantity (of something).
Associated quotations
a
- c1400(?a1300) *KAlex.(LdMisc 622)5281 : And of þe addres & scorpiouns hij slowen a grete fuysouns.
- c1400(?a1300) *KAlex.(LdMisc 622)5376 : And of perches & of savmouns Token & eten grete foysouns.
- c1400 Femina (Trin-C B.14.40)3 : Fusoun seyþ man of quyk bestayle.
- ?c1450 Knt.Tour-L.(Hrl 1764)158/32 : Atte the feste where as were gret foyson of lordes.
- c1475(?a1430) Lydg.Pilgr.(Tbr A.7)18857 : I muste abyde With other scolers..gret ffoysoun.
- a1500(?c1450) Merlin (Cmb Ff.3.11)398 : Ther was so grete foison of men and horse.
b
- c1390(a1325) Ipotis (Vrn)197 : Whose of þe cloudes haþ most foysun [StJ-C: fisoun], He schal be wys, bi good reson.
- (?c1422) Hoccl.ASM (Dur-U Cosin V.3.9)263 : Myn yen flowen now in greet foysoun.
- a1425(?a1400) RRose (Htrn 409)1359 : Trees there were gret foisoun.
- c1425(c1400) Ld.Troy (LdMisc 595)11257 : Riche bavme..gret ffusoun ther doun rides..by bothe his sydes.
- ?a1425 Mandev.(2) (Eg 1982)87/4 : Þe blude rynnez doune fra þer woundes in grete fuysoun.
- a1450(1412) Hoccl.RP (Hrl 4866)202 : Þoght is wastyng seed..& þat in grete foysoun.
3.
(a) Power, strength, vigor; (b) haven foisoun, to make headway, to succeed.
Associated quotations
a
- c1390 Psalt.Mariae(2) (Vrn)327 : Þe cause of Obligacion Þat vs to helle bond He brac wiþ gret fuson Of his riht hond.
- (a1398) *Trev.Barth.(Add 27944)113b/b : Þe sonne..haþ more foysoun & sadnesse of liȝt.
- a1400(a1325) Cursor (Vsp A.3)8516 : Gains him his fas had na fusun [vr. fousun].
- a1400(a1325) Cursor (Vsp A.3)19412 : Bot al þair strijf was bot in wain; Had þai na fusun [Frf: foisoun; Göt: might; Trin-C: myȝt] him again.
- a1425(?c1375) NHom.(3) Leg.(Hrl 4196)7/219 : Þou gettes no force ne no fuysoune To negh my bodi, ne tak it doune.
- a1475 Lordyngis dygne (Hrl 3954)p.368 : Quat man here messe or he dyne, It is a good medycyne; Hys mete xal han þe more fysoun Afterward be resoun.
- a1450(a1338) Mannyng Chron.Pt.1 (Lamb 131)4678 : He sey þe force of þe Brutons, & hyse to þem hadde no fuysons.
- a1450(a1338) Mannyng Chron.Pt.1 (Lamb 131)1591 : Þe oþer alle had no foysoun [F desfension] Þan had þe lomb ageyn þe lyoun.
- a1450(a1338) Mannyng Chron.Pt.1 (Lamb 131)8793 : Þo stones..Ar so heuy..Þat non haþ force ne fuysoun To remue þem.
- ?a1475 Ludus C.(Vsp D.8)58/27 : Of Regall lyff xal come suche foyson þat a clene mayde modyr xal be.
- a1500(?a1400) SLChrist (Hrl 2250)10332 : Þo fendes affray has no faysoun.
b
- c1400 Brut-1333 (Rwl B.171)105/15 : No foysoun he nade aȝeynes ham; & miche was þe peple þat þere was slayn in boþe parties.
- c1425(?a1400) Arthur (Lngl 55)476 : He, for all hys grete Renoun, Aȝenst Arthour hadde no fusoun.
- a1450(a1338) Mannyng Chron.Pt.1 (Lamb 131)8202 : Þe folk wondred þat þe white dracoun To þe rede had any foysoun.
Supplemental Materials (draft)
- a1500 Terms Assoc.(4) (Dgb 196)232 : A foyson of corne.
Note: New sense: term of association