Middle English Dictionary Entry
yonder adj.
Entry Info
| Forms | yonder adj. Also yond(i)r, yender, yendre, ȝonder(e, ȝondir, ȝendir, ȝendur, ȝendre, ȝinder, ȝunder, (N) gionder & (early SW) ȝeondere. |
| Etymology | Prob. from yond adj.; also cp. yonder adv. & cp. OS gendra, MDu. gender, ginder adj. |
Definitions (Senses and Subsenses)
Note: For sense 3. cp. ender adj. or n.
1.
As dem. adj., pointing to a person or thing: that…over there, that; also, those…over there, those: (a) with noun only; the (that, tho) ~;
(b) with intervening adj.
Associated quotations
a
- c1380 Firumb.(1) (Ashm 33)930 : Olyuer my felaw ys take! y-seeþ þat ȝonder company! how þay him ledeþ away.
- (c1385) Chaucer CT.Kn.(Manly-Rickert)A.1119 : The fresshe beautee sleeth me sodeynly Of hire that rometh in the yonder place.
- a1400 Cursor (Trin-C R.3.8)1251 : Towarde þe eest ende of þe ȝondur vale [Vsp: of þis dale] A grene weye fynde þou shale.
- a1425(c1385) Chaucer TC (Benson-Robinson)2.1237 : Oughte he be glad, by God and yonder sonne.
- a1450(?1409) Vision Staunton (Roy 17.B.43)66 : Þo yender sowles ben of þo men þat haue suffred wrong bi thilk turmentid in þe fire.
- c1450(?a1400) Wars Alex.(Ashm 44)1090 : Seraphis…Toward a miȝti montayne him myntis with his fynger; ‘May þou oȝt, lede, þe ȝonder [Dub: yondr] lawe lyft on þi schulder?’
- c1450 Lond.Chron.Cleo.(Cleo C.4)119 : Syres…þe ȝondere mayne þenk to lette vs of owre way.
- (a1470) Malory Wks.(Win-C)219/20 : I se well by yondyr ordynaunce this day shall dye much peple.
- c1475 Awntyrs Arth.(Tay 9)p.23 : Ȝondur [Dc: Þes] byrnes in batelle…Thay ar…woundut fulle ille.
- a1500(?a1425) Chester Pl.Antichr.(Pen 399)506/439 : This ys my concell and my rede, yendre herytykes to spyll.
- a1500(a1450) Gener.(2) (Trin-C O.5.2)3704 : Take hede of yender forest, I yow saye, For ther by must ye goo for eny thing.
- c1540(?a1400) Destr.Troy (Htrn 388)8837 : While the lede was on lyf & his lymes holl, We hade hertely no hope…Yonder toun for to take.
b
- a1400(a1325) Cursor (Vsp A.3)19899 : Lo! yonder [Phys-E: gionder] thre Men er sent to sek þe.
- ?c1400 Cursor (Arms 57)3148 : Ȝonder hyȝe hille vpon [Vsp: On yon fell] Shal þou brenne þi sone for me.
- c1450(c1415) Roy.Serm.(Roy 18.B.23)157/6 : Why heldest þou þi noyse when þou mett with þis ȝonge man and wolde not holde þi noyse at ȝendur fowle careyn?
- (a1470) Malory Wks.(Win-C)210/14 : Loo where they lede oure lordys over yondir brode launde.
- 1485(a1470) Malory Wks.(Caxton:Vinaver)11/4 : Whan the child is borne, lete it be delyvered to me at yonder pryvy posterne uncrystned.
- a1500(?a1390) Mirk Fest.(GoughETop 4)39/36 : Hit wer almes forto ȝeue ȝondyr pore man warmer cloþes þen he haþe.
2.
(a) Situated farther away, more remote, farther; the ~ grece, a region comprising the central part of the west coast of Asia Minor, Ionia; ~ scithia, ?the European section of Scythia; the ~ spaine, the ancient Roman province of Baetica in south central Spain;
(b) lower.
Associated quotations
a
- (a1387) Trev.Higd.(StJ-C H.1)1.173 : Þere is anoþer Pannonia be ȝonde þe wateres Meotides in þe ȝonder [Higd.(2): ferþer] Scythia.
- (a1387) Trev.Higd.(StJ-C H.1)1.299 : Þere beeþ tweye Spaynes: þe hyder bygynneþ from þe pleynes and valeys of Pireneies and streccheþ by Cantabria and endeþ at Carthago Spartaria; þe ȝonder Spayne conteyneþ þe west partye anoon to þe see Gaditanus.
- (a1387) Trev.Higd.(StJ-C H.1)3.215 : Oþere [philosophers] were i-cleped Ionici, and hadde þat name of þe ȝonder Grees; Here auctor and prince was Tales Millesius.
- (a1398) Trev.Barth.(Add 27944:Seymour)793/26 : Pannonia…is double…þe more and þe lesse; Þe more is in þe ȝonder Sicia byȝonde þe mareys Meotides.
- a1425 Daniel *Treat.Uroscopy (Wel 225)252/3044 : Jubiter…is betwen Mars & Saturne: þe hydyr party of hyt sclakys & temperis þe felnes & þe malice of Mars; þe yondyr party of hyt þe malice of Saturn.
- (c1443) Pecock Rule (Mrg M 519)50 : If y wolde sette in my ymaginacioun at þe ȝinder eende of þis weie so long a wey beȝende and make of hem booþe oon wey, it wolde seeme a lenger wey.
- a1450 *Trev.Barth.[OD col.] (BodeMus 16)xv.lxxxii : Ȝendre [Add:Seymour 775/31: The next partie…hath grete plente of oyle and of fruyt…The ȝende partie þat is toward Munidia (read: Numidia) is y-ocupiede wiþ beestes].
- (?c1450) in Aungier Syon Mon.345 : The seyd brother schal se that ther be a lectron set in the ȝendyr corner of the ambytus for redyng of the gosbel towarde the este.
- (a1470) Malory Wks.(Win-C)830/1 : Sir Ector de Marys…abydyth me on the yondir syde of the watyr.
- (1475) Paston1.637 : The sayd Edmond shalbe payed by the sayd Duc for hym-self and hys said retenue on the yondyr syd on the see.
b
- c1500(1446) Morstede Surgery (Hrl 1736)119 : By the neke ows thow to undyrstonde the yondyr parte of the throte.
3.
In temporal phrases, used adverbially: ~ dai, this (the) ~ dai, the other day, recently; this ~ night, one night not long ago.
Associated quotations
- c1300 SLeg.Brendan (LdMisc 108)542 : In þe brennynde hulle…ich was þis ȝeondere daiȝ.
- c1380 Firumb.(1) (Ashm 33)4485 : On of hem þys ȝunder day, Ase a þef her be stal away.
- c1390 NHom.Abp.& N.(Vrn)69 : Make þat Nonne come me tille þat I halewede heere þe ȝondurday [Ashm: ȝistirdaye].
- a1400 Cursor (Trin-C R.3.8)4561 : Me þouȝte þat þis ȝonder nyȝt I coom in a medewe briȝt.
- a1400 Cursor (Trin-C R.3.8)13559 : Sone…art þou not he Þat ȝondir day [Vsp: endir day; Bedf:Stauffenberg: ȝistirday] miȝtes not se?
- a1500(?a1400) Morte Arth.(2) (Hrl 2252)1105 : I gabbyd on hym thys ȝendyr day.