fond English · revision 99

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * IPA: /fɒnd/ ''(Received Pronunciation)'', /fɑnd/ ''(General American)''^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ From [[enm|fonned]], past-participle adjective of the obsolete verb ''fonnen'' “to be foolish”,^(Etymonline)^(AHD)^(RHWU) from ''fonne'' “a fool” (early 14th century),^(Etymonline)^(MW Collegiate) a word of uncertain origin, perhaps Scandinavian.^(Etymonline) Random House gives the original sense of ''fonnen'' as “to lose flavour, go sour”,^(RHWU) and Etymonline suggests this may be the word's original meaning, citing Wycliffe's ''Gif þe salt be fonnyd'' (c. 1380).^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ “Infatuated, foolish, silly”, recorded from before 1340 according to the OED;^(OED 1989) Etymonline gives “deranged, insane” and “foolish, silly” from the late 14th century.^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ The meaning moved from “foolish” through “foolishly tender, doting” to “having a strong affection for”, established by the 1570s.^(Etymonline)^(OED 1989) Compare [[dote]], which developed in a similar way.^(Etymonline) Since the 16th century the older sense has been used in literature chiefly as “foolishly credulous or sanguine”.^(OED 1989)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * before 1340 – “infatuated, foolish, silly”.^(OED 1989)

+ * c. 1380 – “having lost its savour; insipid”.^(OED 1989)^(Etymonline)

+ * c. 1400 – “idiotic, mad, dazed”.^(OED 1989)

+ * 1579 – “foolishly tender, doting”.^(OED 1989)

+ * 1590 – “having a strong affection or liking for”, with ''of''.^(OED 1989)

+

+ ==Modern meaning==

+ ===Adjective===

+ # Having a liking or affection for someone or something, usually with ''of''.^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)^(RHWU)^(Wiktionary)

+ # Affectionate, loving.^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)^(RHWU)^(Wiktionary)

+ # Overly indulgent; doting.^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)^(RHWU)^(Wiktionary)

+ # Cherished, held dear.^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)^(RHWU)

+ # ''(archaic)'' Foolish, or naively credulous.^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)^(RHWU)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[fondly]]^(AHD)^(Wiktionary)

+ * [[fondness]], [[fondle]], [[overfond]]^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[dote]]^(Etymonline)

+ * ''fond'' (noun), the background of a design in lace, is an unrelated word from French, ultimately from [[la|fundus|t=bottom]].^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)^(RHWU)

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}