释义 |
▪ I. † ˈsaunter, n.1 Obs. rare—1. [Of obscure origin: possibly an alteration of sauntes or sauntus sanctus.] ? An incantation.
1562Turner Herbal ii. 3, I went aboute this busynes all figures, coniurynges, saunters, charmes, wytchcrafte, and sorseryes sett a syde [tr. Tragus de Stirpium Hist., 1552, i. clxxxvi. 544 Nullis characteribus, nullis coniurationibus, nullis preculis, nulla denique superstitione usus sum, sed citra huiusmodi Magicas uanitates, etc.]. ▪ II. saunter, n.2|ˈsɔːntə(r)| [f. saunter v.] 1. The action or habit of sauntering; ‘lounge; idle occupation’ (Seager).
1728Young Love of Fame i. 231 The tavern! park! assembly! mask! and play! Those dear destroyers of the tedious day! That wheel of fops! that saunter of the town! Call it diversion, and the pill goes down. 2. A sauntering manner of walking; a leisurely, careless gait.
1712Henley Spect. No. 518 (ad fin.), So likewise the Belles Lettres are typified by a Saunter in the Gate;..an Insertion of one Hand in the Fobb [etc.]. 1853Lytton My Novel xi. ii, Men who make money rarely saunter; men who save money rarely swagger. But saunter and swagger both united to stamp prodigal on the Bond Street Lounger. 1859Geo. Eliot A. Bede xxvii, The other, turning round, walked slowly, with a sort of saunter, towards Adam. 3. A leisurely, careless, loitering walk or ramble; a stroll.
1828W. Irving in Life & Lett. (1864) II. 330 A quiet saunter about a cathedral..has the effect upon me of a walk in one of our great American forests. 1881Lady D. Hardy Through Cities & Prairie Lands 105 In one of our saunters through the city we met two..girls. ▪ III. saunter, v.|ˈsɔːntə(r)| Also 5–8 santer, (7 sawnter, dial. sonter). [Of obscure origin. It is doubtful whether the word represented by the quots. under sense 1 is identical with the modern word, the unequivocal history of which begins with the mention by Skinner (quot. a 1667 under sense 2); for the supposed 15th c. examples see sauntering vbl. n. 1. The current suggestion that the word is a. AF. sauntrer (= s'auntrer), to venture oneself, is unlikely (apart from difficulties of meaning) on the ground that the AF. word, of which only one instance has been found (1338 in Yearbks. Trinity 12 Edw. III, p. 619) is app. an adoption of ME. auntre to adventure n., and possibly a mere nonce-word; the conjecture that it represents a med.L. type *exadventūrāre is phonologically inadmissible.] †1. intr. ? To muse, be in a reverie. Obs.
c1475Partenay 4653 But yut he knew noght uerray certainly, But santred and doubted uerryly Wher on was or no of this saide linage. 1548Forrest Pleas. Poesye 29 in N. & Q. Ser. v. IV. 397 [To Edw. VI] When straungers greate yowre presence hathe none take of yowre nobles youe compenye too keepe: doo not your selfe sitt santeringe alone: as wone that weare in studye most deepe. 1589R. Harvey Pl. Perc. (1590) A ij b, I stood sauntring ouer it, like a whelp that had scalded his mouth. 2. †a. To wander or travel about aimlessly or unprofitably; to travel as a vagrant. Obs. b. To walk with a leisurely and careless gait; to stroll. Also, to travel by vehicle in a slow and leisurely manner.
a1667Skinner Etymol. Ling. Angl. (1671), To Saunter up and down, à. Fr. G. Sauter, Sauteller, Saltare, Saltitare, q.d. huc illuc Saltitare seu Discurrere. 1677Miege Dict. Eng.-Fr., To Saunter about, rouler en vagabond d'un côté & d'autre. 1678Butler Hud. iii. i. 1343 What hast thou gotten by this Fetch?..By Santring still on some Adventure, And growing to thy Horse a Centaur. 1691Ray S. & E. Country Words 111 To Santer about; or go Santering up and down. It is derived from Saincte terre, i.e. The Holy Land, because of old time..many idle persons went from place to place, upon pretence that they..intended to take the Cross upon them, and to go thither. 1692R. L'Estrange Fables cxliv. 131 The Cormorant is still Sauntering by the Sea-side, to see if he can find any of his Brass cast up. 1693S. Harvey in Dryden's Juvenal ix. 1 Tell me, why saunt'ring thus from Place to Place, I meet thee (Nevolus) with a Clouded Face? 1703Thoresby Let. to Ray in Philos. Lett. (1718) 337 [List of Yorkshire words] To Sonter, to loiter, a santring or sontring Body, one that squanders the time in going idly about. 1713Guardian No. 171 His customers can santer up and down from corner to corner. 1742Pope Dunc. iv. 311 Led by my hand, he saunter'd Europe round, And gather'd ev'ry Vice on Christian ground. 1782F. Burney Cecilia iii. viii, Mr. Harrel sauntered into the breakfast room. 1826Scott Woodst. ii, The preacher..left the church and sauntered through the streets of Woodstock. 1873‘Ouida’ Pascarel II. 54 He sauntered about Florence with me. 1883Stevenson Silverado Sq. 3 The people of hill and valley go sauntering about their business as in the days before the flood. 1932R. Fry Let. 6 June (1972) II. 671 We sauntered through North Italy and saw a lot of lovely things. 3. To loiter over one's work, to dawdle. Also in indirect pass., trans., and quasi-trans. with away.
1673,1693[implied in sauntering ppl. a.]. 1693Locke Educ. §118. 146 Aversion to his Book that makes him saunter away his time of Study. c1731Bolingbroke Let. to Swift in Pope's Wks. (1741) II. 107 But I know men..who to preserve their health, saunter away half their time. 1752Chesterfield Let. to Son 5 Mar., Business must not be sauntered and trifled with. 1776Adam Smith W.N. i. i. I. 11 A man commonly saunters a little in turning his hand from one sort of employment to another. 1926D. H. Lawrence Plumed Serpent ix. 153 Sauntering the day away. 1970Daily Tel. 14 Nov. 9/3 If you're not fond of boats you soon will be..sauntering the sunny quay, watching the gulls. |