undov.
/(ˌ)ʌnˈduː/, U.S. /ˌənˈdu/ I. Senses relating to opening or unfastening.† 2. To open (the mouth or eyes). Obsolete.† 4. To unbind; to release or free from a bond, bandage, covering, etc. Obsolete.† 5. † b. To cut up (an animal). Obsolete.† c. To cut open; to open with a knife. Obsolete.† 6. intransitive. To go apart; to open; to become unfastened, come undone. Obsolete.
1. transitive. To unfasten and open:absolute.a1300 K. Horn (Cambr.) 1069 He com to þe gateward... Horn bad undo softe.1390 J. Gower Confessio Amantis I. 243 This Geta cam thanne ate laste Unto the dore and seide, ‘Undo’.c1425 Seven Sages 1410 (P.) At hys dore he wolde inne,..He schof ther-onne and bade undo.figurative.c1300 Sarmun xxxvi, in Early Eng. Poems & Lives Saints (1862) 5 Vn-do þin hert þat is iloke wiþ couetise.a1350 in G. L. Brook Harley Lyrics (1968) 51 Suete Iesu,..vndo myn herte ant liht þeryn.1596 M. Drayton Peirs Gaueston in Tragicall Legend Robert Duke of Normandy sig. K8 O who is he that hath thy doome controuled? Or hath the kay of reason to vndoe thee?† c. To open by unlocking or uncovering. Obsolete.
a. A door, gate, or window.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > relative position > condition of being open or not closed > open [verb (transitive)]
undoc893
untinec950
openOE
to-doOE
undita1225
leesea1325
unfolda1325
unspeara1325
unclosea1350
to open upa1400
disclose?1440
opea1450
unlock?1548
uncask1594
unhinge1624
unsluice1652
reserate1657
the world > relative properties > wholeness > mutual relation of parts to whole > separation > separation or detachment > loosening or unfastening > loosen, unfasten, or untie [verb (transitive)] > and open
undoc893
c893 tr. Orosius Hist. vi. i. 254 Þa wearð eft Ianes duru andon,..þeh þær nan gefeoht þurhtogen ne wurde.
c1000 Ags. Psalter (1835) xxiii. 7 Undoð nu eowre geatu,..and onhlidað þa ecan geata.
11.. Grave 20 in Anglia V. 290 Nefst ðu nenne freond..Ðæt æfre wndon ðe wule ða dure.
c1175 Lamb. Hom. 5 Þet faire ȝet me hat hit, &..nefre ouer xii monþe nis hit undon bute to dei.
a1325 (c1250) Gen. & Exod. (1968) l. 602 Arches windoge undon it is. Ðe rauen ut fleg.
c1325 Lai le Freine 183 The porter of the abbay aros,..The chirche dore he vndede.
c1405 (c1390) G. Chaucer Miller's Tale (Hengwrt) (2003) l. 539 The wyndow she vndooth, and that in haste.
1412–20 J. Lydgate tr. Hist. Troy iv. 4691 We for fer dar nat issen oute, Nor be so bolde to vndone a gate.
1520 in C. R. L. Fletcher Collectanea (1885) I. 100 Vndo your dore.
1581 A. Hall tr. Homer 10 Bks. Iliades vi. 114 The dores of gold she doth vndoe, vnfolded, rich and large.
1800 W. Scott Eve St. John 5 The tower grate she'll undo, to her Knight so true.
1821 W. Scott Kenilworth III. vii. 119 The Earl undid the lattice, and stepped out.
1841 C. Dickens Barnaby Rudge ix. 287 Undo the shop window, that I may get in that way.
1880 L. Parr Adam & Eve II. 63 She undid the gate, and held it half open.
b. A box, sack, bale, etc.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > relative position > condition of being open or not closed > open [verb (transitive)] > unfasten and open
undoc1000
unbind1577
c1000 Ælfric Genesis xlii. 27 Þa undyde hira an his sacc.
c1315 Shoreham i. 2148 He seȝ a bok was fast ischet;..Ne myȝte hy no man ondo.
a1375 (c1350) William of Palerne (1867) l. 4846 Þe clerk þanne deliuerli vndede þo letteres.
a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 5004 Þai..did þair fardels be vndon.
c1412 T. Hoccleve De Regimine Principum 1112 Vn-to his cofre he dressith hym in hye;..He it vndoth, and opneth.
c1450 Mirk's Festial 85 Then made he men to vndo þe tombe.
1479 J. Paston in Paston Lett. & Papers (2004) I. 512 I sende yow..iij triacle pottes off Geane,..they weer neuer ondoo syns þat they come from Geane.
1535 Act 27 Hen. VIII c. 14 §4 Which packes..be not vndone nor opened at their arriual within the portes.
1574 J. Baret Aluearie O 115 To vndooe or open a letter sealed.
1853 M. Arnold Scholar Gipsy in Poems (new ed.) 216 [The] Tyrian trader..on the beach undid his corded bales.
ΚΠ
a1122 Anglo-Saxon Chron. (Laud) ann. 656 Gif hwa hit hælt, S. Petre mid heofne keie undo him heofenrice.
a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 6725 If animan vndus a pitt, And siþen wil it noght ditt.
a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 6611 Þaa holes, quen þai þam vndid, þai fand bot wormes creuland emid.
ΘΚΠ
the world > life > the body > external parts of body > head > face > mouth > [verb (transitive)] > open
undoa1000
stretch1600
gape1608
the world > life > the body > external parts of body > head > face > eye > [verb (transitive)] > move eyes > open eye
undoa1000
unseel1530
severa1586
unseala1586
stretch1600
unglue1606
unsile1628
a1000 in T. Wright & R. P. Wülcker Anglo-Saxon & Old Eng. Vocab. (1884) I. 62 Aperientur [labia mea], siont ondone.
c1000 Ælfric Homilies I. 548 He undyde his muð, and hi lærde.
c1055 Byrhtferth's Handboc in Anglia (1885) 8 317 Þæt he undo his eagan.
c1175 Lamb. Hom. 121 Imong alle þere pine..ne undude he nefre ene his muð.
1297 R. Gloucester's Chron. (Rolls) 7185 He gan as he awoke of slepe is eyen þo vndo.
a1325 (c1250) Gen. & Exod. (1968) l. 3971 Balaam it spureð and smit ðor-on. And god vndede ðis asses muð.
c1420 Lay Folks Mass Bk. 82 Lorde un-do my lyppis.
c1430 Syr Gener. (Roxb.) 684 Yit a litle his eyen he vndede.
3.
a. To unfasten by untying or by releasing from a fixed position; to unfix. Also in figurative context.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > relative position > condition of being open or not closed > open [verb (transitive)] > a door, gate, etc. > unlock, unbolt, etc.
undoc950
unloukOE
unsparc1175
unsteekc1250
unpinc1300
unshutc1315
loosec1400
unbarc1400
unlockc1400
open?a1425
unbolt1598
unlatchc1625
unpadlock1769
unsneck1785
undub1807
unslot1827
unsnib1905
snick1927
the world > relative properties > wholeness > mutual relation of parts to whole > separation > separation or detachment > loosening or unfastening > loosen, unfasten, or untie [verb (transitive)]
unbindc950
undoc950
unleeseOE
breaka1225
unfest?c1225
leesea1325
loosena1382
unloosea1382
loose1388
resolvea1398
unlace?c1400
unfastenc1440
unloosen?a1475
to let slip1526
unbrace?1526
diffibulatea1538
unframe1567
unclit1587
undight1590
unclip1598
unclenchc1600
unreeve1600
unlock1609
ungrapple1611
unquilt1611
abstringe1623
renode1623
unspan1648
unfast1684
disengage1780
undub1807
unclap1846
c950 Lindisf. Gosp. John i. 27 Ðæs ic ne am wyrðe þætte ic undoe [Rushw. ondoe] his ðuong scoes.
c1000 Ælfric Homilies I. 572 On ðære ylcan nihte Godes engel undyde þa locu ðæs cwearternes.
a1325 (c1250) Gen. & Exod. (1968) l. 2114 Ne was non so wis man in al his lond, Ðe kude vn-don ðis dremes bond.
c1384 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Douce 369(2)) (1850) Mark i. 7 A strengere than I schal come aftir me, of whom I knelinge am not worthi for to vndo, or vnbynde, the thwong of his schoon.
a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Gött.) l. 17357 [Þai] vndid þair lock all wid þe kay.
c1440 Promptorium Parvulorum 365/1 Ondoon, or ondo lokys or speryngys, aperio.
c1450 Mirk's Festial 248 Oure lady aperet..yn þe prison, and vndyd his bondes.
1542 N. Udall tr. Erasmus Apophthegmes f. 230v Writhen..with so diffuse a knotte, that no man could vndooe it.
c1595 Countess of Pembroke Psalme lxviii. 14 in Coll. Wks. (1998) II. 78 The prisoners chaines are by his hands vndone.
1608 W. Shakespeare King Lear xxiv. 303 Pray you vndo this button. View more context for this quotation
1683 J. Moxon Mech. Exercises II. 44 The Cheeks may..receive the Head..without un-doing the Cap and Winter.
1805 W. Scott Lay of Last Minstrel v. xxii. 146 Some friendly hand Undo the visor's barred band!
1819 Ld. Byron Don Juan: Canto I cxxxvii. 71 Do, pray undo the bolt a little faster.
1868 W. Morris Earthly Paradise ii. 431 She..turned the box round,..undid The clasp, and fearfully raised up the lid.
b. To unfasten the clothing of (a person).
ΘΚΠ
the world > textiles and clothing > clothing > providing with clothing > undressing or removing clothing > undress or remove clothing [verb (transitive)] > strip or undress a person > unfasten
unlacea1375
unbutton1598
unpin1609
disenwrap1611
undo1633
untruss1637
unhook1840
unzip1939
1633 Match at Mid-night iv Wid[ow]. Alas! you will undo me. Alex. No, no, I will undo myself, look ye.
1841 C. Dickens Barnaby Rudge ix. 284 Having undone her mistress, as she phrased it (which means, assisted to undress her).
1899 T. M. Ellis Three Cat's-eye Rings 90 ‘Now undo me. I shall get into bed.’ ‘Yes, my lady.’
ΘΚΠ
the world > relative properties > wholeness > mutual relation of parts to whole > separation > separation or detachment > loosening or unfastening > loosen, unfasten, or untie [verb (transitive)] > free from a band, bond, etc.
undoc930
unbindc950
untrussc1400
untiec1450
ungird1485
ungirth1580
unchain1582
unbrace1593
ungirt1598
unpinion1660
unlash1699
release1779
disengirdle1871
c930 Laws Athelstan i. 23 Beon þreo niht, ær mon þa hond undo.
c950 Durham Rit. 42 From allvm vsig..synnvm..vndo.
c1290 S. Eng. Leg. I. 34/30 Nov, he seide, we schullen iseo..Ȝweþer he þe mai a-ȝein me vndo.
a1325 (c1250) Gen. & Exod. (1968) l. 581 Ilc wateres springe here strengðe undede.
c1380 Sir Ferumbras (1879) l. 1310 Oundo þis prysouns on & on;..þey schulleþ out of þis sory won.
a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 14970 A moder ass yee sal þar find, And yee hir sal vn-do Vte of hir band.
c1400 Melayne 785 The kynge vndid his hede alle bare.
1513 G. Douglas tr. Virgil Æneid vi. vi. 45 Sche,..with that word, the branch schew and vndid, That preualie ondir hir clok wes hid.
a. To remove, take away; to detach, cut off.
ΘΚΠ
the world > relative properties > wholeness > mutual relation of parts to whole > separation > separation or detachment > detach [verb (transitive)]
undoc1275
unwork1548
ungluea1617
unhinge1655
disattach1658
disengage1662
untacka1677
unglutinate1683
detach1686
unshackle1694
unship1793
unhitch1876
c1275 Laȝamon Brut 19205 Merlyn hadde al his craft ondo of þan kinge.
1340 Ayenbite (1866) 106 Þe yefþe of wysdom, þet uestneþ..þe herte in god,..þet hi ne may by ondo ne to-deld.
1513 G. Douglas tr. Virgil Æneid iv. xii. 117 I man Vndo this hair, to Pluto consecrait.
ΘΚΠ
the world > food and drink > food > food manufacture and preparation > preparation for table or cooking > preparation of meat > dress animals for food [verb (transitive)] > butcher
undoc1400
fetter1587
butcher1609
butch1656
c1400 (?c1390) Sir Gawain & Green Knight (1940) l. 1327 Quykly of þe quelled dere a querre þay maked;..& didden hem derely vndo.
a1425 Edward, Duke of York Master of Game (Digby) xxxiii Þenne he shulde charge whome hym lyste to vndo þe deere.
1486 Bk. St. Albans, Hunting e iii When ye haue slayn the boore.., Ye shall vndo hym vnflayne when he shall be dight.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > relative position > condition of being open or not closed > open [verb (transitive)] > cut open
openOE
to-slita1250
undoc1440
unrip1481
to cut open1786
c1440 Anc. Cookery in Coll. Ordinances Royal Househ. (1790) 451 Take pykes, and undo hom on the bale.
c1440 Pallad. on Husb. i. 601 Al esely me may vndo the skyn With prickyng of a nelde or of a pyn.
a1450 J. Myrc Instr. to Par. Priests 99 Teche the mydwyf that scho hye For to vndo hyre wyth a knyf, And for to saue the chyldes lyf.
1672 W. Walker Paroemiologia Anglo-Lat. 34 Undone, as ye would undoe an Oyster.
1688 J. Grubb in Roxburghe Ballads (1888) VI. 726 George undid the Dragon just as you'd undo an oyster.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > relative position > condition of being open or not closed > become open [verb (intransitive)]
openOE
undo1122
unlouk1340
unfoldc1350
unshut1390
unclosea1398
opena1400
waltc1400
unstopc1440
twirl?1523
disclosec1586
the world > space > relative position > condition of being open or not closed > become open [verb (intransitive)] > of a door, gate, etc. > open a door
undo1122
to open up1935
1122 Anglo-Saxon Chron. (Laud) Se wolcne undide on fower healfe and faht þær to geanes.
c1300 Harrow. Hell (Harl.) 138 Helle gates y come nou to, ant y wole þat heo vndo.
c1500 in W. C. Hazlitt Remains Early Pop. Poetry Eng. (1866) III. 109 At the dore I will assaie, If it will undoe.
1548 in S. Haynes Coll. State Papers Ld. Burghley (1740) 99 The Lady Elizabeth heryng the Pryvie-Lock undo,..ran out of hir Bed.
II. Senses relating to annulment or destruction.
7. absolute.1440 Bone Flor. 1511 He seyde, Thou haste wychyd me,..Undo or thou schalt abye.1577 N. Breton Floorish vpon Fancie sig. Bv To doo and vndoo too, so that they may obtaine Their mistresse loue.1595 W. Shakespeare Henry VI, Pt. 3 ii. vi. 105 Warwike as my selfe shal do & vndo as him pleaseth best.1697 J. Vanbrugh Provok'd Wife i. 6 Me thinks they Do and Undo, and make but mad work on't.1803 W. Wordsworth Sonn. to Liberty xxii. 3 One man..Raised up to sway the world, to do, undo.
a. transitive. To annul, cancel, rescind (something done, effected, or decided on); to reduce to the condition of not having been done, effected, decided, etc.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > mental capacity > memory > effacement, obliteration > cancellation, revocation > annul, cancel, revoke [verb (transitive)] > deprive of status, undo
undoc970
loose1340
unfoundc1430
dissolvea1513
unconfirm1551
disestablish1598
untie1609
discribe1647
unestablish1649
unappoint1682
negative1793
uncollegiate1851
c970 in Birch Cartul. (1887) III. 417 Þet hyra nan næ undo þe ic to ðam haligum mynstrum binnan þære byrig gedon hæbbe.
a1122 Anglo-Saxon Chron. (Laud) ann. 656 Leidon þa Godes curs..[on him] þe ani þing undyde þæt þær wæs gedon.
1123 Anglo-Saxon Chron. (Laud) ann. 1123 He sæde þone cyng þæt hit wæs to geanes riht,..ac se cyng hit nolde undon.
1297 R. Gloucester's Chron. (Rolls) 5692 He vndude alle þe luþer lawes þat me huld biuore, & gode lawes broȝte vorþ.
c1315 Shoreham i. 1669 For þet compleþ þet spoushod..Þat hyt ne may be ondon.
a1325 (c1250) Gen. & Exod. (1968) l. 3014 Pharaon wroð herte on hard, And vn-dede hem ðat forward.
c1460 (?c1400) Tale of Beryn l. 3355 For I have made a bargeyn, þat may nat be vndo.
1495 Act 11 Hen. VII c. 56 §2 Provided alweys that this present acte extend not..to undo eny your lettres patentes.
a1533 Ld. Berners tr. A. de Guevara Golden Bk. M. Aurelius (1546) sig. B.viij Julius Cesar..adnulled and vndyd all that Sylla hadde made.
a1616 W. Shakespeare Macbeth (1623) v. i. 65 What's done, cannot be vndone. View more context for this quotation
1651 T. Hobbes Leviathan ii. xix. 96 The diligent appearance of a few of the contrary opinion undoes to day, all that was concluded yesterday.
1680 R. Baxter Answer to Dr. Stillingfleet 72 And what Princes do, they have power to undo.
1709 J. Addison Tatler No. 108. ⁋5 To disappoint and undo what the most refined Spirits have been labouring to advance.
1768 A. Tucker Light of Nature Pursued II. i. xiv. 196 Annihilating time and space, undoing past events or producing contrary ones.
1820 P. B. Shelley Œdipus Tyrannus i. 26 With a little common sense,..Only undoing all that has been done.
1873 W. H. Dixon Hist. Two Queens xxii. viii No one could recall a case in which the peers had undone the finding of a grand jury.
b. To reverse the doing or making of (some material thing or effect) so as to restore the original form or condition.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > doing > do [verb (transitive)] > reverse the doing of
undo1426
reverse1612
unwork1726
the world > time > change > change to something else, transformation > change of direction, reversion > change back [verb (transitive)]
reversea1393
converta1425
undo1426
unmakec1450
recommencea1513
unweave1542
mismake1575
resubstantiate1584
unspin1587
remit1591
retrievea1596
remetamorphose1598
remorphize1603
reconvert1609
unlive1621
unravel1637
relapse1652
to bring about1680
uncoin1833
unpay1842
reset1846
revert1856
unweb1882
1426 J. Lydgate tr. G. de Guileville Pilgrimage Life Man 11328 Tel me..Why makestow, & vndost ageyn Thy werk [sc. mats] so offte sythe a day?
a1616 W. Shakespeare Antony & Cleopatra (1623) ii. ii. 212 Whose winde did seeme, To gloue the delicate cheekes which they did coole, And what they vndid did. View more context for this quotation
1632 R. Sanderson 12 Serm. 309 He never knoweth the end of his work: what he doth now, anon he must undo.
1679 J. Moxon Mech. Exercises I. vii. 125 It is sometimes used when Carpenters have committed error in their work, and must undo what they did, to mend it.
1797 Encycl. Brit. XVI. 484/1 It will not stop till it has turned as often as the end m has been twisted, and now all the twist will be undone.
1853 Arab. Nights (Rtldg.) 572 He went up..to the workmen, and..made them..undo all they had yet finished.
1866 ‘G. Eliot’ Felix Holt I. i. 53 She liked to insist that work done without her orders should be undone from beginning to end.
8. (b)1621 J. Taylor Unnaturall Father in Wks. (1630) 136/2 He was enticed to vndoe himselfe out of all his earthly possessions.1629 J. Gaule Panegyrick 4 in Practique Theories Christs Predict. He hath quite vndone himselfe of Money, Wit [etc.].
a. To destroy; to bring to naught; to do away with; to take away, remove. Now rare.
ΘΚΠ
the world > existence and causation > creation > destruction > destroy [verb (transitive)] > bring to ruin or put an end to
undoc950
shendOE
forfarea1000
endc1000
to do awayOE
aquenchc1175
slayc1175
slayc1175
stathea1200
tinea1300
to-spilla1300
batec1300
bleschea1325
honisha1325
leesea1325
wastec1325
stanch1338
corrumpa1340
destroy1340
to put awayc1350
dissolvec1374
supplanta1382
to-shend1382
aneantizec1384
avoidc1384
to put outa1398
beshenda1400
swelta1400
amortizec1405
distract1413
consumec1425
shelfc1425
abroge1427
downthringc1430
kill1435
poisonc1450
defeat1474
perish1509
to blow away1523
abrogatea1529
to prick (also turn, pitch) over the perka1529
dash?1529
to bring (also send) to (the) pot1531
put in the pot1531
wipea1538
extermine1539
fatec1540
peppera1550
disappoint1563
to put (also set) beside the saddle1563
to cut the throat of1565
to throw (also turn, etc.) over the perch1568
to make a hand of (also on, with)1569
demolish1570
to break the neck of1576
to make shipwreck of1577
spoil1578
to knock on (in) the head (also rarely at head)1579
cipher1589
ruinate1590
to cut off by the shins1592
shipwreck1599
exterminate1605
finish1611
damnify1612
ravel1614
braina1616
stagger1629
unrivet1630
consummate1634
pulverizea1640
baffle1649
devil1652
to blow up1660
feague1668
shatter1683
cook1708
to die away1748
to prove fatal (to)1759
to knock up1764
to knock (or kick) the hindsight out or off1834
to put the kibosh on1834
to cook (rarely do) one's goose1835
kibosh1841
to chaw up1843
cooper1851
to jack up1870
scuttle1888
to bugger up1891
jigger1895
torpedo1895
on the fritz1900
to put paid to1901
rot1908
down and out1916
scuppera1918
to put the skids under1918
stonker1919
liquidate1924
to screw up1933
cruel1934
to dig the grave of1934
pox1935
blow1936
to hit for six1937
to piss up1937
to dust off1938
zap1976
c950 Lindisf. Gosp. Mark xiv. 58 Ic undoe vel ic toslito [L. dissolvam] tempel.
c1175 Lamb. Hom. 7 Ne swincke þu nefre swa muchel, a hit bið undon.
a1275 in Old Eng. Misc. 101 Hwenne deþ heom lat to þe murehþe þat neuer ne byþ undon.
a1325 (c1250) Gen. & Exod. (1968) l. 3902 Quat stungen man so sag ðor-on, Ðat werk him sone al was vn-don.
c1384 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Douce 369(2)) (1850) Matt. v. 17 I came not to vndo the lawe, but to fulfille.
c1400 (?c1380) Cleanness l. 562 Hym rwed þat he hem vp-rerde.., & efte þat he hem vndyd, hard hit hym þoȝt.
c1425 Eng. Conq. Ireland 94 Thay comen ayeyn hym..for to mak hym turne ayeyne; other, to vndo hym ryght yn the watyr.
c1440 Pallad. on Husb. i. 284 Vnhusbondynge vndoth fertilite.
c1482 J. Kay in E. Gibbon Crusades, etc. (1870) 135 To undoo and subuerte the holy cytee of Rome.
1573 T. Tusser Fiue Hundreth Points Good Husbandry (new ed.) f. 31 Loke dayly well to them, least doggs vndo them.
1638 T. Herbert Some Yeares Trav. (rev. ed.) 303 The Bannyan is..so innocent, as not to undoe the silliest vermin.
1669 S. Pepys Diary 31 May (1976) IX. 564 Having done now so long as to undo my eyes almost every time that I take a pen in my hand.
1703 N. Rowe Fair Penitent i. i Nor tell him that which will undo his Quiet.
1788 Trifler No. 14. 186 This hypothesis however is undone by the manifest design and order displayed through the whole creation.
1871 B. Jowett tr. Plato Dialogues I. 499 The love of Aristogeiton and the constancy of Harmodius had a strength which undid their power.
b. To destroy in respect of means or position; to ruin. †Also (reflexive) with (out) of.
ΘΚΠ
the world > existence and causation > creation > destruction > destroy [verb (transitive)] > destroy or ruin a person
spillc950
amarOE
smitelOE
aspillc1175
mischievec1325
to bid (something) misadventurec1330
mara1375
fordoc1380
undo1390
wrack1564
to make roast meat of (also for)1565
wrake1567
wreck1590
speed1594
feeze1609
to do a person's business1667
cook1708
to settle a person's hash1795
diddle1806
to fix1836
raddle1951
1390 J. Gower Confessio Amantis I. 193 Thurgh the conseil of you tuo I stonde in point to ben undo.
1477 J. Paston in Paston Lett. & Papers (2004) I. 505 I beseche yow þat I maye have an assyngnement off suche dettys..for..I sholde ellys wylfully ondoo my-selffe.
1484 W. Caxton tr. G. de la Tour-Landry Bk. Knight of Tower (1971) lv. 81 For a lytel thynge ye haue vndo yow.
1531 in I. S. Leadam Select Cases Star Chamber (1911) II. 187 Extending vtterly to defame, inpouerisshe and vndoo your seid oratours.
1573 T. Tusser Fiue Hundreth Points Good Husbandry (new ed.) f. 10v The riche it compelleth, to pay for his pride, the poore, it vndoeth on euery side.
a1625 W. Shakespeare & J. Fletcher Two Noble Kinsmen (1634) iii. vi. 107 Our Folly has undon us. View more context for this quotation
1687 A. Lovell tr. J. de Thévenot Trav. into Levant i. 32 It is never heard in Turkie, that a man hath undone himself by House-keeping.
1712 J. Arbuthnot John Bull in his Senses iii A foolish and negligent husband, who..was undone by his wife's elopement from him.
1798 S. Lee Young Lady's Tale in H. Lee Canterbury Tales II. 15 A single error undid him.
1867 W. Morris Life & Death of Jason ii. 18 For surely mayst thou lean upon me, when..a king with wrong Would fain undo thee.
1868 C. M. Yonge Cameos 1st Ser. i. 5 England had been well-nigh undone by them, when the spirit of her greatest king awoke.
c. To injure (a person) seriously. rare.
ΘΚΠ
the world > health and disease > ill health > injury > injure [verb (transitive)] > wound > wound seriously
forwoundOE
through-woundc1175
undo1530
spoil1577
serve?1794
to fuck up1965
1530 J. Palsgrave Lesclarcissement 767/2 I undo one by any..hurt done to his person by reason of any stroke.
1788 J. Skinner Christmass Bawing in Caledonian Mag. Sept. 502 An't had na been for Davy Mair, The rascals had ondane him.
d. To ruin by seducing. Also absol. Now rare.
ΘΚΠ
society > morality > moral evil > licentiousness > unchastity > loss of chastity > deprive of chastity [verb (transitive)] > a woman > so as to ruin
undo1612
ruin1677
1612 T. Shelton tr. M. de Cervantes Don-Quixote: Pt. 1 i. iii. 16 Doing many wrongs, solliciting many widdowes, vndoing certaine maidens.
a1695 M. Prior Whither would my Passion Run i Losing Her I am undone, Yet would not gain Her to undo Her.
1792 J. Wolcot More Money ii. ix As Darkness oft turns Pimp to undo a belle.
1809 B. H. Malkin tr. A. R. Le Sage Adventures Gil Blas I. ii. vii. 269 In my eyes, he was created to undo.
9. To explain, interpret, expound. Now rare.Sometimes with suggestion of sense 3.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > mental capacity > intelligibility > meaning > explanation, exposition > expound, explain [verb (transitive)]
arecchec885
unloukOE
overrunOE
sutelec1000
trahtnec1000
unfolda1050
belayc1175
openc1175
onopena1200
accountc1300
undo?a1366
remenea1382
interpret1382
unwrap1387
exploitc1390
enlumine1393
declarec1400
expoundc1400
unplait?c1400
enperc1420
planea1425
clearc1440
exponec1440
to lay outc1440
to give (also carry) lightc1449
unwind1482
expose1483
reducea1500
manifest1530
explicate1531
explaina1535
unlock?1536
dilucidate1538
elucidate1538
illustrate1538
rechec1540
explicate1543
illucidate1545
enucleate1548
unsnarl1555
commonstrate1563
to lay forth1577
straighten1577
unbroid1577
untwist1577
decipherc1586
illuminate1586
enlighten1587
resolvec1592
cipher1594
eliquidate1596
to take (a person) with one1599
rivelc1600
ravel1604
unbowel1606
unmist1611
extricate1614
unbolta1616
untanglea1616
enode1623
unperplexa1631
perspicuate1634
explata1637
unravel1637
esclarea1639
clarify1642
unweave1642
detenebrate1646
dismystery1652
undecipher1654
unfork1654
unparadox1654
reflect1655
enodate1656
unmysterya1661
liquidatea1670
recognize1676
to clear upa1691
to throw sidelight on1726
to throw (also cast, shed) light on (also upon)1731
eclaircise1754
irradiate1864
unbraid1880
predigest1905
to get (something) straight1920
disambiguate1960
demystify1963
the mind > mental capacity > expectation > foresight, foreknowledge > prediction, foretelling > interpretation of dreams > interpret [verb (transitive)]
unloukOE
areadOE
undo?a1366
expound1375
cast1382
rechec1540
read1587
redec1640
?a1366 Romaunt Rose 9 Macrobes, That..vndothe vs the auysioun That whilom mette kyng Cipioun.
1393 W. Langland Piers Plowman C. iii. 40 Dauid vn-doþ hit hym-self, as þe doumbe sheweþ.
a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 12206 Vndos me first quat es alpha.
a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 4474 Said ioseph,..I sal vn-do þe wel þi sueuen.
?c1450 Life St. Cuthbert (1891) l. 680 Ga in my blissing þi mayster to, He sall þis dreeme þe vndo.
1581 G. Pettie tr. S. Guazzo Ciuile Conuersat. (1586) ii. 82 I praie you..vndo me the knot of this Gentrie, which I see to be verie intricate.
a1625 J. Fletcher Women Pleas'd iv. i, in F. Beaumont & J. Fletcher Comedies & Trag. (1647) sig. Eeeeee3/1 Here may be so much wit (though much I feare it) To undo this knotty question.
1654 R. Whitlock Ζωοτομία 252 Commend them to such as can undo a Text (as they tearm it) with as much ease as a bow-knot.
1842 Ld. Tennyson Two Voices in Poems (new ed.) II. 131 In seeking to undo One riddle, and to find the true.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1921; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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