English Dictionary - With Multi-Lingual Search

English

Alternative spellings
'zounds

Etymology
Abbreviation of God's wounds, with reference to Christ's wounds before the crucifixion. Compare strewth, blimey, gadzooks, 'sblood.

Pronunciation
IPA|/zaÊŠndz/

Interjection
en-intj

1. Expressing anger, surprise, assertion etc.

Quotations
'Zounds, a dog, a rat, a mouse, a cat, to scratch a man to death! — w:William Shakespeare|Shakespeare, "Romeo and Juliet", 1597
Bounds, mounds, lounds, founds, kounds, downds, rounds, pounds, zounds! — hounds — ha! hounds — I have it. — w:R.M. Ballantyne|R.M. Ballantyne, "The Floating Light of the Goodwin Sands", 1870
"Zounds!" he exclaimed. "What the dickens is that?" — w:John Conroy Hutcheson|J.C. Hutcheson, "Bob Strong's Holidays", 1900

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• 2007-10-06 05:08 - Interwicket - iwiki +te

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