bounden
Syllables: bound·en/ˈbaʊnd(ə)n/US/ˈbaʊndən/
bounden adjective: now chiefly in "bounden duty": made obligatory; binding. Also the past participle of bind.
Adjective
bounden (comparative more bounden, superlative most bounden)
- Now chiefly in "bounden duty": made obligatory; binding.
- And although we be vnworthy (through our manyfolde ſynnes) to offre vnto thee any Sacryfice: Yet we beſeche thee to accepte thys our bounden duetie and ſeruice: and commande theſe our prayers and ſupplicacions, by the Miniſtery of thy holy Angels, to be brought vp into thy holy Tabernacle before...1549 March 7, Thomas Cranmer [et al.], compilers, “The Supper of the Lorde, and the Holy Communion, Commonly Called the Masse”, in The Booke of the Common Prayer and Administration of the...
- Your moſt bounden and devoted friend and ſervant of all men living, Fr. Bacon, C.S.1616 March 7, Francis Bacon, “XCIX. This Letter was Written to the Earl of Buckingham, on the Same Day Sir Francis Bacon was Declared Lord Keeper of the Great Seal.”, in The Works of Francis Bacon...
- Bound.
- ...and that the world should owe thanke therof to you, to whom my husband the authour of it was for good receyued of you, most dutiefully bounden.1570, Margaret Ascham, Roger Ascham, The Scholemaster, foreword
Verb
bounden
- To be obliged; to be under a duty or obligation (to do something).
- I am much bounden to your Maieſty.c. 1596 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Life and Death of King Iohn”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward]...
- In the concluding whereof Sir Thomas More so worthily handled himself, procuring in our league far more benefits unto this realm, than at that time, by the king or his council was thought possible to be compassed, that for his good service in that voyage, the king, when he after made him Lord...1626, William Roper, S. W. Singer, The Mirrour of Vertue in Worldly Greatnes. Or The Life of Syr Thomas More Knight, sometime Lo. Chancellour of England, new revised and corrected edition, Paris...
- Antonyms:
- unbounden
Also used as
bounden is also the past participle of bind.
Examples of bounden in a sentence
- That I wad wi' a' my heart; and mickle obliged to your honour for putting me in mind o' my bounden duty.1814 July 7, [Walter Scott], chapter XIX, in Waverley; or, ’Tis Sixty Years Since. […], volume III, Edinburgh: […] James Ballantyne and Co....
- Therefore, O Lord, we beseech Thee graciously to accept this oblation of our bounden service, from us and from thy whole family.1839, “The Antiquity of the Existing Liturgies”, in Tracts for the Times, volume II, number 63, London: Printed for J. G. F. & J....
- To-day it is the bounden duty of every farmer to do so.1918 February 25, “Pigs, Potatoes, and Peace”, in Agricultural Gazette, London: [Alexander K. Bruce?], →OCLC, page 163, column 2:
- He'll mind, I reckon, not getting any work out'n me, but I won't be bounden to him any longer.1963, William A. Owens, chapter 2, in Look to the River, New York, N.Y.: Atheneum; republished as Look to the River (Texas Tradition...
Synonyms of bounden
Antonyms
Forms of bounden
| comparative | more bounden |
|---|---|
| superlative | most bounden |
Origin of bounden
From bound + -en, the archaic past participle of bind.
Words formed from bounden
Questions about bounden
- What does bounden mean?
- Bounden means now chiefly in "bounden duty": made obligatory; binding.
- How do you use bounden in a sentence?
- That I wad wi' a' my heart; and mickle obliged to your honour for putting me in mind o' my bounden duty.
- What part of speech is bounden?
- Bounden can be an adjective or a verb.
- How do you pronounce bounden?
- Bounden is pronounced /ˈbaʊnd(ə)n/ (UK).
Words near bounden in the dictionary
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: bounden (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
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Cite this entry: “bounden.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/bounden. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.