Rustic Speech and Folk-Lore

by Elizabeth Mary Wright

She never was to swiche gestes woned.

Clerkes Tale, l. 339.

Cp. ‘Wunt, or vsyed: assuetus,’ Promptorium Parvulorum. From this was developed the standard English form wont, which ought to be pronounced wunt, but the graphic o has been taken for an original o, and the spelling has influenced the pronunciation. Wont occurs in a few of the Midland dialects as a verb meaning to familiarize, to domesticate, accustom, e.g. If you tek the cat, you’ll hev to butter her feet to wont her, an’ then it’s chanch if shay doon’t coom back ’ere agen (Lei.). Welk (Sc. n.Cy. Yks. Hrf. Bdf. Hrt. e.An. Ken.), to wither, to fade, M.E. welken:

An oðer drem cam him bi-foren,

vii eares wexen fette of coren,

On an busk, ranc and wel tidi,

And vii lene rigt ðor-bi,

Welkede, and smale.

Genesis and Exodus, ll. 2103-7, c. 1250.