Bounde

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Secured with cords or ropes so as to be held in place ; obligated by a duty, vow or legal requirement ; traveling or directed toward a particular place
2. Fastened tightly with a tie or binding ; compelled by an oath, promise or obligation ; on the way to or destined for a certain location
3. Tied together or restrained physically ; required by a pledge or moral debt ; headed in a set direction for a specific destination

Etymology: "Bounde" is an obsolete spelling of "bound" in the sense of being under obligation, as in "bounde to serve." This sense descends from the same past-participle form as the verb "bind," so an obliged person is, literally, one who has been tied. Old English had "bunden" and "gebunden" as the past participle of "bind," and Middle English carried these forms forward, with the variant "bounden" appearing as a participle of the verb in its own right. The spelling with the final -e and -d came about in Middle English through a mix of forces: a partly euphonic pull toward the extra consonant, and an association with a different "bound," the one meaning a limit or boundary, which entered English from Old French. The obligation sense, though, stays tied to the idea of being bound by a rope or a promise. Old Norse "búinn," meaning prepared or ready, also fed into the same family of forms, so the word's shape reflects several older streams at once.