|
RANDOM,
done or said at hazard, left to chance. (F.,—Teut.) The
older form is randon, or randoun; and the older sense is 'force,' impetuosity,
&c., the word being used as a sb. It was often used with respect
to the rush of a battle-charge, and the like. 'Kyng and duyk, eorl
and baroun Prikid the stedis with gret randoun;' King Alisaunder, l.
2483. It often formed part of an adverbial phrase, such as in a
randoun, in a furious course, Barbour's Bruce, vi. 139, xvii. 694, xviii. 130;
intill a randoun, id. xix. 596; in randoun
richt, with downright force, id. v. 632. So also at randon, orig.
with rushing force, hence, left without guidance, left to its own force, astray,
&c. 'The gentle lady, loose at randon lefte, The greene-wood
long did walke, and wander wide At wilde adventure, like a forlorne wefte;'
Spenser, F. Q. iii. 10. 36. [The change from final -n to -m may have
been due to the influence of whilom, seldom; so also ransom.]—O.F.
randon, 'the
swiftnesse and force of a strong and violent stream; whence aller à grand randon,
to goe very fast, or with a great and forced pace;' Cot. Thus the E.
adv. at random answers to F. à randon. β. A difficult word; Diez
compares O.F. randir, to press on, Span. de rendon, de rondon, rashly,
intrepidly, abruptly (nearly like E. at random), O.F. randonner, 'to run
swiftly, violently,' Cot., and refers them all to G. rand, an edge, rim, brim,
margin. Hence also Ital. a randa, near, with difficulty, exactly; of
which the lit. sense is 'close to the edge or brim,' Span. randa, lace, border
of a dress. γ. The difficulty is in the connection of ideas; but
Cotgrave really gives the solution, viz. that randon refers to the force of a
brimming river. Whoever has to cross a mountain-stream must feel
much anxiety as to whether it is full or not; at one time it is a mere rill, a
few hours later its force sweeps all before it. This common and
natural solution is, I suspect, the right one. Cf. G. bis am rande
voll, full to the brim; am rande des Todes, on the brink of death, at death's
door; eine sache zu rande bringen, to bring a thing to the brim, to fulfil or
accomplish it. So also O.F. sang respandus à gros randons, blood
shed 'by great gushes, or in great quantity,' Cot.; lit. in brimming
streams. δ. We find also Ital. randello, 'a hurling, whirling, or
hissing noise in the aire; a randello, at random, carelessly, furiously,
hurlingly;' Florio. Here randello is a dimin. corresponding form,
and may be merely taken from the same image; but since rand means the rim or
verge of a circular shield as well as the brink of a river, it may equally well
refer to circular motion. A whirled stone keeps to the utmost verge
(as it were) of its circular path, with a tendency to fly beyond it with great
force. ε. The G. rand is cognate with A.S. rand, rim, rim of a
shield, verge (Grein), Icel. rönd, a rim, border, Dan. rand, a rim, streak, Swed.
rand, a stripe; all from a Teut. form RANDA, a rim; Fick, iii. 246.
Root uncertain.
|
