- bound (v.)
- "to leap," 1586, from M.Fr. bondir, from O.Fr. bondir "to leap, rebound, make a noise," originally "to echo back," from V.L. *bombitire "to buzz, hum" (see bomb), perhaps on model of V.L. *tinnitire.
- bound (adj.1)
- "fastened," c.1360, in fig. sense of "compelled," from bounden, pp. of bind (q.v.). Meaning "under obligation" is from 1470; the literal sense "made fast by tying" is the latest recorded (1552).
- bound (adj.2)
- "ready to go," c.1200, boun, from O.N. buinn pp. of bua "to prepare," also "to dwell, to live," from P.Gmc. *bowan (cf. O.H.G. buan "to dwell," O.Dan. both "dwelling, stall"), from PIE base *bheue- "to be, exist, dwell" (see be). Final -d is presumably through association with pp. of bind.
- bound (n.)
- "limit," c.1200, from Anglo-L. bunda, from O.Fr. bonde, variant of bodne, from M.L. bodina, perhaps from Gaulish. Now chiefly in out of bounds, which originally referred to limits imposed on students at schools. The verb meaning "to form the boundary of" is from c.1600. Boundless is from 1590s.