surprize

English

Noun

surprize (countable and uncountable, plural surprizes)

(now rare and nonstandard) Alternative spelling of surprise
- 1792, Ann Ward Radcliffe, A Sicilian Romance‎^[1], HTML edition, The Gutenberg Project, published 2005:
  Ferdinand not yet recovered from the painful surprize
- 1811, [Jane Austen], chapter III, in Sense and Sensibility […], volume II, London: […] C[harles] Roworth, […], and published by T[homas] Egerton, […], →OCLC, page 36:
  Mrs. Jennings received the refusal with some surprize, and repeated her invitation immediately.
- 1813, William Francis Patrick Napier, quoting Charle Napier, The Life and Opinions of General Sir Charles James Napier, G.C.B.‎^[2], Cambridge Univ. Press, published 2011, →ISBN, page 236:
  Guard well against surprize; to be surprized is inexcusable in a general, if it happens from his neglect of proper posts: if his troops are surprized in good posts they must be in a dreadful state, which can hardly be the fault of any one but the general.

Verb

surprize (third-person singular simple present surprizes, present participle surprizing, simple past and past participle surprized)

(now rare and nonstandard) Alternative spelling of surprise
- 1749, Henry Fielding, The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling, volume (please specify |volume=I to VI), London: A[ndrew] Millar, […], →OCLC:
  The petty-fogger now likewise departed, and then Jones desired the favour of Mrs Whitefield’s company to drink tea with him; but she refused, and with a manner so different from that with which she had received him at dinner, that it a little surprized him.
- 1789, Ann Ward Radcliffe, The Castles of Athlin and Dunbayne‎^[3], HTML edition:
  Surprized at the bold independence of these words, delivered with uncommon energy, the heart of Osbert beat quick
- 1813, John Elihu Hall, The American Law Journal, Volume 4‎^[4], Digitized edition (Law), WP Farrand and Co., published 2010, page 326:
  Will he be surprized that such a diversity of sentiment rendered … And will he be surprized, that mutual concessions … need we be surprized tat the stream …
- 1803 (date written), [Jane Austen], chapter X, in Northanger Abbey; published in Northanger Abbey: And Persuasion. […], volume I, London: John Murray, […], 20 December 1817 (indicated as 1818), →OCLC, page 159:
  “How well your brother dances!” was an artless exclamation of Catherine’s towards the close of their conversation, which at once surprized and amused her companion.

Usage notes

The z spelling was as common as the s spelling into the early 1700s, but has been rare ever since, and is now nonstandard.

References

“surprise, noun and verb”, in Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster, 1996–present.
John A. Simpson and Edmund S. C. Weiner, editors (1989), “surprise, v.”, in The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd edition, Oxford: Clarendon Press, →ISBN: “Also 5–6 [centuries] surpryse, 6–9 surprize, (7 -pryze, -price).”