bounden means now chiefly in "bounden duty": made obligatory; binding. Lexicurio rates it Rare gem — a strength score of 82 out of 100.
bounden is pronounced /ˈbaʊnd(ə)n/.
Why “bounden” is a great word
BOUNDEN — [Adjective] A moral and compulsory obligation, now almost exclusively encountered in the phrase 'bounden duty.' From Middle English bounden, the archaic past participle of binden (to bind), from Old English bindan. Unlike 'obligatory,' which denotes a requirement by rule or law, or 'beholden,' which indicates a personal debt of gratitude, bounden suggests a duty woven into the very fabric of one's station, a covenant older than statute. It is the silent vow of a parent to a sleeping child, the quiet settling of accounts not for favor but for honor, the heavy mantle of office accepted with a solemn nod—a chain of conscience forged long before one was born to wear it.
Etymology
From bound + -en, the archaic past participle of bind.
adj
- Now chiefly in "bounden duty": made obligatory; binding.“And although we be vnworthy (through our manyfolde ſynnes) to offre vnto thee any Sacryfice: Yet we beſeche thee to accepte thys our bounden duetie and ſeruice: and commande theſe our prayers and ſupplicacions, by the Miniſtery of thy holy Angels, to be brought vp into thy holy Tabernacle before the ſyght of thy dyuine maieſtie: […]”
- Bound.“...and that the world should owe thanke therof to you, to whom my husband the authour of it was for good receyued of you, most dutiefully bounden.”
verb
- past participle of bind.; To be obliged; to be under a duty or obligation (to do something).“I am much bounden to your Maieſty.”