eldertongue

Old English · verb

aþencan

Normalised āþenċan

Part of speech
verb
Verb class
weak class 1
IPA
/ɑːˈθen.t͡ʃɑn/
Syllables
ɑː · ˈθen · t͡ʃɑn (3 syllables)
Modern English
inventconceive

Meaning

  1. to think of something (meaning "conceive of" or "invent," not "think about")

    Hwelċ mann āþōhte ǣrest mid sylh tō erienne?

    Which person first thought of plowing the ground with a plow?

    The Dialogues of Solomon and Saturn

  2. to make up something

    Mīn sōþung is þæt iċ hit āþōhte!

    My proof is that I made it up!

  3. to intend

Conjugation

Conjugation of aþencan
PresentPast
Indicative
1st singular āþenċeāþōhte
2nd singular āþenċestāþencstāþōhtest
3rd singular āþenċeþāþencþāþōhte
Plural āþenċaþāþōhton
Subjunctive
Singular āþenċeāþōhte
Plural āþenċenāþōhten
Non-finite forms of aþencan
Form
Infinitive āþenċan
Inflected infinitive āþenċenne
Imperative singular āþenċ
Imperative plural āþenċaþ
Present participle āþenċende
Past participle āþōht

All forms (16)

Etymology

From Proto-West Germanic *uzþankijan. Cognate with Old High German irdenken (German erdenken). Equivalent to ā- + þenċan.

Source: Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · en.wiktionary.org/wiki/aþencan · CC BY-SA 4.0 licence · Attribution