Old English · verb

abrecan

Normalised ābrecan

Part of speech: verb
Verb class: strong class IV
IPA: /ɑːˈbre.kɑn/
Syllables: ɑː · ˈbre · kɑn (3 syllables)
Modern English: conquer vanquish violate assault capture

Meaning

to break, break to pieces, break down, conquer, vanquish, take by storm, capture, violate, destroy, assault

An. DCCCLX Hēr Aþelbald cing forðferde ⁊ his līc līð on Sċīrburnan, ⁊ feng Æþelbriht tō ealle þām rīce his brōðor, ⁊ hē hit heold on gōdre ġeþwærnesse, ⁊ his dæġe cōm myċel sċiphere upp ⁊ ābrǣcan Wintanċeaster ⁊ wið þone here ġefuhtan Wulfheard ealderman mid Hāmtūnsċīre, Æþelwulf ealderman mid Bearrocsċīre, ⁊ þone here ġeflȳmdan...

Year 860 In this year King Athelbald passed away, and is body lies in Sherbourne. Athelbright took hold over the entire kingdom of his brother in a time of good peace, but in his day a great fleet came up and attacked Winchester. Alderman Wulfheard fought against the fleet with Hampshire and Alderman Athelwulf with Berkshire, and the fleet was put to flight...
The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle
to break out, break away, break forth

Conjugation

Conjugation of abrecan
Indicative
	Present	Past
1st singular	ābrece	ābræc
2nd singular	ābricst	ābrǣce
3rd singular	ābricþ	ābræc
Plural	ābrecaþ	ābrǣcon
Subjunctive
Singular	ābrece	ābrǣce
Plural	ābrecen	ābrǣcen

Non-finite forms of abrecan
	Form
Infinitive	ābrecan
Inflected infinitive	ābrecenne
Imperative singular	ābrec
Imperative plural	ābrecaþ
Present participle	ābrecende
Past participle	ābrocen

Etymology

From Proto-West Germanic *uʀbrekan (“to break apart, smash, shatter”), equivalent to ā- + brecan (“to break”). Cognate with Old High German irbrehhan.

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