Old English · verb
behabban
- Part of speech
- verb
- Verb class
- weak class 3
- IPA
- /beˈxɑb.bɑn/[beˈhɑb.bɑn]
- Syllables
- be · ˈxɑb · bɑn (3 syllables)
- Modern English
- containdetainembrace
Meaning
-
to surround or embrace something
Ðīne fȳnd behabbaþ ðē.
Your enemies surround you.
1921, Joseph Bosworth, Thomas Northcote Toller, Bosworth-Toller Anglo-Saxon Dictionary Online: -
to hold or contain somebody or something
Māran endebyrdnysse þonne ðis godspel behæfð.
More circumstances than this gospel contains.
1921, Joseph Bosworth, Thomas Northcote Toller, Bosworth-Toller Anglo-Saxon Dictionary Online: -
to understand something (+ dative or + on)
-
to withhold or hold something back
Behæfð God his mildheortnesse.
God withholds his mercy.
1921, Joseph Bosworth, Thomas Northcote Toller, Bosworth-Toller Anglo-Saxon Dictionary Online: -
to restrain or detain somebody
Hī behæfdon hine.
They detained him.
1921, Joseph Bosworth, Thomas Northcote Toller, Bosworth-Toller Anglo-Saxon Dictionary Online:
Conjugation
| Present | Past | |
|---|---|---|
| Indicative | ||
| 1st singular | behæbbe | behæfde |
| 2nd singular | behæfst | behæfdest |
| 3rd singular | behæfþ | behæfde |
| Plural | behabbaþ | behæfdon |
| Subjunctive | ||
| Singular | behæbbe | behæfde |
| Plural | behæbben | behæfden |
| Form | |
|---|---|
| Infinitive | behabban |
| Inflected infinitive | behæbbenne |
| Imperative singular | behafa |
| Imperative plural | behabbaþ |
| Present participle | behæbbende |
| Past participle | behæfd |
All forms (14)
Etymology
From Proto-West Germanic *bihabbjan. Equivalent to be- + habban.
Source: Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · en.wiktionary.org/wiki/behabban · CC BY-SA 4.0 licence · Attribution