eldertongue

Old English · verb

biddan

Part of speech
verb
Verb class
strong class V
IPA
/ˈbid.dɑn/
Syllables
ˈbid · dɑn (2 syllables)
Modern English
bidbeg

Meaning

  1. to ask (+ accusative someone, + genitive for something)

    c. 990, Wessex Gospels, Matthew 20:22

    You two don't know what you're asking for.

  2. to beg (+ accusative someone, + genitive for something)

    Būtan þām ǣhtum, ġelīċe sind þā þe biddaþ and þā þe him æt biddaþ.

    Aside from possessions, those who beg are the same as those they beg from.

    c. 992, Ælfric, "On the Greater Litany"

Conjugation

Conjugation of biddan
PresentPast
Indicative
1st singular biddebæd
2nd singular bitstbǣde
3rd singular bittbitbæd
Plural biddaþbǣdon
Subjunctive
Singular biddebǣde
Plural biddenbǣden
Non-finite forms of biddan
Form
Infinitive biddan
Inflected infinitive biddenne
Imperative singular bide
Imperative plural biddaþ
Present participle biddende
Past participle bedenġebeden

All forms (16)

Etymology

From Proto-West Germanic *biddjan, from Proto-Germanic *bidjaną. Cognate with Old Frisian bidda, Old Saxon biddian, Old Dutch bidden, Old High German bitten, Old Norse biðja, Gothic (bidjan).

Descendants

bid

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