eldertongue

Old English · verb

delfan

Part of speech
verb
Verb class
strong class III
IPA
/ˈdel.fɑn/
[ˈdeɫ.vɑn]
Syllables
ˈdel · fɑn (2 syllables)
Modern English
delvedigmine

Meaning

  1. to dig

    Þǣr beoð akende ǣmættan swā miċle swā hundas. Hī habbað fēt swylċe græshoppan, hī syndon rēades hīwes ⁊ blaces. Þā ǣmettan delfað gold up of eorðan fram foran nihte ōþ þa fīftan tīd dæġes.

    Ants are born there as big as dogs. They have feet like grasshoppers, and are red and black in color. The ants dig gold up from the earth from before the night until the fifth hour of the day.

    Wonders of the East
  2. to mine

Conjugation

Conjugation of delfan
PresentPast
Indicative
1st singular delfedealf
2nd singular dilfstdulfe
3rd singular dilfþdealf
Plural delfaþdulfon
Subjunctive
Singular delfedulfe
Plural delfendulfen
Non-finite forms of delfan
Form
Infinitive delfan
Inflected infinitive delfenne
Imperative singular delf
Imperative plural delfaþ
Present participle delfende
Past participle dolfenġedolfen

All forms (15)

Etymology

From Proto-West Germanic *delban, from Proto-Germanic *delbaną. Cognate with Old Frisian delva, Old Saxon *delƀan, Old Dutch *delvan, and Old High German *telban.

Descendants

delve

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