Old English · verb
geliefan
Normalised ġelīefan
- Part of speech
- verb
- Verb class
- weak class 1
- IPA
- /jeˈli͜yː.fɑn/[jeˈli͜yː.vɑn]
- Syllables
- je · ˈli͜yː · fɑn (3 syllables)
- Modern English
- believe inbelieve
Meaning
-
to believe
Forþon him ġelȳfeð lȳt, sē þe āh līfes wyn ġebiden in burgum, bealosīþa hwōn, wlonc ond wīngāl, hū iċ wēriġ oft in brimlāde bīdan sċeolde.
At first he believes a little, who has life’s mirth lasted in towns, a little of woes, proud and wine-flown, how weary I oft had to linger on the sea-road.
10th century, The Seafarer: -
to believe in
Conjugation
| Present | Past | |
|---|---|---|
| Indicative | ||
| 1st singular | ġelīefe | ġelīefde |
| 2nd singular | ġelīefestġelīefst | ġelīefdest |
| 3rd singular | ġelīefeþġelīefþ | ġelīefde |
| Plural | ġelīefaþ | ġelīefdon |
| Subjunctive | ||
| Singular | ġelīefe | ġelīefde |
| Plural | ġelīefen | ġelīefden |
| Form | |
|---|---|
| Infinitive | ġelīefan |
| Inflected infinitive | ġelīefenne |
| Imperative singular | ġelīef |
| Imperative plural | ġelīefaþ |
| Present participle | ġelīefende |
| Past participle | ġelīefed |
All forms (16)
Etymology
From Proto-Germanic *galaubijaną (“to believe, to hold valuable or pleasing”), from *ga-laub- (“dear, pleasing”), from Proto-Indo-European *lewbʰ- (“like, love”). Equivalent to ġe- + līefan. Cognate with Old Saxon gilōvian (Low German glöven), Dutch geloven, Old High German gilouben (German glauben), Gothic (galaubjan).
Source: Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · en.wiktionary.org/wiki/geliefan · CC BY-SA 4.0 licence · Attribution