Old English · verb

hnossian

Part of speech: verb
Verb class: weak class 2
IPA: /ˈxnos.si.ɑn/
[ˈn̥os.si.ɑn]
Syllables: ˈxnos · si · ɑn (3 syllables)

Meaning

to strike or beat

…ac mec hnossiað homera lāfa, heardecg heoroscearp, hondweorc smiþa bītað in burgum;

…but remains of hammers strike me, harsh edge of sharp sword, handiworks of smiths bite in boroughs;
10th century, Exeter Book Riddle 5:

Conjugation

Conjugation of hnossian
Indicative
	Present	Past
1st singular	hnossiġe	hnossode
2nd singular	hnossast	hnossodest
3rd singular	hnossaþ	hnossode
Plural	hnossiaþ	hnossodon
Subjunctive
Singular	hnossiġe	hnossode
Plural	hnossiġen	hnossoden

Non-finite forms of hnossian
	Form
Infinitive	hnossian
Inflected infinitive	hnossienne
Imperative singular	hnossa
Imperative plural	hnossiaþ
Present participle	hnossiende
Past participle	hnossod ġehnossod

Etymology

Cognate to Old High German zerchnusen, Middle Low German knūsen, Old Norse knúsa, Norwegian knusa, Swedish knusa (knosa, knösa), Danish knuse (“to smush”) (cf. Icelandic knúsa (“to hug”)), to a broad Germanic *knu-/*hnu- stem for 'pounding' and other action words, such as English knead, here with an s-expansion also seen in Old Norse nista, nesta, Danish næste (“to tack, to sew together”), Swedish nysta (“to clew, to roll yarn into a ball”), Old Norse hnoss (“ornament”). Also to the stem includes: Proto-Germanic *hnudōną (“to pound”), *hneudaną (“to hammer”), *hneupaną (“to tear”); ultimately …

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