Old English · verb

scelfan

Normalised sċelfan

Part of speech: verb
Verb class: strong class III
IPA: /ˈʃel.fɑn/
[ˈʃeɫ.vɑn]
Syllables: ˈʃel · fɑn (2 syllables)
Modern English: quiver totter

Meaning

to shake, quiver, totter

On ðyssum stapelum sceall ǣlc cynestōl standan mid rihte on cristenre þēode, and āwācie heora ǣnig, sōna se stōl scylfþ [...] āwācie se cristendōm, sōna scylfþ se cynedōm

on these pillars shall every throne stand with law in the Christian nation, and any of them may weaken, then shall the throne shake, if Christendom may weaken, then shall the kingdom shake

Conjugation

Conjugation of scelfan
Indicative
	Present	Past
1st singular	sċelfe	sċealf
2nd singular	sċilfst	sċulfe
3rd singular	sċilfþ	sċealf
Plural	sċelfaþ	sċulfon
Subjunctive
Singular	sċelfe	sċulfe
Plural	sċelfen	sċulfen

Non-finite forms of scelfan
	Form
Infinitive	sċelfan
Inflected infinitive	sċelfenne
Imperative singular	sċelf
Imperative plural	sċelfaþ
Present participle	sċelfende
Past participle	sċolfen ġesċolfen

Etymology

From Proto-West Germanic *skelban, from Proto-Germanic *skelbaną, possibly from Proto-Indo-European *(s)kelH- (“to split, cleave”), and therefore related to Old English sċylfe (shelf) Cognate with Old Norse skjálfa.

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