bearn

• IPA^(key): /bʲaːɾˠn̪ˠ/^[1]

bearn f (genitive singular bearna, nominative plural bearnacha)

1. Ulster form of bearna (“gap”)

• Ó Dónaill, Niall (1977), “bearna”, in Foclóir Gaeilge–Béarla, Dublin: An Gúm, →ISBN

bearn

1. alternative form of barn (“child”)

From Proto-West Germanic *barn. Cognate with Old Frisian bern, Old Saxon barn, Old Dutch *barn, Old High German barn, Old Norse barn, Gothic 𐌱𐌰𐍂𐌽 (barn). Related to beran.

• IPA^(key): /bæ͜ɑrn/, [bæ͜ɑrˠn]

bearn n

1. child
   • late 9th century, King Alfred's translation of Boethius' The Consolation of Philosophy

     Swīðe wynsum hit biþ þæt man wīf hæbbe and bearn.

     It is very pleasant to have a wife and children.

   • late 9th century, Old English Martyrology

     Hīe wǣron twēntiġ ġēara samod ǣr þon þe hīe bearn hæfdon.

     They were together for twenty years before they had a child.

   • c. 990, Wessex Gospels, "Gospel of Saint John", chapter 13, verse 33

     Lā bearn, nū gȳt ic eom ġehwǣde tīd mid ēow. Ġē mē sēceað; and swā ic þām Iudeon sǣde, Ġē ne magon faran þyder þe ic fare; and nū ic ēow secge.

     O children, now yet I am little time with you. You seek me; and as I told the Jews, You cannot go to there which I go; and now I tell you.

   • Homilies of the Anglo-Saxon Church

     Ġelēaffulle lǣwede menn, þe on rihtum sinsċipe lybbað, āġifað þrītigḟealdne wǣstm gōdra weorca, ġif hī heora æw̄e æfter bōclīcum ġesetnyssum healdað, þæt is, þæt hī for bearnes ġestrēone, on alyfedum tīman, hǣmed begān, and bearneacniġende wīf and mōnaðsēoc forbūgan; and ðonne hēo leng tȳman ne mæġ,̇ ġeswican hī hǣmedes.

     Faithful lay people, who live in righteous marriage, yield thirtyfold fruit of good works, if their marriage follows the biblical decrees; that is, that they have intercourse for the procreation of children at permitted times, and abstain from intercourse with pregnant or menstruating women, and that at the time they can no longer procreate, they cease intercourse.

2. baby

See the usage notes for ċild.

Strong a-stem:

• Middle English: barn, bern, bearn, bærn, barne, berne, baren
  • English: barn, bern (obsolete, dialectal)
  • Geordie: bairn
  • Scots: bairn
    • → English: bairn
  • Yola: barrn

Inflections.

• IPA^(key): /bæ͜ɑrn/, [bæ͜ɑrˠn]

bearn

1. first/third-person singular preterite of beirnan

Contraction of bereern, bereærn (literally “barley-place”), equivalent to bere +‎ ærn.

• bern

bearn n

1. a place to store barley

Strong a-stem:

• Middle English: bern, barn, baryn, berne, bærn (Early Middle English), berrn (Ormulum)
  • English: barn
  • Scots: bern
  • Yola: barrn