belæfan

Old English

Etymology

From Proto-West Germanic *bilaibijan, from Proto-Germanic *bilaibijaną. Equivalent to be- +‎ lǣfan.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /beˈlæː.fɑn/, [beˈlæː.vɑn]

Verb

belǣfan

  1. to be left; remain
    • Homilies of the Anglo-Saxon Church
      Þæt eahtoðe wīte wæs, þæt gærstapan oferēodon eall þæt land swilċe swā næfre ǣrðan nǣron, ne eft næfre ne ġewurðað; and hī forgnogon swā hwæt swā sē hagol belǣfde, oððe on trēowum oððe on ōðrum wæstmum.
      The eight plague was that locusts overran the entire land as they never had before, and never wood again; they gnawed up anything that the hail had left behind, either on trees or on other plants.
    • Homilies of the Anglo-Saxon Church
      ðā Drihten ārǣrde miċelne wind, and sē ġelǣhte ealne þone līġ, and ābǣr hine tō ðǣs cyninges botle, swā þæt him ne belǣfde nān þing unforburnen, and hē sylf earfoðlīċe þām fȳre ætbærst.
      The Lord rose up a great wind, and it caught all the flame, and bore it to the king's dwelling, so that nothing unburnt to him remained, and he himself escaped from the fire with difficulty.

Conjugation

Conjugation of belǣfan (weak, class 1)
infinitive belǣfan belǣfenne
indicative mood present tense past tense
first person singular belǣfe belǣfde
second person singular belǣfest, belǣfst belǣfdest
third person singular belǣfeþ, belǣfþ belǣfde
plural belǣfaþ belǣfdon
subjunctive present tense past tense
singular belǣfe belǣfde
plural belǣfen belǣfden
imperative
singular belǣf
plural belǣfaþ
participle present past
belǣfende belǣfed

Descendants

  • Middle English: beleven, bleven
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