forbærnan

Old English

Etymology

From Proto-West Germanic *frabrannijan. Equivalent to for- +‎ bærnan.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /forˈbær.nɑn/, [forˈbærˠ.nɑn]

Verb

forbærnan

1. (transitive) to burn (completely): burn down, burn up
   • Blickling Homilies, "The Passion of Peter and Paul"

     Hīe wǣron tō þon hātheortlīċe ierre þæt hīe woldon þone cāsere cwicne forbærnan.

     They were so enraged that they wanted to burn the emperor alive.

   • Blickling Homilies, "Easter Day"

     On þām dæġe biþ sēo eorðe forbærndu tō ascum.

     On that day, the Earth will be burned to ashes.

   • late 10th century, Ælfric, On the Seasons of the Year

     Nim ǣnne sticcan and gnīd tō sumum þinge, hit hātaþ þǣrrihte of þām fȳre þe him on lutaþ. Forbærn þone ōðerne ende, þonne gǣþ se wǣta ūt æt þām ōðrum ende mid þām smīeċe.

     Take a stick and rub it against something, and it will heat up immediately from the fire lurking inside it. Burn one end, and moisture will come out the other end with the smoke.

   • c. 890, The Voyage of Ohthere and Wulfstan

     Ealle þā hwīle þe þæt līċ biþ inne, þǣr sċeal bēon ġedrinc and plega, oþ þone dæġ þe hīe hine forbærnaþ.

     The whole time the body is inside, there's drinking and partying, until the day comes to cremate him.

   • c. 890, The Voyage of Ohthere and Wulfstan

     And þonne his ġestrēon bēoþ þus eall āspendu, þonne birþ man hine ūt and forbærnþ mid his wǣpnum and hræġle.

     Then when his valuables have been completely exhausted, they carry him outside and cremate him with his clothes and his weapons.

2. (transitive) to burn (injure with heat)
   • Bald's Leechbook

     WIÞ BRYNE. Ġif man sīe mid fȳre āne forbærned: nim wudurofan and lilian and hlemoc, wiell on buteran, and smiere mid. Ġif man sīe mid wǣtan forbærned: nim elmrinde and lilian moran, wiell on meolcum, smiere mid þreowa on dæġe.

     FOR A BURN. If the patient was burned with fire alone: take woodruff, lily, and brooklime • boil in butter • smear on the burn. If they were burned by a liquid: take elm bark and lily root • boil in milk • smear on the burn three times a day.

Conjugation

Conjugation of forbærnan (weak class 1)

infinitive	forbærnan	forbærnenne
indicative mood	present tense	past tense
first person singular	forbærne	forbærnde
second person singular	forbærnest, forbærnst	forbærndest
third person singular	forbærneþ, forbærnþ	forbærnde
plural	forbærnaþ	forbærndon
subjunctive	present tense	past tense
singular	forbærne	forbærnde
plural	forbærnen	forbærnden
imperative
singular	forbærn
plural	forbærnaþ
participle	present	past
	forbærnende	forbærned

Related terms

• forbirnan