efesian
Old English
editAlternative forms
editEtymology
editFrom the noun efes (“eaves”) or its ancestor.
Pronunciation
editVerb
editefesian
Usage notes
edit- In Old English, you usually cut someone's head, not their hair (Lēte þū þīn hēafod efesian? = “Did you get your hair [lit. head] cut?”), or else the object is the person themselves (Sēo widuwe wolde efesian þone hālgan ǣlce ġēare and his næġlas ċeorfan = “The widow would cut the saint's hair [lit. the saint] every year and trim his nails”). It is always clear that hair is meant because efesian, unlike snīþan or ċeorfan, only refers to cutting hair, not any other object or body part. See also cemban (“to comb”).
Conjugation
editConjugation of efesian (weak class 2)
infinitive | efesian | efesienne |
---|---|---|
indicative mood | present tense | past tense |
first person singular | efesiġe | efesode |
second person singular | efesast | efesodest |
third person singular | efesaþ | efesode |
plural | efesiaþ | efesodon |
subjunctive | present tense | past tense |
singular | efesiġe | efesode |
plural | efesiġen | efesoden |
imperative | ||
singular | efesa | |
plural | efesiaþ | |
participle | present | past |
efesiende | (ġe)efesod |
Derived terms
editDescendants
edit- Middle English: evesen
See also
edit- sċieran (“to shave”)