delfan
Middle English
Verb
delfan
- (Early Middle English) alternative form of delven
Old English
Etymology
From Proto-West Germanic *delban, from Proto-Germanic *delbaną. Cognate with Old Frisian delva, Old Saxon *delƀan, Old Dutch *delvan, and Old High German *telban.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˈdel.fɑn/, [ˈdeɫ.vɑn]
Verb
delfan
- to dig
- Wonders of the East
- Þǣr beoð akende ǣmættan swā miċle swā hundas. Hī habbað fēt swylċe græshoppan, hī syndon rēades hīwes ⁊ blaces. Þā ǣmettan delfað gold up of eorðan fram foran nihte ōþ þa fīftan tīd dæġes.
- Ants are born there as big as dogs. They have feet like grasshoppers, and are red and black in color. The ants dig gold up from the earth from before the night until the fifth hour of the day.
- Wonders of the East
- to mine
Conjugation
Conjugation of delfan (strong, class III)
| infinitive | delfan | delfenne |
|---|---|---|
| indicative mood | present tense | past tense |
| first person singular | delfe | dealf |
| second person singular | dilfst | dulfe |
| third person singular | dilfþ | dealf |
| plural | delfaþ | dulfon |
| subjunctive | present tense | past tense |
| singular | delfe | dulfe |
| plural | delfen | dulfen |
| imperative | ||
| singular | delf | |
| plural | delfaþ | |
| participle | present | past |
| delfende | (ġe)dolfen | |
Derived terms
- ādelfan (“to excavate”)
- bedelfan (“to dig around, bury”)
- delfere (“digger”)
- delfing (“digging”)
- fordelfan (“to delve, dig”)
- þurhdelfan (“to dig through, pierce”)
- underdelfan (“to dig under, undermine, break through”)