bernen

A mixture of two verbs:

• Old Dutch brinnan, from Proto-Germanic *brinnaną
• Old Dutch brennen, from Proto-Germanic *brannijaną

bernen

1. (intransitive) to burn, to be on fire
2. (transitive) to burn, to cause to be on fire or consumed by fire

• barnen

• bernelijc
• berninge
• ontbernen
• verbernen

• Dutch: barnen
• Limburgish: borre
• ⇒ Middle Dutch: branden (backformation)
  • Dutch: branden
  • Limburgish: branje, brenje

• “bernen”, in Vroegmiddelnederlands Woordenboek, 2000
• Verwijs, E., Verdam, J. (1885–1929) “bernen”, in Middelnederlandsch Woordenboek, The Hague: Martinus Nijhoff, →ISBN

• bern, berne, birnen, brennen

From Old English birnan, metathesis from Proto-West Germanic *brinnan, from Proto-Germanic *brinnaną (“to burn”).

bernen

1. To burn.
   • 1387–1400, Geoffrey Chaucer, “The Manciples Tale”, in The Canterbury Tales, [Westminster: William Caxton, published 1478], →OCLC; republished in [William Thynne], editor, The Workes of Geffray Chaucer Newlye Printed, […], [London]: […] [Richard Grafton for] Iohn Reynes […], 1542, →OCLC, folio xcix, recto, column 2:

     That for the tyraunt is of greater might / By force of meyne, to ſlee downe right / And brenne houſe & home, & make al playn, / Lo therfore is he called a capitayne / And for the outlawe hath but ſmal meyne / And maie not do ſo great an harm, as he / Ne brynge a countrey to ſo great miſchefe / Men callen him an outlawe or a thefe

     That because the tyrant is of greater might / By force of retinue, to slay downright / And burn house and home, and make all level / Lo therefore is he called a captain / And because the outlaw has but a small retinue / And may not do so great a harm as he [the tyrant] / Nor bring a country to so great mischief / Men call him an outlaw or a thief

   (Can we find and add a quotation of Piers Plowman to this entry?)

• English: burn
• Scots: bern, brenn, bren, brend

• “brennen, v.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.