gnawen

Middle English

Alternative forms

gnaȝen, gnauen, gnauyn, gnawe, gnawyn, knauyn, knawen, knawyn

Etymology

From Old English gnagan, from Proto-West Germanic *gnagan, Proto-Germanic *gnaganą.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ˈɡnau̯ən/, /ˈknau̯ən/

Verb

gnawen (third-person singular simple present gnaweth, present participle gnawynge, first-/third-person singular past indicative gnew, past participle gnowen)

To gnaw; to persistently bite or chew.
To eat or eliminate through gnawing.
To impale or wound; to pierce the skin.
To wear; to cause corrosion or wastage.
(rare) To anguish or worry; to cause concern.
(rare) To mock, insult or slight; to speak negatively of.
(rare) To feel anguish, worry, or concern.
(rare) To ruin or ravage.

Usage notes

This verb is occasionally weak in Middle English, but usually remains strong.

Conjugation

Conjugation of gnawen (strong class 6/7)

infinitive	(to) gnawen, gnawe
	present tense	past tense
1st-person singular	gnawe	gnow, gnogh, gnew
2nd-person singular	gnawest	gnowe, gnewe, gnow, gnogh, gnew
3rd-person singular	gnaweth	gnow, gnogh, gnew
subjunctive singular	gnawe	gnowe¹, gnewe¹
imperative singular	gnawe	—

plural²	gnawen, gnawe	gnowen, gnowe, gnewen, gnewe
imperative plural	gnaweth, gnawe	—

participles	gnawynge, gnawende	gnawen, gnawe, ygnawe

¹Replaced by the indicative in later Middle English.
²Sometimes used as a formal 2nd-person singular.

Related terms

gnawynge

Descendants

English: gnaw, knaw
Scots: gnaw, knaw
Yola: gnafeen (ppl.) (<gnaȝen)

References

“gnauen, v.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 2018-10-14.

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