þencan

Old English

Alternative forms

• þenċean

Etymology

From Proto-West Germanic *þankijan, from Proto-Germanic *þankijaną.

Cognate with Old Frisian thenka, Old Saxon thenkian, Old Dutch thenken, Old High German denken, Old Norse þekkja, Gothic 𐌸𐌰𐌲𐌺𐌾𐌰𐌽 (þagkjan). All ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *teng- (“to think”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈθen.t͡ʃɑn/

Verb

þenċan

1. to think

   Iċ þenċe, for þȳ iċ eom.

   I think, therefore I am.

   Ne magon wē þenċan þæt wē seċġan ne magon.

   We cannot think what we cannot say.

   Betere is þæt man þenċe tō swīðe þonne tō lȳt.

   It's better to think too much than too little.

Usage notes

This word refers primarily to thinking as in having thoughts. For thinking as in having an opinion, wēnan was most often used.

Conjugation

Conjugation of þenċan (weak class 1)

infinitive	þenċan	þenċenne
indicative mood	present tense	past tense
first person singular	þenċe	þōhte
second person singular	þenċest, þencst	þōhtest
third person singular	þenċeþ, þencþ	þōhte
plural	þenċaþ	þōhton
subjunctive	present tense	past tense
singular	þenċe	þōhte
plural	þenċen	þōhten
imperative
singular	þenċ
plural	þenċaþ
participle	present	past
	þenċende	(ġe)þōht

Derived terms

• āþenċan
• beþenċan
• biþenċan
• forþenċan
• foreþenċan
• ġeþenċan
• ġeondþenċan
• oferþenċan
• ofþenċan
• underþenċan
• ymbþenċan

Descendants

• Middle English: thinken, thenchen, thenken, thynken, thinke, think
  • English: think
  • Scots: think, thynk