berwen

Middle English

Alternative forms

• berȝen, bergen, berghen, beregen, berrȝhenn

Etymology

From Old English beorgan; equivalent to berg +‎ -en (infinitival suffix). Cognate with Dutch bergen (“to store, save, rescue”), German bergen (“to salvage, recover, hise, rescue, save”), Icelandic bjarga (“to save”).

Pronunciation

• (Early Middle English) IPA^(key): /ˈbœrɣən/
• IPA^(key): /ˈbɛrwən/

Verb

berwen

1. To save, preserve, guard
2. To help out, deliver, safeguard.

Conjugation

Conjugation of berwen (strong class 3)

infinitive	(to) berwen, berwe
	present tense	past tense
1st-person singular	berwe	bargh
2nd-person singular	berwest	borwe, bargh
3rd-person singular	berweth	bargh
subjunctive singular	berwe	borwe1
imperative singular		—
plural2	berwen, berwe	borwen, borwe
imperative plural	berweth, berwe	—
participles	berwynge, berwende	borwen, borwe, yborwen, yborwe

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

References

• “berwen, v.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 2018-04-27.