bethen

Middle English

Alternative forms

• beðen, beþien (Early Middle English)

Etymology

Inherited from Old English beþian, beþþan, from Proto-West Germanic *baþþjan, from Proto-Germanic *baþjaną; compare bath (“bath”) and bathen (“to bathe”).

Pronunciation

• (unlengthened) IPA^(key): /ˈbɛðən/
• IPA^(key): /ˈbɛːðən/, /ˈbæːðən/

Verb

bethen (third-person singular simple present betheth, present participle bethende, bethynge, first-/third-person singular past indicative and past participle bethed)

1. (chiefly Early Middle English) To bathe; to immerse oneself in water.

   Synonym: bathen

2. (rare) To immerse wood in a heated bath to soften it.

Conjugation

Conjugation of bethen (weak in -ed)

infinitive	(to) bethen
	present tense	past tense
1st-person singular	bethe	bethed
2nd-person singular	bethest	bethedest
3rd-person singular	betheth	bethed
subjunctive singular	bethe
imperative singular		—
plural1	bethen, bethe	betheden, bethede
imperative plural	betheth, bethe	—
participles	bethynge, bethende	bethed, ybethed

¹Sometimes used as a formal 2nd-person singular.

Descendants

• English: beath (dialectal)

References

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